Characteristics of the Liven breed of chickens

The Liven breed of chickens is currently considered lost in Russia. Unfortunately, in our Poultry farms, foreign crosses prevail, and the domestic Livenskaya chintz breed of chickens, which was once famous for its record-breaking large and egg sizes, has been forgotten. birds of this breed today can be found in private courtyards, in people who have appreciated all their advantages and have excellent chickens chickens from them.The Lebanese chicken breed is also represented on the Internet photo.

Liven calico chickens

Origin

Back in Tsarist Russia Lebanon County was famous for its large heights. koproduktivnymi hens, carrying a record large eggs, which are more profitable to sell abroad. Liven chintz chickens very quickly became famous and began to appear in private farms throughout the Russian Federation.

Liven chickens were bred as a result of the work of domestic farmers by crossing different species. An interesting fact is that in different areas the birds were strikingly different in appearance, and as they moved away from Liven County, the size of the eggs decreased. Different exterior data did not allow the introduction of a single standard for the breed.

After the Second World War, it was urgently necessary to increase the production of egg and meat products, so Livensky chickens began to be bred everywhere in poultry farms.However, starting from the 60s, with the appearance of such a breed as leggorn in our territories, the number of rainfalls began to decrease gradually. As a result, by the 80s, the Liven calico breed of chickens remained only in rare private farms.

Until recently, the breed was considered completely lost, but 10 years ago, they began to actively discuss Liven calico chickens, which are in great demand in the territory Ukraine. It is believed that it was on the lands of the Poltava region that the standard of the breed that was completely destroyed in its homeland was preserved. The weight of the male is about 4.5 kg, and the female is 3.5 kg. Description of Liven chintz chickens:

• the head is small;
• the crest is most often in the form of a leaf, not too large;
• the beak is medium-long, often yellow ;
• auricles and earrings are bright red;
• powerful rib cage;
• body is horizontal, elongated;
• wings are short, closely pressed to the body;
• the legs are powerful, short, can be yellow or black, occasionally even green.

The pigtails are perfectly developed. The plumage is loose, lush.In the color of the feathers, black, white and yellow shades alternate, with a silver or golden tint, the overwhelming majority of individuals of calico color, due to which the breed got its name, you can see the Levensky calico chicken breed in the video.

Production data

Liven chintz breed belongs to the late ripening group. Puberty occurs at the age of eight months, but occasionally there are individuals that begin to rush at 5-6 months. The average production data for the year is 150 large and very tasty eggs in any form of preparation.

Egg production is seasonal. In the period from 3 to 5 months from the first egg laying Livenskaya chintz chicken carries 50% of the entire annual norm. A very important point in the rapid breeding of poultry was the ability to reproduce offspring in the spring. It was at this time that half of the females began to croak and sit on their eggs, and the hatched young animals had time to fully mature before the onset of cold weather.

The Liven chicken eggs weigh 70-80 g; 30% of the total mass is yolk, 12% is the shell. The amount of dense protein in the testicles of Liven chicken is much higher than that of other breeds . The eggs themselves have a more round structure than other poultry, a yellowish tinge of the shell. Tasting qualities depend on the diet that Lebanese chickens receive, as well as on the time of year. The meat has excellent taste.The gustatory qualities of offal are extremely appreciated – they make pies.

Pros and cons

Advantages of the breed:

• large-sized eggs brought by Liven chicken always with excellent taste;
• meat carcasses;
• the bird is completely picky in choosing food;
• the species has good immunity;
• Liven breed chickens have a high survival rate;
• the pets adapt perfectly to any weather conditions, can survive the winter even in an unheated shed.

carry late puberty. Chickens of the Liven chintz breed, unlike other poultry, fledge quite late, therefore, during the period of active growth, they must live in a heated room under constant supervision. The chicks are very shy and restless. Some poultry farmers, leaving their reviews, distinguish cannibalism from the shortcomings. Very often observed peeling of eggs , plucking feathers by older individuals in young animals. A chicken can eat a freshly laid egg.

