Varieties of meat-egg chicken

If you plan to breed chickens, then the optimal solution would be to purchase universal poultry, that is, representatives of the breed of meat of egg chickens. Thus, you can get fresh chicken eggs for a long time, and then put the bird on the meat, using it for your own purposes or for resale. However, if you delve into the study of this issue, you will come across the fact that there are a lot of such breeds, how not to get confused in their variety and choose the best of them?Today we will understand this issue, study videos and photos, descriptions of some of the most popular breeds.

Measoyaich breeds ny chickens

What is the peculiarity of the meat-producing chicken direction

As mentioned earlier, the first thing worth mentioning is the universality of the breed. Provided that only egg breed or, conversely, meat is kept, it will be difficult to succeed immediately in 2 directions. It is worth saying that there are indeed some differences and features of the content of such rocks. For example, many farmers say that the appetite for meat-and-egg chickens is much higher than that inherent in other areas, although in the end all financial costs are justified, so you should not save on feed.

An interesting fact: all the meat-and-egg type birds are hybrids, that is, to get them, two or even more breeds had to be crossed to get the best meat of the chicken egg breed. As you know, when mixing breeds, stronger individuals are obtained that have excellent health and high resistance to disease and have a beautiful appearance. For this reason, such birds are equally in demand both in households and industrial poultry farms.

In addition, such birds are more stress resistant. This is extremely important, because nothing should have a negative impact on egg production. The only thing that can worsen it is poor nutrition and insufficient feeding, or rather, its insufficiency. However, when the error is corrected, the laying hen will bring the usual number of eggs.

It is worth saying that for the first time the laying hen brings eggs at the age of about 6 months, until this time you need to care for the crest. Based on average indicators, one chicken brings about 2-3 hundred eggs per year, and their taste characteristics are better than that of ordinary laying hens, while the yield of meat from such birds is lower, on average – about 2-3 kg.

Pros and cons of breeds

Among the pluses we can distinguish the following:

• Meat-and-egg chickens are much less likely to get sick better grow, respectively, the percentage of death less livestock.
• The bird does not require the creation of special conditions of detention, because it is unpretentious.
• The taste characteristics of poultry products have excellent taste and quality.
• The bird is adapted for independent feeding, that is, they can peck food while walking on a street.
• These breeds have a high fertility rate.

Cons:

• Chickens gain weight slower than other breeds.
• A quantitative indicator of egg production a relatively low bird will not be very egg.
• The bird requires more more feed than other breeds.
• Planting density should not be too high, as this affects the life of the hens negatively.

However, despite all of the above shortcomings, the popularity of breeds of meat-and-egg direction does not fall, but rather, only increases every year. We learn about which meat-egg breeds of chickens are the most popular in the world and which one is the best in Russia, supplementing the story with photos and video illustrations.

Redbro Breed

Redbro Chicken look so unusual that because of their motley colors, they are called colored. In addition, their distinguishing feature is high rates of egg production and survival. The breed has its roots in England, it happened about a century ago, large unpretentious birds.If you look at Redbro representatives in a photo in Russia or in any similar photo, you will see bright red feathers, at the base of which there is a brown color. The beak is small in color, the scallop is bright red.

Since one of the founders of Redbrough is the fighting breed, such hens are quite large and look impressive:

• rib cage is wide, round;
• limbs are powerful.

One of the hallmarks of meat-egg hens is its high immunity, due to the hybridity of the breed. Some farmers do not give them preventive vaccinations, since they believe that their immunity is already at their best. Also, due to their high immunity, they are able to survive in any climatic conditions. The percentage of chickens falling is one of the lowest.

The first time a bird rushes at the age of about six months, a year an “egg crop” can bring about 200-300 eggs. The eggs are large, their shell is strong, painted in beige. The weight of the bird is:

• Chicken – about 3-5 kg.
• Rooster – at least 6 kg.
• The growth of chickens is rapid, increases in the first month at least 1 kg, gaining its maximum mass by 6 months.

Taste qualities of the meat product of the Redbro breed are distinguished by their delicate taste and juicy texture.

Breed Master Gray

This name was given to meat-egg chickens because their feathers are painted in gray, knowing this feature, you can always distinguish a bird in photographs or videos. Breeding work on the cultivation of a breed of chicken of the meat-and-egg direction was carried out in Europe, namely, in France. It is worth mentioning right away that in conditions of home breeding of birds it is rather difficult to breed, therefore it is worth buying only purebred representatives, that is, grown in special incubators. Like the Redbro breed, chickens survive in almost 100% of cases.

A distinctive feature of the bird is that the laying hens Master Gray are good mothers, do not abandon their chickens under any circumstances, protecting from dangers and enemies, this facilitates the rearing of young animals.

Chickens gain weight quite quickly, although they are not able to compete with broilers, whose growth rate is simply staggering. Master Gray begins to do egg laying at an early age, already at 4 months the chicken can hatch the first roost. For a year, one laying hen exaggerates the chicken farm on average by 300-350 eggs, this can be called a record number. You can also note the excellent taste of the meat product, it has a delicate structure and not too high percentage of fat.

