Paduan chickens: breed description, content features, care and photos

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

Probably every poultry farmer has heard of such a breed of chickens - Paduan. Their history is poorly understood, but there is no doubt that they were bred several centuries ago. Well, the unusual appearance will make them a real decoration of any household.

Destination

Already in appearance it becomes clear that paduan chickens are primarily a decorative breed. For a long time it was. However, later their merits were also appreciated by practical peasants and farmers. It is not surprising that over time they began to be bred as meat and egg-bearing breeds.

But still, their main function is still decorative. This contributes to the unusual character. Although in general, breed chickens are temperamental, in most cases they can be easily tamed, turning them into a favorite of the whole family. Such birds begin to follow their beloved owner everywhere, pecking food from his hand with pleasure.

History

Unfortunately, the history of this amazing breed is rather poorly understood - too much conflicting information comes fromdifferent parts of Europe.

Some argue that the breed was bred in ancient Rome, that is, the history stretches for more than two thousand years. To prove this, a very weighty argument is also given - the term "Padua" comes from the name of the city of Padua, located in Italy. Indeed, this city has long been famous for the fact that these amazing birds were bred and sold throughout Europe.

There are also many other theories about the place where the first paduan chickens appeared - from Poland to England. But one fact is certain - it was first registered by a German named Frisch in 1763. Therefore, the possibility of Germany's contribution to the creation and development of this breed cannot be denied.

Appearance description

Once you see a Paduan, it will be difficult to confuse it with some other breed of chickens. They have a large tuft that covers their head almost completely. And the thick plumage and powerful beard frankly delight the eye of any connoisseur. There are several subspecies that differ in color, we will talk about them a little later. But the scallop as such in chickens is completely absent, as are the earrings.

Immediately striking is a powerful, slightly curved beak, in some cases having a bluish tint. Both roosters and hens can boast of a long and wide tail, which makes them look very impressive.

Powerful chest protruding forward, legs longer than most chickens.

Varieties

Now that you know the approximate description of paduan chickens, you can go deeperinto specific varieties. Judging by the surviving data, the first representatives of the breed, registered in the middle of the eighteenth century, had a golden color. However, in the next three decades, several dozen new colors and shades appeared. Some of them even stand out in separate varieties. Let's talk about the most interesting of them.

• White - boasts a chic livery, tail plumage is slightly darker than the rest of the body.
• Silver - Black feathers mixed with white and neatly placed all over the body.
• Black - have a uniform black color, in some cases bluish feathers come across.
• Gold - Black feathers alternate unevenly with golden feathers for a special effect.
• Shamoah - white feathers combined with golden and brown.

There is also a dwarf breed worth highlighting. They are used exclusively for decorative purposes. No wonder - their egg production is very small, and they cannot boast of a lot of weight.

Features

Surely readers who are seriously considering breeding these birds will be interested to know the characteristics of paduan chickens. It is worth talking about them in more detail.

The breed will be correctly classified as meat and egg, although they do not differ in particular productivity, so in most cases farmers breed them solely for the sake of beauty.

Judge for yourself - he althy, young representatives of the breed carry up to 120 eggs per year, which cannot be calledreally good indicator. Although the eggs are quite large, about 50 grams.

Weight varies greatly depending on variety. But even the largest mother hens generally weigh between 1.5 and 2.5 kilograms and do not grow too fast. Therefore, if you plan to breed birds solely for meat, you can find many other breeds that are more profitable from this point of view.

Containment conditions

Despite their unusual appearance and beauty, paduan chickens in care do not differ much from ordinary outbred chickens.

Of course, you need to build a reliable chicken coop. It is undesirable to use brick or concrete - they quickly absorb cold, it is very difficult to heat such a room. And in order for the Paduans not to get sick, to feel good, a temperature of at least +10 … +14 degrees Celsius is needed. In addition, you need to provide reliable protection against drafts - they pose an even greater danger to any chickens than ordinary cold.

It is also very important that the floor in the chicken coop is not concrete. After all, chickens will walk on it, peck spilled food from it, try to dig. Because of this, the risk of damage to the paws and beak is increased. In winter, the concrete floor is especially dangerous - it cools the paws, which can lead to serious colds. It would be better if the floor in the chicken coop is made of clay or simply rammed earth. Wood flooring is a good choice. Well, a thick layer of sawdust would be an ideal choice. Chickens enjoy digging into them, and removing sawdust when cleaning a chicken coop is not at all difficult.

