The breed of hens meat-egg direction are very popular among the breeders. Besides tasty dietary meat such chicken you can get and egg products.
Adler silvery chicken, breeding which breeders were engaged in more than 10 years, are by far the most popular among small farmers and owners of large poultry activities.
Description Adler breeds of chickens
In addition to high productivity, Adler silver chickens can boast an incredibly attractive appearance, balanced character and unpretentiousness to the conditions of detention.
Origin
The development of the Adler silver breed chickens began back in 1951. Breeders of the city of Adler (Krasnodar Krai) in the last 14 years has crossed various breeds, each of which was planned to obtain the best quality. However, first attempts were not entirely successful: the bird first and second generation obtained by crossing of Pervomayskaya and Russian white rocks on its parameters was superior to each of them individually, but the meat quality was below the desired.
It was decided that out of all of posterity to select only the best specimens and breed them c chicken breeds new Hampshire, which is famous for high meat performance.
The third and fourth generation of chickens was obtained without involving any other species and only the fifth generation is crossed with a white breed plimutrok. The resulting offspring were bred with orlovskimi chickens that have delivered good results in terms of increasing egg production.
The final formation of breeds Adler silver occurred only in 1965, after many years of hard work and selection of the best individuals.
The establishment of the Adler silvery chicken place with the participation of the following breeds:
- Russian white;
- Pervomayskaya;
- White plimutrok;
- New Hampshire;
- The landmarks of the Yurlov.
The Adler breed chickens: description of appearance
The specimens have the following characteristics:
- Head rounded, proportional to the body. Comb medium size, straight, red, has a leaf-shaped form. The beak is yellow, curved.
- The neck is moderately covered with feathers, not very long, proportional.
- Chest broad and powerful.
- Tail small, rounded.
- Small wings, at rest held tightly to the body of the chicken.
- Hocks wide apart, medium size calf.
- Legs yellow hue, bare, and high.
- Adler chickens have copper eye color that is one of the hallmarks of the breed.
Males and females have similar body structure and color. The only difference can be considered only the dimensions of the birds: roosters are always larger than chickens. Chickens are uniformly colored in yellow, adults have a Columbia coat. Such a bright color Adler chickens received from their ancestors landmarks of the Yurlov day rocks. Unlike other breeds, Adler chickens can’t boast of rich plumage, which greatly facilitates the care of the bird.
What chickens must be discarded?
Culling of birds is subject to the following:
- inflated statement of the case;
- too thin neck with disproportionate length relative to the torso;
- hanging to one side of the comb, larger than average;
- big tail with very long braids.
Adlerz grow quickly and gain weight. Already one year in body weight of the cock reaches 4 kg chicken – 2.5 kg.
In General, this undemanding, hardy and quite friendly bird, which with proper care, shows high productivity, and for the whole period of egg production, which is about 4 years old. This figure is much higher than the chickens of other breeds.
Russian poultry farmers love this breed of chicken because of the rapid adaptation of the birds to change conditions of detention, as well as their endurance. Adler silver resistant to cold, easy to get used to a new diet and a change of scenery. In addition, adlerz have a high immune system, less prone to various diseases and are of good viability. And this applies to both young and adults.
The pros and cons of Adler breeds of chickens
Like any other breed, Adler silver have both advantages and certain disadvantages.
Among the advantages of the breed are the following:
Roosters and hens of this breed possess many positive qualities, which explains their high popularity. High egg production of chickens is maintained for 4 years, while birds of another breed already one and a half years is a gradual decrease in productivity.
Adlerz are characterized by excellent quality of meat products, and this applies to the whole period of living birds, while other chicken breeds is getting tougher and less tasty after 1.5-2 years.
Females Adler silver very quickly reach a Mature age, and hence the rush starts much earlier than others. So, in 6 months from Adler chickens you can get the first egg.
The Adler breed chickens require minimal power and maintenance, are ability to eat any kind of feed, thus rapidly gaining weight, not losing productivity.
Cons of the breed
But among the many advantages, there are some disadvantages, the main of which is the loss of Adler, the female maternal instinct. That’s why raising chickens can be complicated, especially for beginners.
However, this problem is easily solved with the help of an incubator or by using the services of another hen. Although rare, but it happens that of all livestock stands out for 1-2 individuals who have not lost the instinct of motherhood. If you notice that the bird is loud cackles and demonstrates attempts to build a nest, so she’s ready to be a mother. Of course, these chickens needed to ensure the appropriate conditions and not to score the meat.
