How to choose a rooster for your breeding. We choose good laying hens, meat chickens, and cockerels for chickens

Having decided to start a farmstead for the first time, some homestead owners naively believe grandmothers and sellers who demand that they must purchase a rooster along with the laying hens. They very confidently say that chickens without an “owner” will not lay eggs or will lay eggs extremely low.

There is some cunning in this, because the presence or absence of a male does not affect the main function of laying hens. But it itself will be defective, the chicken will not hatch out of it.

Eggs develop constantly in the body of mature chickens. This can be seen when cutting up the carcass of a slaughtered bird: several dozen tiny “yolks” attached to the left ovary:

The egg grows to form the yolk.
Having reached 40 mm in diameter, the yolk from the ovary passes into the oviduct.
The process continues by forming a shell of protein layer by layer.
After 3 hours, protein formation comes to an end.
The egg moves to the isthmus of the oviduct, where it is “dressed” in the thinnest film.
The preshell film is formed in about 1 hour.
The next stage is the shell, which takes most of the time, and the supershell layer: this takes the hen about 18 hours.
An almost finished egg is pushed out of the chicken’s body, and after 40 - 50 minutes the next yolk comes out of the ovary.

The absence of a male cannot stop this process; the eggs will in any case grow and go through all the stages until an egg is formed in the form familiar to people.

Normally, laying hens are able to lay eggs daily if they receive enough vitamins and mineral supplements with food. At the same time, almost everything is spent on the formation of the egg. nutrients. A good laying hen weighs a little more than 1 - 1.5 kg. Egg production drops only if the conditions of keeping and feeding the bird are not met.

Fertilized eggs - myths and reality

So why do many people keep a rooster on the farm, if even without an extra mouth you can get a healthy dietary product that is in no way inferior in quality to those laid after fertilization:

It can only be obtained from a fertilized egg, so a rooster is necessary for breeding chickens.
Fertilization occurs before the yolk enters the albumin (egg white).
Fertilized eggs are considered the most valuable, rich in so many microelements that they can help cope with any disease.
Such eggs are considered dietary for only 5 days. Unfertilized ones have a longer dietary period - 7 days. Both are suitable for use for 25–30 days if properly stored.

The special value of eggs laid by hens that have a rooster has not been scientifically confirmed. Nevertheless, more and more scientists are inclined to believe that vitamins, hormones, immunostimulants, and proteins necessary for nascent life can help a person overcome a number of diseases, including not only stomach ulcers and osteoporosis, but also cancer.

Important: as a raw material for medicines Extracts from 9-day-old chicken embryos were used in the experiments. It is believed that it is at this time that the composition is most rich in valuable microelements that can become a panacea for such dangerous diseases as pancreatitis, tuberculosis, and gangrene.

Fertilized fresh eggs used in many folk remedies. And in the middle of the last century official medicine allowed injections of fresh fertilized eggs with saline. Injections were given intramuscularly to treat inflammatory and many other diseases. It is believed that the “living substance” of such an egg cured thousands of patients who were considered incurable. Now this method is no longer practiced.

When buying an egg not in a store, but in markets, where the farm product is many times more expensive, or even from grandmothers in private farmsteads, people clearly understand what they prefer. A farm or personal subsidiary plot means free range, a perfectly balanced diet, health and full development of the bird. After all, chickens have plenty of not only premixes and, but also fresh grass, animal protein, shell rock, sand and pebbles in the required quantity. And if they are looked after by a rooster who maintains discipline, this is only for the better.

Why do chickens need a rooster?

Townspeople naively believe that an egg from a lucky hen, which the rooster does not ignore, will be much tastier and healthier. It’s not for nothing that the yolk of homemade eggs is brighter, darker, richer, and they taste much more pleasant. And you won’t be able to convince them, no matter how hard you try to prove that it’s a matter of diet and walking, and not of the birds’ happiness. Although cockerels are not transferred to the personal farmsteads of serious owners.

Breeding: hatching or incubating eggs from purebred chickens is impossible without fertilization, so serious breeders need to take care good manufacturer.
Discipline: chickens obey the rooster unquestioningly, run to his call, do not scatter throughout the area, trying to stay close. With a good rooster, there will always be order in the chicken coop; he makes sure that all the hens have enough space near the feeders and in the nests, looks for grain, worms, calling the “companies”.
Security: even a small ornamental cockerel can become a formidable fighter if its “harem” is in danger. Claws, spurs, beak - dangerous weapon, and birds are not lacking in courage, even if the enemy is much larger. The rooster is able to ward off not only predators and rodents, he also organizes fierce fights with rival roosters if the owners suddenly get another male.
Aesthetics: roosters are very beautiful, it is very interesting to watch them when they take care of the hens, cluck and call their owners when an egg is laid. And legends are made about the vocality of these birds: before the first roosters (that is, until the moment when they crow for the first time, announcing the coming of a new day), young couples walked, the rooster's cry broke the evil spell, the evil spirits retreated when the roosters crowed.

