Breeds of chickens: description and photo

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

In Russia, the most popular types of chickens are birds that lay eggs with white and brown shells. The former belong to laying hens, and the latter to the egg-meat type. There are also meat breeds of chickens, sports and miniature. But they are less in demand among farmers, especially the last two types.

Sporting breeds are distinguished by a high rate of viability, but their egg production is at an average, or even a minimum level. Miniature hens, on the contrary, rush well, but are too fastidious in service and die like flies if they are kept as ordinary household birds. That is why farmers prefer to breed conventional breeds of chickens - laying hens and egg-meat species. They are unpretentious, live long and in most cases fully justify the effort and financial resources invested in them.

So, let's try to figure out which breeds of chickens are considered the best, why and how they differ from each other. We will also consider the main features of a particular species and the feasibility of its breeding.

Layers

Breeds of laying hens differ from others in high activity. They have a relatively light frame, light weight and dense plumage. One of the notable visual traits of laying hens is the large, leaf-shaped ridge oncrown.

Egg breeds of chickens begin to lay four to five months after birth. As soon as the bird gains the necessary mass, eggs begin to appear. Domestic farmers prefer to breed the least picky layer breeds - Russian White and Leggorn, but some do not deny themselves exotic.

Russian White

This is one of the most popular chicken breeds. There is a description and reviews of this species, as they say, on each pillar. This breed is wildly popular in Russian villages and villages. She is picky, tenacious and carries well.

The chicken was born thanks to Russian breeders who crossed the breed of leghorn chickens with meat birds. The laying hen begins to give eggs after five months of life. The live weight of a chicken can reach three to four kilograms in males and two to three in females.

In appearance, the hen is somewhat reminiscent of a leghorn, but her head is slightly larger than that of the original species. Reviews for the Russian White chicken breed are mostly positive. The only critical flaw that most farmers complain about is a weak incubation instinct. Therefore, one has to almost forcibly drive the bird onto the eggs or hatch them artificially.

Leggorn

This breed of chickens (photo below) was bred in Italy, in the town of Livorno, after which it successfully spread throughout Europe and Russia as well. One of the notable differences of the bird is the variety of colors. She can be black, fawn, red, but most oftenwhite.

Leggorn is the best chicken breed according to experienced farmers. An adult weighs about two to three kilograms, but at the same time it has a good egg production rate. In one year, a laying hen can produce about 200 eggs, which is very good for her mass. The shell is pure white and highly durable.

As with the Russian white laying hen, the Leghorn is a breed of chicken without a developed brooding instinct. Therefore, for small yards it is more expedient to choose a different breed, but for farmers with incubators - that's it.

For breeding other breeds of chickens, leggorn is the main one, due to its enviable egg production. If this bird is properly maintained and properly fed, it can not only act as a laying hen, but also go for meat. The egg production rate is slightly reduced, but live weight is added.

Poltava

Laying hens of this breed are usually cuckoo or clay colored. One of the distinguishing features of the Poltava chicken is pronounced red "earrings", as well as the presence of earlobes and a leaf-shaped comb.

Birds of this breed are perfect for amateur breeding. The mass of an adult chicken ranges from 2-3 kilograms with an average egg production of 170 eggs per year. Unlike previous breeds, Poltava laying hens have a well-developed hatching instinct, so there are no problems in yards with a small number of heads.

The bird is picky in service, tenacious and relatively calm. Judgingaccording to breed reviews, for rural grandmothers and small farms - that's it.

Orlovskaya

The breeding roots of the breed have been lost somewhere, and experts in this field already don’t really know who and when brought this bird. Distinctive features of the laying hen are the athletic build of the skeleton. In appearance, the chicken looks more like a fighting bird than an ordinary laying hen.

Representatives of the Oryol breed lay medium-sized eggs with a white or pale pink color. A female can lay up to 160 eggs per year with her weight of 3 kg. In addition, the bird has distinguished itself by excellent indicators of vitality, adapting even to the most severe climatic conditions. Therefore, the breed can be recommended without exception, but without fanaticism: the chicken will not withstand the strong northern cold without proper maintenance.

It should also be noted that due to its original coloration, many breeders use the Oryol breed as show birds. Mahogany coloring is especially beautiful and interesting in this regard.

Dominant

Dominant chickens were bred in the Czech Republic. Hard and long selection work has borne fruit. The breed is distinguished not only by an excellent egg production rate, but also by high vitality along with an attractive appearance.

The bird is perfect for medium and small yards, and thanks to its good brooding instinct, the chicken can be bred without an incubator. The only drawback that most farmers complain about in their reviews is the large number of yolks in one egg (twothree). This feature does not have the best effect on the breeding of young animals. Nevertheless, the dominant enjoys enviable popularity in the middle and southern strip of Russia.

Meat-egg breeds

Here we have some kind of hybrids, where the birds have not only acceptable egg production, but also decent weight, as well as good meat quality.

Such breeds grow up almost the same as laying hens, but unlike the latter, they are less picky about maintenance. It is also worth noting that meat and egg chickens have a more flexible and calm character. This is especially evident in the manner of behavior in private courtyards. If laying hens need a high fence or fence, then meat and egg birds do not try to leave the walking area.