Care and maintenance

The birds have a large structure, so you need to keep them in a spacious room, providing sufficient walking space. Representatives of this breed love to go out even in winter. The introduction of horse manure into the diet contributes to an increase in egg production in the cold period.

It is not necessary to additionally insulate the house for the winter, but care must be taken that the floor litter is dry. Ideally, put chickens in one barn with cattle, only the seats should be equipped for them separately. You should not set the nests too high, because the individuals are large and heavy (especially the rooster), therefore they cannot fly up too high. To avoid damage to the eggs, it is necessary to ensure the optimal number of nests.

As a rule, representatives of the breed do not conflict with each other, but if they see a cracked egg they will immediately eat it and it will be very difficult to wean them after peeling. pecks eggs, isolate it, and put gypsum or clay tricks in the nests.It is recommended to introduce enough calcium in the diet to avoid cannibalism among chickens. a box with crushed shell or chalk. Quick weight gain can provide the introduction of special combined feed from various crops into the chickens ’diet, as well as poultry poultry with chicken entrails. For the normal development of the chickens, animal proteins are needed. The addition of plumage and accelerate its growth will help to add into wet agitators of ashes from bird feathers or ashes. It is necessary to ensure the optimal intake of vitamins and minerals.

Experienced poultry farmers recommend harvesting vegetables for the winter, they like Liven chickens, dried nettles, as well as twig feed, which is steamed and given together with mashrooms. The largest rooster from the herd is slaughtered, because under its weight the skin on the back of the females can be damaged during mating. Any open wound on the body of pestles can result in chicken cannibalism.

Opinion of experienced farmers

Reviews of owners of private farms that have acquired representatives of the breed are mostly positive. Most write that they did not notice such a shortcoming in pets as cannibalism. Often cannibalism manifests itself with an insufficiently balanced diet, so its appearance is the fault of the poultry farmers themselves.

The characteristic of the taste of eggs exceeds all expectations. Fans of raw eggs say they are very different in taste compared to products obtained from other poultry. Experienced housewives learned to make pies from chicken giblets. Their taste and smell will be appreciated not only by lovers of good and satisfying food but also by gourmets.

The final part

Today, unfortunately, representatives of such a breed as Liven chintz chickens, there is very little left. True, until recently, the species was considered completely lost. There is a bird on the private courtyards of connoisseurs of chicken beauty in Ukraine. Looking once at the birds of the Lebanese hens in the photo, it is impossible not to fall in love. The individuals are distinguished by an unusual color of plumage. Most of the individuals have calico color, so the species got its name. As if the artist’s brush painted feathers a bright scallop, proud head set, why not beauties?

The Lebanese chintz rooster is distinguished by its large size and magnificent posture.The maximum weight of a male individual can reach 5 kg, female – 3.5 kg. Chickens begin to rush at the age of eight months, with improved conditions and a balanced diet – at 6-7 months. The maximum weight of 1 egg can be 90 g, which is simply gigantic by chicken standards. The taste characteristics of meat and eggs are impressive.

Containing hens of this breed is quite simple: they are completely unpretentious to living conditions and feed. The only thing to consider is the size of the birds, so you have to allocate more space for the pets. In winter, it is not necessary to warm the house, because these representatives tolerate frosts and are distinguished by good immunity.

The predisposition to chicken cannibalism is considered a big minus of the breed. To avoid pecking of young animals, the largest rooster always goes for slaughter so that it can not damage the skin of chickens on its back during mating. Many experienced poultry farmers believe that this phenomenon occurs only in case of improper content and lack of vitamins and calcium in feed. Detailed photos and videos will tell you well about the correct content and features of the care of the Liven breed of chickens. If you wish, you can buy a small herd of several hens in which there is not a closely related cock and have a motley noisy crowd in the courtyard pleasing to the eye and beneficial.