In addition, males are much larger than laying hens and gain weight faster, so many keep them for the sake of tasty and healthy meat.

There are serious disadvantages to the presence of a rooster in the chicken coop:

Aggression: The pugnacity of males is also proverbial. The reckless courage and cockiness of roosters simply knows no bounds. These animals are often vindictive; many owners know that it is enough to offend a bird once and then constantly expect an attack, including from the back, in the most unexpected places. Disobedient chickens who refuse to recognize the leader may also be punished.
Injuries to chickens: loving males, when “trampling” laying hens, can damage not only the feathers, but also the skin of chickens, the wounds become infected and inflamed. The rooster pulls out down and feathers with his claws, and the chickens lose their attractiveness. Under no circumstances should a male 2-3 times larger than the females be allowed to appear in the poultry house; such “suitors” can injure laying hens.
Protection: the instincts of chickens in the presence of a male become more acute, they strive to protect their clutches, hide them from prying eyes, incubate them, ceasing to lay eggs.

So a cockerel can become both an assistant to its owners and a real headache.

In Russia and other CIS countries, the main method is their combustion.

There are various ways making chicken feeders with your own hands. Step by step instructions, as well as the video you will find in .

How to choose a suitable water meter? We talked about this.

How many roosters do hens need?

A rooster can keep track of 13-15 hens, maintaining order, but the optimal number is considered to be no more than 11-13 females. Otherwise, favorites may appear to whom he simply will not give rest, offending in every possible way those whom he does not like.

At more For laying hens, it is better to divide the house into several families, acquiring cockerels for each. In this case, a clear demarcation of territories becomes a prerequisite. Roosters should not see each other even through obstacles, otherwise clashes cannot be avoided. By throwing themselves on fences, trying to overcome fences, birds can be seriously injured; in fights, they can inflict mortal wounds on each other.

Important: a maximum of 2 roosters raised together can coexist relatively peacefully with a sufficient number of females.

When planning a large personal plot with a poultry house, you should definitely take into account the features of keeping chickens with and without roosters in order to avoid unpleasant surprises. Beautiful birds with clear voices bring real pleasure to wildlife lovers; they are interesting to watch for both children and adults. But they can also become a source of trouble if you behave with them incorrectly, without taking into account the temperamental characteristics of these animals.

Chickens are the most popular birds in the household, so you need to be able to choose the right ones when purchasing in order to ultimately get a healthy flock. In order to buy a bird, it is important to pay attention not only to the breed, but also to the appearance of the individuals, so today we will look at the subtleties of choosing and.

Where to buy: market, poultry farm or private farm?

There are several places where chickens are often purchased - the market, poultry farm and private farms. Usually big difference there is no price, so you need to focus solely on the quality of the individuals. The market is a center for the sale of chickens from the personal yard of poultry farmers. The advantage of buying such birds is that they are adaptable to eating natural food, so there will be no problems with them.

The downside is that they are kept in spacious yards and poultry houses, so if you plan to put the birds in a cage, they may start to get sick and egg production will decrease. If, after purchasing, the bird is provided with sufficient space, then adaptation to the new home will go well. Before buying chickens, pay attention to their appearance so that they look healthy and strong.

Important! When buying chickens on the market, you always take a risk, sinceNoThere are no guarantees that individuals do not have health problems.

If the bird looks good outwardly, without signs of any disease, no one can guarantee that it will not die in a month, since some diseases in birds develop very slowly, but often lead to death. Some sellers, when keeping poultry for sale, do not care about vaccination, so individuals are more susceptible to viruses and bacteria and often get sick, which certainly affects the quality and safety of meat, as well as egg production.
Due to the above factors, it is better to purchase chickens on the market from familiar or already verified breeders. By purchasing chickens at a poultry farm, you will be insured against the possibility of acquiring sick individuals. Such birds are vaccinated and have high egg production rates. The downside is that chickens at poultry farms are fed special compound feeds, so after purchasing and switching to natural food, chickens lose weight and their egg production is greatly reduced.

