Breed of meat-and-egg chickens: description of the best breeds

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

The popularity of meat and egg chickens among farmers is primarily due to their versatility. Owners of household plots breed both old breeds of this direction of productivity, and new ones. Somewhat more complex than for laying hens, and simpler than for broilers, care is what distinguishes such chickens (meat-and-egg breeds). Which variety to choose? The answer to this question is rather complicated. After all, there were quite a lot of similar breeds bred by breeders. Therefore, later in the article we will consider what features the most popular meat and egg chickens differ in.

Which bird is more profitable to raise?

The best meat and egg breeds of chickens today, according to many farmers, are:

• rhode island;
• Kuchinsky anniversary;
• Moscow white;
• new hampshire;
• orpington;
• Adler silver.

These are the most productive breeds of meat and egg chickens. Description and photos of just such laying hens will bepresented in the article. We will talk about each of these breeds in detail.

Rhode Island: history, description

This meat-and-egg chicken breed, popular in Russia, was bred in the USA in 1840-1850. Cochinchins, Red Malays, Leghorns, Wyandots, Cornishes were used as parents for her.

The plumage of Rhode Island chickens is very thick. That is why they are well suited for keeping in Russia. This bird tolerates cold very well. The plumage color of the Rhode Island is brown. Over time, the color of these chickens fades a little.

Rhode Island Productivity

These chickens are valued by farmers, of course, primarily for the fact that they gain weight well and at the same time carry many eggs. In terms of productivity, many homeowners consider this bird one of the best today. The egg production of Rhode Islands is about 160-180 pieces. in year. From some chickens, subject to good care, you can get 210-215 pcs. The eggs themselves of this breed are quite large. Their weight can reach 55-60 grams.

This breed is also distinguished by good productivity indicators in relation to meat. Adult Rhode Island chickens reach a weight of 2.5-3 kg, males - 3.2-3.8 kg.

Features

Rhode Island chickens reach sexual maturity by 6-7 months. They run all year round. In winter, these chickens do not stop laying even in an unheated barn. The young of this breed are distinguished by endurance. A lunge in the Rhode Island herd almost never happens. These chickens are not too demanding on feed. Diet forthey are usually the same as for poultry meat breeds (concentrates - mash - concentrates). However, when keeping the owner of the household plot, it is imperative to ensure that the chickens do not overeat. Too much food will not affect the rate of weight gain, but the bird will carry very few eggs.

In terms of productivity, Rhode Islands are superior to many other meat-and-egg breeds of chickens. The photo of the cockerel, presented on the page above, clearly demonstrates its strong constitution. But this bird has one more definite advantage. One of the characteristics of the Rhode Island breed is that it is simply excellent genetic material. It is these chickens that are used by breeders to breed new highly productive meat-egg hybrids most often.

Kuchinsky anniversary chicken

The breeding of this bird lasted for 43 years. It was bred by domestic specialists on the basis of the genotype of 4 foreign breeds. Later, the resulting fairly productive hybrid was additionally crossed with Liven chickens.

The plumage of the Kuchinsky anniversary has brown or golden. Her body is quite compact, but very strong. The plumage, like that of the Rhode Islands, is dense in representatives of this breed. Therefore, Kuchinsky jubilee chickens tolerate winter well, practically without reducing egg production. But still, the air temperature in the barn with the content of this breed should not drop below +3 C.

Productivity Metrics

Kuchinsky anniversary chickens gain weight at 2.7-3 kg, cockerels - 3.4-3.5 kg. Their egg production indicators are 180-200 pieces. in year. Somewhat reduces the productivity in this regard, the breed of chickens meat-and-egg Kuchinskaya jubilee only during the molting period. The eggs of these laying hens weigh about 60 grams. To feed, this bird, like Rhode Island, is unpretentious. They contain it according to the standard technology used for chickens of the meat and egg direction of productivity.

Features of the Kuchinsky anniversary

The advantages of chickens of this breed, in addition to unpretentiousness and high productivity, farmers also refer to the fact that they have practically not lost their maternal instinct. The Kuchinsky jubilee chickens hatch on their own.

Chicks of this breed can be distinguished by sex already at the age of one day. In dried bettas, the color of the wings is always lighter than the body. This breed, among other things, has earned good reviews from farmers for its relative early maturity. Kuchinsky jubilee eggs begin to lay at the age of about 6 months.

Moscow White Chicken

This highly productive meat-and-egg chicken breed was bred on the territory of the USSR in the middle of the last century. May Day, White Plymouth Rock, White Russian were used as parental breeds for her. The breed characteristics of these chickens are:

• pure white plumage;
• strong physique;
• dense plumage.