The room should be spacious enough. It is unacceptable to keep Paduans in cramped cages - this affects their attractiveness. However, cages are generally preferred in large chicken and egg factories.

Suitable diet

An important point in the proper maintenance of paduan chickens is the preparation of a diet. Fortunately, here they are not too whimsical - the same food that ordinary chickens eat with pleasure will do.

Of course, specialized compound feed will be an ideal choice. Of course, it is not cheap, but padua are rarely kept in large flocks. And for half a dozen or ten birds, it is quite possible to allocate a sufficient amount from the family budget. But as a result, you get a balanced diet containing all the necessary vitamins and minerals.

If it is not possible to feed with compound feed, you can give preference to the usual cereal. Wheat and oats, mixed in a ratio of approximately 3:2, will provide them with the necessary calories and some micronutrients. If you germinate them, fill them with warm water for 2-3 days and leave them in a warm place, you can increase digestibility, which will positively affect weight gain. Also, as much greenery as possible should be added to the diet. It is rich in vitamins, provides good immunity, increases egg production, and also makes the yolk more yellow, appetizing.

Sometimes you can add sunflower cake and corn to the diet. But usually this is done shortly before slaughter. With constant feeding of corn, chickens gain excess weight due to fatinterlayers.

It's good if in the warm season the chickens have the opportunity to freely walk around the fenced area. By collecting the right grass, spending time in clean air, eating worms and insects, the birds will be stronger, he althier, and egg production will also increase slightly. Alas, this is not always possible.

Pay special attention to drinkers. Ordinary paduans are not suitable - they will constantly wet their beard, because of which it will lose its beauty. It is better to give preference to analogues with nipples. In this case, only the beak will come into contact with water, which it definitely will not harm.

Breeding

It is quite understandable that farmers interested in this breed are interested in breeding paduan chickens. Here you have to disappoint them a little. The hens are very bad. These hens generally rarely take up hatching eggs. And if any of them began to hatch, then you can’t be sure that she won’t get bored, and she won’t give up halfway through, ruining the eggs.

Therefore, incubators are usually used to breed chickens. The process is no different from breeding other breeds. The optimal temperature is 39 degrees, the incubation period is three weeks plus or minus one day.

Chick care

In the first days of life, it is very important to provide the chicks with good heating. The optimum temperature is not lower than +30 degrees Celsius. If they are bred in an incubator, then you will have to use an electric heating pad. Gradually, the temperature can be lowered - by about 3 degreesstarting from the second week of life. After another two weeks, you can turn off the heater. But only in the warm season, if the chicks were bred in winter, the heating should not be removed until the 30th day of life, when they grow up and get stronger enough to withstand the coolness.

There is no problem with food. For the first week, it is best to feed the chickens with boiled, finely chopped eggs. You need to do this quite often - every 2-4 hours. In the second week, the diet can be varied with soaked millet, low-fat cottage cheese, boiled potatoes and chopped greens.

Also make sure they always have access to clean water.

A month, the diet should be about half grains, half greens and boiled potatoes. If they are good at eating grains, then after a week you can completely stop supplements, switching to a mixture of steamed wheat and oats.

Similar breeds

As you can see in the photo, paduana chickens are very different from other chickens. However, there are several breeds that are so similar to them that they can be confusing for a beginner.

This is, for example, the Russian Crested. She also has a powerful tuft of long feathers on her head, diverging in different directions. Looks very elegant! At the same time, the Russian crested as a whole is slightly larger than the Paduan, and, more importantly, boasts much greater egg production - up to 200 eggs per year.

Another similar breed is the Pavlovian. She boasts not only high frost resistance, but also amazing beauty. Particularly prominent is the longcrest, most similar to a bunch. It is narrow at the base, it rises magnificently and falls in different directions. In terms of egg production, the Pavlovian also bypasses the Paduans, as they average about 150 eggs per year.

Conclusion

Our article is coming to an end. Now you know the description of the paduan chicken breed, the features of their maintenance, feeding, breeding. This means that you can easily decide on your own whether these birds are suitable for you or it is better to give preference to other analogues.