Also, in poultry farms, chickens are kept in cages, so they have underdeveloped muscles, which does not allow them to adapt to life in a spacious poultry house. The best place for purchase is a private farm.

Did you know? Chicken was tamed and domesticated more than 8 thousand years ago. Since then, the process of breeding new breeds has begun, which at the moment there are about 700.

It is in such a place that chickens receive the necessary vaccinations, are raised under the supervision of veterinarians, and have balanced diet and enough space for walking. In addition, on the farm you can track the living conditions, quality of food, and the appearance of the rest of the poultry.

People who have their own farms are focused on selling quality animals in order to get regular customers and good recommendations to increase the number of buyers, so it is not profitable for them to slip in weak or sick chickens.

Choosing a laying hen

If you buy egg-laying hens, you need to pay attention not only to the main characteristics of the laying hen breed, but also to their appearance in order to make right choice.

External signs of a good layer

If purchasing a layer is necessary in order to obtain a bird that can immediately lay eggs, it is recommended to select individuals that have reached the age of 20 weeks. To do this, it is necessary to select the best specimens, based on their weight - at 5 months of age, chickens belonging to good egg breeds should weigh about 1.5 kg. If the weight exceeds 1.5 kg, this may indicate an admixture of meat breeds, which will affect the productivity of purchased laying hens.

If the mass is much lower, this indicates poor nutrition, poor development of individuals, or the presence of any health problems. Special attention it is necessary to pay attention to the plumage of the bird: if the feathers are clean, soft and shiny, without bald spots, this means that the chicken was kept in good conditions, she is quite young and healthy. Be sure to inspect the feathers around the cloaca - this area should be clean and free of dirt.
Young, healthy individuals have a bright red comb, while old and sick individuals have a faded comb. The comb should be warm to the touch; cold may indicate poor circulation in the body, which is typical for sick or old representatives. The color of the beak and paws of young, healthy chickens is yellow, and their eyes are dry, without signs of mucous secretions.

The best breeds of laying hens

The main indicator of productivity is a correctly selected breed with high egg production, so we will consider the 3 best breeds, their main differences, advantages and disadvantages.

Did you know? In Europe, the California Gray appeared in the 1970s, but today it has not become popular, since it is not recognized as a breed, but is a cross (hybrid).

Thus, having examined three egg breeds, we can conclude that the easiest way to get high egg production at home with minimal effort is by keeping Adler silver chickens.

Choosing meat chicken

To choose a good meat chicken, you need to pay attention to the main characteristics of the breed, which will contribute to rapid weight gain in a short time.

The best breeds of meat chickens

If you are planning to buy meat chickens, you need to consider the best representatives of this category, their features, advantages and disadvantages.

Did you know?-a breed of chicken that is capable of producing unusual chocolate-colored eggs. The special density of egg shells allows you to protect the contents from the penetration of any bacteria and even salmonellosis.

Having considered the main meat breeds, it is quite difficult to single out one, since each has both pros and cons. In order to make the right choice, it is necessary to base it on personal preferences and take into account the characteristics of each breed.

Choosing a good rooster for hens

To ensure good productivity of laying hens, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to the selection of roosters, so let’s look at the main characteristics of good males.

External qualities of a good rooster

First of all, when choosing a young rooster, pay attention to the state of health and suitability natural characteristics if you are buying a purebred bird:

It is better to choose a rooster with clear signs of sexual dimorphism; the comb should be well developed and bright red, a good male should have smooth paws with regularly shaped toes.
A young rooster has only tubercles instead of spurs; the first thickenings can be detected in the fifth month of life. Still, it is recommended to select a rooster at the age of puberty, which occurs at 5-6 months of life, so that you can track not only the main features appearance, but also an already formed temperament.
A high-quality bird should be active, show dominant qualities, and not be afraid to get into a fight with other males in the yard.

But despite the need to acquire an active and strong rooster, you should not give preference to overly aggressive individuals that attack people at the slightest opportunity.

How not to lose a rooster

Roosters have a positive attitude towards fights, and the strongest of them wins the dominant place in the herd. The “showdown” begins at 9 weeks of age: it is at this time that the hierarchy in the chicken coop is built. Fights occur much less frequently between individuals of the same age if they were constantly located and grew up in the same herd, but even in this case, the “main” rooster will be chosen - the most fearless, strong and lively, who is able to protect the chickens and drive someone else’s bird out of the yard.