Chicken performance indicators

In terms of egg production, the Moscow white is practicallyis in no way inferior to the Rhode Islands and the Kuchinsky anniversary. From one such chicken, you can get up to 180 eggs per year. The weight of the laying hens of this breed is gaining 2.4-2.5 kg, the males - 3-3.4 kg. Moscow whites reach puberty at 6 months. The eggs of these chickens weigh about 55 grams. The color of the shell they have is white.

Features of the White Moscow breed

Like Rhoda Island, this bird is often used to produce new productive hybrids. For example, a broiler bred by crossing a Moscow white with New Hampshires weighs about 1.5 kg at the age of three months.

A feature of chickens of this breed is that they sometimes carry an “egg in an egg”. The maternal qualities of the White Moscow have practically been lost. Therefore, the farmers who grow them have to bring out the young in incubators.

New Hampshire chickens

This meat and egg breed first appeared in the USA in the 30s of the last century. It was bred specifically for medium and small farms. That is, the New Hepshires are just great for keeping, for example, in summer cottages.

The shade of the feathers of these chickens are brown-brown. The New Hampshire bird looks somewhat squat. Her body is elongated and rather strong, and her legs are short. The plumage of these hens is very dense and thick.

Productivity

Meat-egg breeds of chickens, which were described above, are distinguished by good egg production and weight gain. New Hepshires in this regard are practically not inferior to White Moscow, Rhode Island and Kuchinskaya Anniversary. The body weight of laying hens of this breed can reach 2-3 kg, males - 3.2-3.8 kg. In the first year, New Hampshire chickens lay about 200 pcs. eggs weighing 55 grams. Later, this figure begins to decline. Laying hens reach sexual maturity by 6 months.

What makes the breed different?

As with the Kuchinsky jubilee, the sex of New Hampshire chickens can be determined at a very early age. In males of this breed, white fluff is noticeable on the wings. Chickens have brown feathers in this place. The New Hampshire rooster is legally required to be replaced at least once every five years. Otherwise, the chicks will not meet breed standards.

Mantherin instinct in these chickens is developed. But not all individuals sit on eggs.

Breed of chicken meat-egg Orpington

This bird was bred in England by breeder William Cook at the end of the 19th century. Initially, the Orpington was officially recognized only with black plumage. Later, fawn chickens of this breed were obtained. Today, there are already about 10 varieties of orpington in color.

Chickens of this breed look more massive than many other meat-and-egg ones. They don't look short-legged like New Hampshires. The plumage of these chickens is dense, so they are well suited for breeding in the Russian climate.

Which is the most productive?

Orpington eggs are about 180 pcs. in year. Cockerels of this breed gain weight up to 5 kg. The body weight of adult laying hens is usually 3.5-4 kg. Since the chickens are quite large, and their eggs weigh quite a lot -60-65 grams.

Other features

The maternal instinct of these chickens is developed just fine. Chicks are usually born he althy and viable. However, they gain weight, unfortunately, rather slowly. A feature of this breed, according to many farmers, is voracity. To speed up the weight gain of young animals, the owner of the plot has to spend a lot on feed.

Gluttony, of course, can be attributed to the shortcomings of this breed. However, at the same time, Orpington chickens, in comparison with other varieties, have one important advantage. The fact is that these layers do not reduce egg production for usually as much as three years. Also, many farmers attribute very tasty, juicy and tender meat to the advantages of this breed.

Adler Silver

If we talk about what are currently the best meat and egg breeds of chickens, then, of course, one cannot fail to mention the Adler silver. When breeding this bird, highly productive May Day and Russian white chickens were used. Later, New Hampshires and Yurlov roosters were also included in the selection work.

The main advantage of the Adler silver chicken is endurance. Lunge in the herd of this bird almost never happens.

Rep performance

One Adler silver hen can lay up to 180 eggs a year. The body weight of adult cockerels of this breed is usually 4 kg, hens - 2.7 kg. Adler silver eggs weighabout 60 gr. These chickens reach sexual maturity at the age of 6 months.

What should an owner know?

When growing Adler silver chicken, the farmer must take into account some of its features. For example, pullets of this breed can start laying at the age of 5 months. This cannot be allowed. Otherwise, the productivity of the bird in terms of egg production will be low in the future. The early laying of the Adler silver is explained primarily by overfeeding. There should not be too much protein in the diet of chickens of this breed when grown for eggs.

Adler Silvers are gaining weight very quickly. And sometimes they are grown as broilers - for meat. In this case, feeding the chickens, of course, is the most high-calorie food.

These hens lay fewer eggs than many other breeds of the same group. However, the undoubted advantages of the Adler silver one include the fact that it does not reduce productivity in this regard for 4 years. However, these chickens have completely lost their maternal instinct in the process of selection.

Instead of a conclusion

These are the best meat and egg breeds of chickens today. Their photo and name were presented to the reader in our article. Caring for such a bird is usually easy. You can get quite a lot of eggs and meat from it. Perhaps that is why, in most cases, homeowners prefer to keep just such universal chickens in their backyards.