Adler silver hens. Breeding and keeping

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

When choosing chickens for household farming, it is better to pay attention to those breeds that belong to meat and egg. They are the most practical. A prominent representative of this group is the Adler silver breed of chickens.

History of Appearance

For the first time, birds belonging to this breed appeared at the Adler poultry farm, located in the Krasnodar Territory of the Federation. There were Russian White, White Plymouth Rock, New Hampshire, May Day chickens crossed. Selection work began in 1951, and ended only by 1965. At the same time, a massive increase in the number of this bird began.

If in 1965 there were about 46 thousand of them, then in 1975 - already 110 thousand, and in 1990 - 2,644 thousand. But at the end of the last century, their number began to decline rapidly. It is believed that there are slightly more than 1 million heads left in Russia.

Exterior

Outwardly, the birds are distinguished by their wide body. At the same time, they have a rounded head of medium size, a leaf-shaped straight small crest, a yellow curved beak, and round eyes. Their neck is of medium length, andthe earlobes are relatively small and colored red.

Adler silver chickens are distinguished by a straight and wide back, legs of medium length, a small tail and wings pressed to the body. The backbone of the breed is well developed, strong enough. Their chest is also wide. The plumage of birds is white, it is loose. True, they are distinguished by black blotches. Dark double feathers should be on the wings, tail feathers on the tail. The braids are also painted black.

Features

Adler breed is considered average in terms of egg production. Chickens give about 170-190 eggs per year, the weight of each of them usually does not exceed 60 grams. Creamy egg shell.

Roosters, as producers, are considered active. For every 15-20 chickens, one such representative is enough. In the conditions of household plots, they can be kept for 3-4 years. They start laying eggs as early as 6 months of age.

Adler silver hen can weigh up to 2.8 kg, roosters can grow up to 3.9 kg. At the same time, their plumage color is similar, they differ only in size and shape. At the age of 60 days, hens weigh about 870 grams, and cockerels - 1.1 kg. In the first year of laying, you can expect to receive about 200 eggs. In subsequent periods, it decreases slightly and remains at the level of about 170 pieces. In the first month, the eggs are small, but over time their size increases.

By the way, many say that the Adler silver breed of chickens is now rushing better than in the first decades after its breeding. At the same time the birds beginshrink. This is a natural process, always in small chickens egg production was higher than in large ones.

Containment conditions

Adler silver chickens are not whimsical to the conditions of feeding and life. The combination of good egg production, fleshiness and ease of maintenance makes them one of the best options for breeding in home gardens. They tolerate both heat and cold well.

But even with their content, a number of features must be taken into account. So, for example, it is undesirable for hens to lay their first egg ahead of schedule. This can cause pain in the bird. The ideal period is from 5 to 9 months.

Adult individuals are unpretentious not only to the weather, but also to living conditions. True, if they do not have perches, and they are located on the floor, then it is important to make them a bedding. Peat is considered the best option - it is suitable due to its excellent absorbent properties.

Good owners should also make sure that the chickens have the opportunity to "bathe" in dry ash or sand. With the help of these so-called "baths", they can get rid of parasites.

Feeding

In order for the Adler silver chickens to develop properly and grow quickly, it is important to choose the right food. It must be correct and balanced. While free-ranging birds can get most of the nutrients they need in the summer, the owners should take care of this in the winter.

Many poultry farmers are happy that they live exactly Adlersilver chicken breed The reviews of the people who grow them leave no one indifferent to these white layers. After all, they are very trusting. Chickens are easy to train to peck from hands and run to the owner at the call. Adult birds need to be fed twice a day.

Their diet should include grains of different varieties. For example, laying hens need wheat and barley. They can also be fed with waste, pumpkin, herbs, potatoes. In small quantities, it is desirable that their diet includes shells, chalk and bone meal.

Reproduction

It is very difficult to breed this breed without special incubators at home. After all, the instinct of incubation of eggs is not developed in them, 1 out of 10 hens passes into hens, but even this does not always happen. Therefore, always have an incubator at hand. With its help, by the way, you can get a very high yield of chickens - at the level of 95%. But on average it is about 85%.