If the roosters grew up together, then when choosing the main male in the flock, other, weaker ones try to avoid conflicts and minimize the number of fights. To prevent young roosters from causing mass slaughter in your yard, do not purchase or retain more than 2 roosters for a flock of 20 laying hens. Over time, roosters and hens are able to separate into small groups, which are recommended to be provided with personal food and water to minimize possible risk another fight.
If it turns out that there are more roosters in the flock than necessary, then install an inclined ladder in the center of the house so that weak roosters can avoid a fight by jumping to the top in time. Fights cannot be avoided if one rooster was constantly present and grew up with the herd, and the second was added to it as an adult - this could cause the weak rooster to leave the yard, or one would beat the other to death. It will not be possible to reconcile them, no matter how hard you try, so when choosing the dominant rooster from the flock, you cannot add a new neighbor to him.

At the very beginning of our farming, the first thing we got was, of course, chickens. In the very first season, the question of selecting roosters and hens for the breed arose.

In autumn, especially late chickens do not lay eggs yet. Exclusively egg-laying breeds can lay eggs in the fall, but they are usually small, and we don’t particularly like them - we like meat and egg breeds more, they ripen later, they lay a little less eggs, but the carcasses turn out great.

So, it is recommended to select chickens with bright combs. Fact: Only cockerels have brightly colored chicks in the fall. Before the onset of egg production, hens have inconspicuous combs.

If the hens are already laying eggs, the comb really becomes brighter.

How to select old chickens?

Old chickens should also not be selected based on the color of their sinuses. Especially during the period around molting - everyone who was rushing diligently at this time looks like a dirty comb - a faded comb, shabby plumage, pale legs and eyes.

Truants look completely different - they are stately and beautiful, their molting goes unnoticed and they look like woman in a million necessary. Their combs are bright, their legs are yellow, and their eyes are also colored. At first, we kept these beautiful ones, and we culled the poor workers - the laying hens.

Not a rooster, not a hen

I don’t know what happens in the body of a chicken (or rooster), but we have had cases when a chicken grew into neither a rooster nor a hen.

Here the local population calls this phenomenon the word “kuray”. Outwardly it looks like a chicken, very beautiful plumage, but a bright comb like that of young cockerels and enlarged earrings.

And the expression on the “face” is not some kind of chicken. Such comrades can be completely baked in the oven; leaving them, of course, makes no sense, we just kept them for a while, I wonder what kind of birds they really are?

An annual mistake when selecting roosters!

Every year we make the same mistake - we don’t select roosters for the breed for a long time.

Roosters have such conceit that as soon as they find out who is in charge, the proudest and strongest, but not the victorious ones, simply leave the yard.

It may live somewhere in the neighborhood (they have been found more than once in neighbors' chicken coops), it may spend the night somewhere in a tree - in a word - you can lose roosters.

And as soon as he tastes free bread, he returns to the yard less and less - the dominant winner drives him away - and he does not dare to even go into the chicken coop at night.

Rooster selection

Another point of selection is the choice of a rooster (there was already a little about this in the first issue of the magazine). I usually leave the two most beautiful ones for every ten chickens. I saw this practice here.

At first, one is in charge - he leads his company around the yard - and the backup one is on the back-up near the nests. We drive, but we can’t live without it, the one who drives himself doesn’t have time to look after the flock and watch for every chicken.

So, we usually slaughter the senior rooster and give the persecuted one the opportunity to lead the flock. I came to the conclusion that this is not worth doing: the persecuted person becomes so accustomed to his status that it is not always possible to fulfill the role of a leader, and then the chickens are left unattended.

2904 04/11/2019 5 min.

A rooster is a male chicken with pronounced signs of determination - plumage color, spurs on its legs, comb and earrings. Why is it kept in a chicken coop? To produce chickens, as well as to protect females and maintain discipline in a chicken flock. It is not used on farms where chickens are not raised and the eggs are immediately sent for sale, since a male is not needed to lay unfertilized eggs. In this material we will look at whether chickens lay eggs without a rooster, what are the characteristics of fertilized eggs, what are the pros and cons of keeping a rooster in a chicken coop, and also how to choose the right male for a poultry flock.

Do chickens lay eggs?

All mature birds from 6-8 months (depending on) regularly lay eggs. They are mature eggs. If at the time of its ripening the hen had sexual contact with the rooster, this egg will leave the body fertilized. If not, the egg will still mature and leave the body, but an embryo will not be formed in it. Thus, the hens will lay eggs regardless of whether there is a rooster in the coop, but they will not be able to give birth without one. Despite the fact that a rooster does not affect the egg production of chickens, its presence in the herd is very desirable. Read about the features of the Rall Island chicken breed.