Food
Chickens Adler silver breed need very frequent and abundant feeding, particularly in the first week of life, when the young should be fed no less than seven times/day. In the diet of the Chicks should enter the crushed eggs, which should be gradually add the semolina. Many poultry farmers interested in the question of life expectancy Adler birds. So how do they live?
With proper feeding when the bird receives the highest quality food with all the vitamin and mineral supplements, adlerz can live about 6-8 years.
While equally important are the first days of life of Chickswhen their diet must include the required amounts of vitamins and protein. The growth of the young in the menu are added to the milled cereals, preferably wheat or barley. Adult chickens, in addition to all of the above, needs to obtain a variety of root vegetables, corn and fresh herbs. The diet of more Mature individuals is necessary to include fishmeal and moist cake.
Thus, properly prepared and balanced diet promotes the growth of healthy birds, and also prevents rascle eggs. But this problem does not occur very rarely. The fact is that poor nutrition leads to a deficiency of minerals (especially calcium) in the body of the hen which she is forced to get them out of their shell.
To avoid this, you need to install in the house a special feeder with chalk and limestone. This will improve the strength and quality of egg shell, and the chickens stop pecking eggs.
The indicators of productivity also affects the frequency of feeding birds. Adult hens should be fed at least twice/day. Special attention should be paid to the balanced feed in winter.
Adler chickens are very friendly and very responsive to the efforts of the owner. They quickly get used to the new room and the conditions, but there are some nuances.
With the aim of preserving productive poultry must provide a certain freedom. The Adler breed chickens equally well feel as if you outdoor and the cellular contents. But you should consider the fact that the productivity of poultry contained free range, is much higher.
The room that contains the bird population should be completely dry without any signs of humidity. If outdoor content, make special bedding out of peat and ash that will help to prevent the development of various parasitic infections.
Bedding can be made of peat moss, which perfectly absorbs moisture, and helps to cleanse the bird’s legs, allowing the chickens to avoid the development of joint diseases.
Unlike other, less productive breeds, Adler chickens can be bred in over three years, while receiving a stable income. And that is important – travel and change of climate have no effect on the standing of the health and performance of poultry.
Productivity of the breed
In type chickens Adler silver breed are considered meat-egg. At the age of one year old the chicken reaches a weight of 2.8-3 kg , cock is about 4 kg. in General, a good Egg – 2 eggs in three days. This is a high figure for a bird of this direction. One hen can carry on 160-190 eggs, weighing 60 grams in a year, given the seasonal reduction in productivity.
With regard to meat products, here also there is a high incidence. Interestingly, when the content of chickens Adler silver breed, the farmer is given the opportunity to adjust the performance of the bird flock. The fact that breeders had seen a pattern – the more weight of the chicken, the less it carries eggs.
The owners of the chicken livestock that are interested in obtaining a greater number of eggs, deliberately restricted feeding, with the result that egg production significantly increased (up to 200 eggs/year).
Adler hens begin egg production at the age of six months, but sometimes it happens earlier. It is not necessary to rejoice to this fact, as early egg production affects the health of pullets. As a rule, precocity different bird born in the early spring. But such individuals, it is desirable to fatten for meat, because their productivity will be very low.
The best laying hens are obtained from pullets, hatched in early summer (June). These chickens, in contrast to their earlier or later counterparts, develop most harmoniously.
Since chickens breeds Adler silver are quite fast growing and gaining weight, they can easily be used as a broiler. The survival rate of young animals and chickens is about 98% which is quite high.
Beginners poultry farmers may be confused by the fact that young hens (under one year) are too small eggs. Do not think that the bird somehow influenced by external conditions. If observed all the rules of feeding and keeping hens, it is likely that after some time the size of the testicles will conform to the norm. The only thing you need to understand that such products can only be used in food, because the offspring of these eggs to fail.
But if you notice that a laying hen that has reached one year of age, still continues to bear small testicles, should reconsider its diet, as the food of poultry depends on the size and quantity of eggs, condition and life expectancy of the chicken, as well as the quality of meat products. Therefore, not enough to create the poultry optimal living conditions, must also carefully monitor the diet. If you ignore this rule, is unlikely to succeed to achieve good results in breeding hens Adler breed.
Due to its high productive quality and simplicity of content and good survival of the Adler chicken was and remains one of the most popular breeds suitable for cultivation in small private farms and large poultry factories.