But on the other hand, poultry farmers have fewer problems with how to return the hen to the main flock.

Hatched chicks should be kept separate from the main stock. The place for them is chosen dry and warm. In good weather, already on the 5th day after hatching, they can be walked on the site.

Bringing young stock

In order to replace the breeding herd, it is advisable to breed new hens no earlier than the end of May. This is said by many of those who grow the Adler silver breed of chickens. Reviews indicate that an earlier brood may cause hens to layeggs at the age of 4-4, 5 months. Such early maturation can adversely affect their he alth. After all, at this age, laying hens are not yet fully developed.

Compliance with the above terms favors the fact that chickens will develop in the most suitable conditions with a natural reduction in daylight hours. Chickens grown in this way are ideal for home keeping. The Adler silver breed is physically strong and hardy. But prematurely matured hens may suffer from prolapse of the oviduct, in addition, they are more susceptible to various diseases.

Feeding young animals

When raising poultry, it is important to follow the established rules. So, only hatched chickens in the first few days are fed 5 or even 6 times a day. Over time, the number of feedings is reduced to 3-4 times. Babies should be 4 weeks old by now.

Birds under 48 weeks of age should include corn and wheat in their diet. It is also desirable that they consume a significant amount of potatoes, greens, carrots. In small quantities, they need bone and fish meal, shells, waste and chalk.

Specific breed

Many do not know, but chickens have a well-developed nervous system. Therefore, a benevolent attitude towards this bird is the key to its excellent mood, and therefore well-being. All this together contributes to the good growth, development, and productivity of birds.

Separately, many note the behavior of roosters of this breed. You can safely call themgentlemen. When feeding, they call all the chickens with a cry. They themselves begin to peck at food only after all the ladies stop eating. They also do the same when they find something tasty. This is what experts cite as one of the reasons why roosters of this breed are not much larger than laying hens.

Interesting is also the fact that they teach chickens to lay. They do it in the following way. The rooster himself climbs into the nest and sits in it like a hen. After that, he begins to call the hens with a specific “interested” cry. The young converge with interest and observe the behavior of the rooster. So Adler silver chickens get used to rushing exclusively to nests. They will not lay their eggs in grass, under fences, or in other unsuitable places.

Crossbreeding

Having received the Adler breed, the breeders did not stop there. They found that when crossing chickens with Rhode Island or New Hampshire roosters, autosex offspring can be obtained. Already at the age of one day, you can determine the sex by color. The future cockerels have light down, and the hens have fawn.

This separation contributes to better chick survival and more efficient feed utilization. Young birds are more uniform in weight, and this greatly facilitates their handling and subsequent sale.

Features of meat and egg chickens

Among poultry breeders, those breeds of birds from which you can get a double benefit are considered optimal. The combination of good egg production with a fairly fastweight gain contributes to the fact that many people engaged in subsidiary farming choose meat and egg chickens. At the age of two months, they usually weigh about 1 kg. In addition, they are distinguished by unpretentiousness to the conditions of keeping and feeding. Although it is desirable that their diet is balanced.

Meat and egg chickens are distinguished by high livestock safety and excellent taste. Now about 20 different breeds are popular, including Adler silver, Moscow, Poltava clayey, Kuchinskaya jubilee. It is important to understand that from each of these hens you can get from 150 to 200 eggs per year.

Meat birds

If you want chickens with a large mass, and egg production is not important to you, then Adler ones may not suit you. It is better to turn your attention to large meat breeds. These include chickens brahma, cochinchins, langshan. Representatives of these breeds are called classic meat birds. Their homeland is India and China.

It was they who became the breeding base for creating new breeds. For example, when they were crossed, the Jersey Giant, Plymouth Rocks, Langshan of the English and German types, as well as many others, were bred. Cornish chickens have become ubiquitous. A mixture of the two types with Plymouth Rocks produced chicks with tremendous growth rates, excellent meat quality combined with low feed costs.

In just 7-8 weeks, chickens reach a weight of 2 kg. This is despite the fact that for every kilogram of growth there is no more than 3 kg of feed.