Rhode Island

American breeders from the state of the same name worked for a long time to develop the desired qualities of the bird, and as a result one of the best meat and egg breeds was obtained. It appeared in the middle of the 19th century, but it was brought to our country only in the early 20s of the last century.

One of the remarkable features of the Rhode Island is a strong and as if whipped physique: a prominent chest, a straight back, strong legs, a rectangular body and a richly feathered tail. The bird has practically no wings, but legs are well developed.

As for the coloration, it is mostly red, and some of the tail and flight feathers are black. Representatives of the breed have a bright yellow beak and red earlobes. The average weight of a bird reaches 3-4kilogram, and the annual egg production does not exceed 170 eggs.

New Hampshire

Another breed with the name of the state, bred in New England in North America at the beginning of the last century. Rhode Island became the basis for selections, but the new species received a higher egg production and viability.

The only thing that farmers sometimes complain about in their reviews is the belated maturity of the bird. If the breeds described above reached it in 4 months, then New Hampshire chickens need at least six months. But the expectation more than pays off in return: the hatchability of young animals does not cross the low mark of 85%, and this despite the instincts of incubation similar to laying hens. So in this case, you can do without incubators and some specific content.

The exterior of the birds is very reminiscent of the Rhode Island breed, but the plumage of chickens is slightly lighter with a chestnut shade. By nature, they are very calm, so they may well be kept in ordinary cages for several individuals.

In addition, the New Hampshire breed is divided into two subspecies: broiler and egg. The first is distinguished by a larger physique, as well as meat productivity, and the second has a modest skeleton, but high egg production (up to 200 eggs per year). Regardless of the subspecies, the live weight of chickens reaches 4 kilograms. It should also be noted that males predominate in the broods, so the broiler direction looks more promising for this breed.

Plymouthrock

The breed was bred in North America over a hundred years ago. Breeders crossed several species at oncebirds and ended up with a completely productive and picky chicken. The breed enjoys enviable popularity in our country, especially in the meat direction.

The Plymouth Rock has a specific and easily recognizable striped coloration. The bird begins to rush when it reaches five months of age, and the hatchability of young animals does not fall below the 80% mark, which is very good for hens with a good incubation instinct. In the pluses of the breed, you can also write down a very calm and peaceful character. They coexist well in tight spaces and do not peck at their own kind.

The bird is distinguished by good egg production along with good meat qualities. A similar universal variant can be seen in most villages and towns in central and southern Russia. A one-year-old hen reaches a weight of 4 kilograms and lays about 180 eggs a year.

Meat breeds

The obvious difference between meat breeds and others is the size of the skeleton, coupled with the compactness of the body. The plumage of the bird is loose, the legs are short, and in most cases the character is phlegmatic.

Because the main task of such chickens is meat production, the egg production of breeds has the lowest rate. It should also be noted that the instinct of incubation in these chickens is much better developed than in laying hens and meat and egg birds.

Brahma

Brahma chickens are strikingly different from their own kind. Birds are practically devoid of a crest, and their legs are shrouded in fluffy plumage. Roosters of this breed have a kind of collar that encircles the entire neck and back. And the last one is alwayscontrasts with the main color.

There are many subspecies of brahma, but they all weigh about the same: males are about 4.5-5 kilograms, and females are about 4 kg. The bird behaves more or less calmly, but only with its relatives. They do not like uninvited guests like ducks or geese, preferring their own kind.

Cornish

This breed was created by crossing Malaysian and English fighting chickens. At the beginning of the last century, the bird could occasionally be seen in Europe and Russia, because there was nothing to take from them except meat: the young were slowly hatched and feathered, and the eggs were very small.

Roughly in the middle of the last century, a thorough selection by breeders was carried out and the result was a breed of the same name with a relatively high egg production and good weight. Females weigh 3.5-4 kilograms, while males can weigh up to 5 kg.

Subsequently, it was this breed that was taken as the basis for breeding broiler poultry. She is tenacious, picky and gains weight relatively quickly.

Faverol

This breed is characterized by rapid maturation. Within six months, the female weighs almost 4 kilograms, and the male - 5 kg. At the same time, the bird, despite its whipped physique, has a very good egg production and can lay up to 160 eggs in a year.

The appearance of firerolls is unusual and original. They have a scarf tied under their throats, and many breeders consider the exterior of the bird to be humorous and touching. That is why breedersbrought out a subspecies of fireballs - dwarf chickens, which can be kept almost in an apartment. The weight of an adult individual does not exceed one kilogram, and egg production reaches an indicator of 200 units per year. Moreover, in winter it does not decrease.

The breed has taken root well in the Middle Volga and in the southern Russian regions, because it is unpretentious to climatic conditions and maintenance. The nature of individuals is calm and friendly. Chickens feel great in the company of other birds - geese, turkeys, ducks and others.

The only negative that farmers often complain about in their reviews of the breed is the poor incubation instinct. The bird has to be forcibly driven onto the eggs and create some additional conditions for the perch. Things are much easier with the incubator, so large farmers do not have such problems.