If you managed to get purebred representatives, then raising poultry will not be difficult, as Master Gray has excellent immunity. Moreover, they survive equally well both in the conditions of cellular detention, and if you decide to equip them with a dwelling on the floor. Although, according to the reviews of poultry farmers, the first method is more convenient and profitable. This is due to the fact that 1 square. m can live several heads at once.

Master Gray birds get along well with people, because they have a friendly character, do not show aggression. In order for the chicken to feel good and bring the required number of eggs, all that needs to be done is to provide the winged with balanced adequate nutrition and feeding.

Hungarian chicken

The Hungarian breed is the name given to the bird after selection, another name has taken root among the people – the Hungarian giant . for good reason, because the size of the chickens is amazing, this applies to the body and legs. This was one of the requirements for this breed, were selected trained representatives of chickens, which gave rise to the Hungarian giant breed.

It is easy to guess that the most valuable is chicken meat: a female can give about 4 kg, a cock – up to 6 kg. As for eggs, the annual yield is not that large, as in other breeds described, plumage color is bright red or brownish. Although a variable color is allowed, depending on the plumage of the ancestors.

There is a variety of Hungarian giants – Hungarian broilers, based on the name, it becomes obvious that their dimensions are larger, they gain weight more quickly, however they contain them not so easy.If the bird feels temperature changes, drafts or insufficient nutrition, weight gain can stop, and also provoke the development of many diseases, while their non-broiler cousins ​​do not grow so much, but at the same time they get less sick. In addition, it is worth saying that the meat of ordinary Hungarian birds is more tasty and juicy compared to broiler meat. As far as nutrition is concerned, ordinary grain will be enough for them, compound feed is optional.

Avikolor breed

The next breed that will be discussed is Avikolor, its homeland is Ukraine. Due to the fact that the best representatives of Ukrainian layers were selected for production, whose egg production was one of the best. As a result, the meat-and-egg Ukrainian breed Cross was obtained. It is because of this that their meat is tasty and juicy, and the eggs are large with a bright large yolk.

The breed is attractive to poultry farmers, as it combines the most important characteristics:

• ease of maintenance;
• high egg production;
• tasty meat.

It is noteworthy that, despite such attractive characteristics, the breed did not receive worldwide distribution, and remaining a local Ukrainian variety.

Features of the breed Avikolor

• Sex of the daily chicken is determined also on the second day after birth.The differences are manifested in the difference in the color of the feathers, since the feathers are brown for the female and the white for the male.
• The nature of the Ukrainian birds is calm and supple, unpretentious chickens simply adapt to changes in the conditions of detention, for this reason it can be kept living conditions will not affect them both in cages and in aviaries.
• Avikolor hens get along well with pets, so they can be placed in various combinations with other pets and birds.
• I carry ki are excellent mothers, they hatch as many chicks as they need, they feed their daily chickens in infancy until they can get their own food.
• The chicks grow quickly, gain weight, changing feathers to feathers, which they can later protect them from the cold.

Feed the hens with grain, mixing grains with boiled chicken eggs. They are needed in order for the laying egg to bring more eggs, a similar diet also has a positive effect on the quality of the eggs. In addition, the presence of light in the chicken coop also affects the quality of the shell: it is extremely important to ensure sufficient walking on the street, especially during sunny hours and during daylight hours. If the climate does not allow the laying hen to have enough light and sun, it is advisable to build ultraviolet lamps in the chicken coop.If the conditions are appropriate, the regime is followed, then you can get about 300 eggs of the highest quality per year, and the first clutch can be obtained at the age of 4 months.

Breed Island

This breed is the final in our ranking of hens of the meat-producing direction. These birds got their name in honor of the state in the United States, which carried out selection work. Unlike Avikolor, the Island breed is world wide. There are many external characteristics that distinguish these birds from all other domestic birds. The first thing that catches your eye is the plumage, it is distinguished by extraordinary density and unusual colors; bright red, green, blue tail at the same time very magnificent. The older the bird becomes, the more dull its feather becomes.

Females begin to lay eggs much later than their relatives, the first clutch may appear in 6-7 months. Despite the fact that the eggs of the Island are large, their number is not large: only 2 hundred or more per year. The live weight of the representatives does not exceed 3 kg in females and 4 in males.

As for the conditions of detention, Island hens do not require the creation of special conditions. They feel equally good both in winter and in summer, while they also lay eggs at any time of the year. It is advisable to give them the opportunity to graze in the fresh air in the summer as much as possible so that they can absorb a lot of vitamin D.If the summer was productive, then in the winter the bird will not get sick and only artificial light in the chicken coop will be enough.

As you may have noticed, the Island type is not distinguished by outstanding indicators of egg production and meat return after slaughter . However, this did not prevent him from starting other breeds, for example, New Hampshire, which was bred in England.

Of course, these are not all universal cross breeds, at present there are many varieties of meat-egg individuals. But if we summarize their characteristics, they are in many ways inferior to competitors, so we can say with confidence that this article combines the description of leaders, that is, the five leading breeds of mixed orientation, which is best for the farmer to decide. We hope that the above information will help determine which breed is right for you to keep under certain conditions.