Some factors can affect the process of egg production in a laying hen. external factors: problems with feed, sudden changes in temperature in the chicken coop, infections - everything that is dangerous to the health of the bird. The presence of a rooster has little effect on this process.

Read about diseases of laying hens and their treatment.

Features of fertilized eggs

Fertilized eggs have a number of characteristics. Among them:

The possibility of a chicken emerging from an egg, provided that it is hatched.
Increased amount of useful substances in the product.
Long shelf life. Fertilized eggs, if conditions are met, are stored for up to 30 days. However, they are considered dietary only for the first 5 days.

How a rooster impregnates a hen.

It is fertilized eggs that can be used in medicine. They are used to prepare medicines. For this purpose, extracts from 9-day-old chicken embryos are used.

To determine whether an egg is fertilized or not, it is enough to illuminate it through. If during this test you notice a red blood clot in the yolk, it means it has been fertilized. Otherwise, we can assume that the egg was not fertilized.

It should be noted that ordinary buyers come across such eggs only when purchasing from private traders. Poultry farms carefully monitor such products and do not transfer them for sale.

Advantages of having (why and how many roosters does a laying hen need)

The main task of a rooster in a chicken coop is to provide new offspring. Without it, chickens will only lay unfertilized eggs, suitable exclusively for human consumption. However, this is not its only function. Additionally, the rooster provides:

Increased discipline in the chicken coop. Chickens usually behave more quietly when there is a rooster. The rooster makes sure that everyone has enough space in the nests and water.
Protection from small predators, as well as from other birds. A rooster can not only make noise in the chicken coop when an intruder tries to break in, but he can seriously injure the predator with his claws and spurs.
Aesthetics. These birds are usually more attractive than ordinary laying hens due to their bright feathers and crest; they decorate the chicken coop.

Read about how to feed laying hens at home in winter.

You also need to remember that roosters gain weight very well. Therefore, it is advisable to raise them for slaughter.

Disadvantages of presence (why there are disadvantages to being on site)

The presence of a rooster in the chicken coop has not only advantages, but also its significant disadvantages. These include:

The emergence of maternal instinct in laying hens. If a hen has a fertilized egg, she stops laying eggs herself and prevents neighboring birds from doing so, starting to build a nest. This reduces the productivity of the entire poultry farm. Even if the chicken has live chickens, it will not be possible to cover the losses immediately, since the poultry farmer will need to spend additional money on setting up a poultry house for the chickens.
Aggressiveness of the rooster. He can attack not only chickens, but also the owners of the poultry house, wanting to protect his offspring from outside attacks. A bird can cause serious damage to a person, not to mention the fact that it will create serious problems when removing eggs.
Unattractive appearance of the herd. Chickens that are regularly trampled by a male may have shreds of feathers torn out, and they often have wounds on their skin that can fester.

Read about other reasons why chickens stopped laying eggs.

Also, the presence of a male in the chicken coop can negatively affect the productivity of chickens, even if they do not produce fertilized eggs for some time. Laying hens, which are often driven off, peck, call, and usually lay less frequently. This is confirmed by the fact that once the rooster is removed from the coop, the productivity of the flock can increase.

How to choose the right rooster (what a good rooster should be in the chicken coop)

You need to choose a male at the age of 5-6 months, when he becomes sexually mature, since it is during this period that not only his physiological qualities are revealed, but also his behavioral characteristics.

Roosters older than 3 years are rarely taken, since already in the 5th year in many breeds sexual activity decreases and the fertility of eggs decreases.

To purchase good cock, when choosing a bird you need to pay attention to the following features:

Bird matching species characteristics. These include weight, color, body shape, comb, and height of the cockerel. If it can be rejected based on at least one of the parameters, it is better not to buy a cockerel.
Condition of the spurs. From them you can determine the real age of the bird. It should be noted that cockerels up to one year old do not yet have spurs - they only have tuberculate thickenings on their legs. Full spurs can be observed in roosters as young as one year old, as these growths grow by a centimeter per year. However, it must be remembered that in some breeds, for example, in small bantams, the spurs are poorly developed and are not used to determine age.
Character of the bird. The young male should be active and cocky. However, he should not be too aggressive towards birds and people, otherwise he can seriously injure them; of course, you should not take one of these on the farm.

Before purchasing a bird, the breeder must obtain a veterinary certificate for the selected rooster. This is the only way he can make sure that the bird is absolutely healthy and will not infect other members of his chicken flock. If there is no such conclusion, it is better to refuse to buy the bird.

Speaking about how many males there should be in a chicken flock, it should be noted that on average there should be at least 10 chickens per rooster. If there are fewer of them, the males will conflict with each other. If there are more than 15 hens per rooster, he will not be able to effectively manage the herd.

Video

This video explains why and how many roosters are needed in a chicken coop.

Conclusions

Laying hens can do without a rooster in the chicken coop and can die. Its presence cannot speed up or stop the process of laying eggs, since it is associated only with the process of maturation of the egg in the chicken.
Fertilized eggs containing an embryo are considered more nutritious and beneficial. They can be purchased from private owners; poultry farms usually do not sell such products for sale.
The advantages of keeping a rooster in a chicken coop include the ability to produce chicks, greater discipline in the flock, and protection from small predators that the rooster can drive away.
The disadvantages of having a rooster in a chicken coop include a decrease in the fertility of laying hens, a deterioration in the appearance of females, as well as a high probability of the male attacking people when collecting eggs.
They choose a good rooster to live in the chicken coop based on the bird’s compliance with species characteristics, lively character, and the condition of the spurs. They buy on average 1 rooster for 10-15 eggs, which is not a lot.

In the fall, birds are finally selected for breeding for future breeding. Look at the rooster. No matter how beautiful it may be in appearance, it should not be left for breeding if the bird shows signs of pain: difficulty breathing when running, pallor of the face and crest, unnatural hoarseness, lethargy, weakness.

A good rooster has the habit of always being on the alert, listening carefully to every sound. He is not timid, but not pugnacious either, although he is always ready to fight back and defend his

Interests. During feeding, the rooster must be attentive to the chickens, however, he must not forget about himself. The best age for breeding roosters, according to experienced poultry farmers, is from 2 to 5 years, and for breeding hens - from 2 to 3 years. If they want to avoid some drawback characteristic of the rooster, they select hens that are more perfect in this regard.

Please note and

On feather molt, by which you can recognize the most egg-laying chickens. Good layers moult later than bad ones.

The first ones are just beginning to molt, while the second ones have already stopped molting and are covered with new feathers. In order for the molting to end faster, experienced poultry farmers try to feed the chickens better, give them more grain and keep them warm if necessary. cool weather.

(1 ratings, average: 5,00 out of 5)

To improve the bird's diet in winter, many fanciers add finely chopped hay to the mash. For this purpose, in the summer, young leaf-shaped grass is harvested, dried in the shade and stored in bags so that vitamin A lasts...
Stalls, cages: 1 - horse; 2 - cows; 3 - fattening bull; 4 - sow; 6 - geese (first tier); 7 - chickens (second tier); 7 - calf; 8 - sheep. Equipment: 9 -...
“The roosters are good and brave, they support many wives, three wives or four, some - up to a dozen. And they know how to dress everyone up - not like in Rus', a peasant in a village: one little wife...
Many were interested in the message about the disinfection of incubated duck or goose eggs. They ask to tell us more about this. Let us explain how to carry out the steam-gas disinfection that was discussed. The task is to obtain formaldehyde. Pour 30 ml into an enamel bowl...
Letter 1 “The time for slaughtering rabbits for skins is determined mainly by the state of molting and the thickness of the hair. Adult rabbits molt twice a year - in spring and autumn. After the end of the autumn molt (from the end of November to...
Here he walks in front of a line of goats - stately, strong, with his head held high, a bold look, self-confident - the owner of the herd, a breeding goat. Let's take a closer look at him, is his exterior really good and...
Many people are interested in how to get more fertilized eggs from geese. You need to feed a variety of foods. My geese roam freely in winter. There is a stack of hay near the poultry house. I always clear the snow near it so that the herd can...
The Minorka is undemanding and gets along well in a small yard. The good productivity, beauty of form, and interesting plumage of these chickens cannot but attract the attention of amateur poultry farmers. Minorcas are larger than Leghorns: a rooster weighs 3.5-4 kg, a chicken 2.5-3 kg. The breed has a very...
Types of comb: 1 - leaf-shaped This is about a rooster, a handsome man, a knight, a daredevil, a lord of the courtyard. Well, if not the entire farmstead, then the chicken coop and poultry yard - that’s for sure. The darkness of the night will dissipate a little and it will become a little warmer...
When to use young goats for meat. This question is purely individual. Kids are most often used for meat at two to three months of age. And in rural areas, where there is an abundance of grass and hay pastures...