Dwarf chickens: breeds, prices. Dwarf laying hens

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Dwarf chickens are becoming more and more common in our backyards. What is the reason for this growing popularity? Among these kids there are both decorative and productive egg-laying and meat breeds, which are small copies of large species.

Their advantage is that small areas are required for maintenance, and such hens eat a little. On average, for the production of 1 kg of egg mass, egg-laying breeds consume one third less feed than large breeds.

Attract fans and their bright colors, interesting behavior and unusual appearance. Such birds can be a wonderful decoration of the yard. For poultry farmers who do not have a large room, dwarf chickens are also suitable.

Contents

Small chickens are heat-loving, so it is better to choose a tree for flooring in a chicken coop. The room should be warm, without drafts, with good lighting and ventilation. The preferred temperature is 15-25 °C. To protect against bird parasites, a bath with sand or dry clay should be provided. Even such a small bird needs a walking area. Land to be sown with grassand put a vat of river sand or shell rock to improve digestion.

Dwarf chickens eat the same way as regular chickens - grain mixtures, vegetables, fruits, grass, earthworms and other small insects. Laying hens may start around 7-8 months of age, some breeds earlier. Their weight by this age is about half a kilogram.

Reproduction

Dwarf chickens are caring parents. To get offspring, laying hens need to be provided with strong, shallow wooden boxes with straw. Many breeds of small chickens have such a well-developed brooding instinct that they are often used as foster parents for large breed hens.

During hatching, the hen should be provided with fresh water and good food. The bird on the masonry should not be disturbed at the very beginning and end of the incubation period, and the rest of the time it needs a short-term walking. Masonry for the duration of the walk can be covered with a cloth.

Immediately after birth, chicks begin to actively feed. The starter food is the foundation for the he alth of the chicks, and in the first days, young birds should receive all the best: boiled yolk, fresh water, finely chopped greens. You can add a weak solution of potassium permanganate to the water.

Young stock should be separated from the rest of the flock for at least 5-6 weeks. At this age, birds can switch to a common diet.

How much do dwarf chickens cost? The price of chickens of small breeds is on average from 100 rubles per bird. Let's take a closer look at the various breeds of dwarfchickens and their characteristics.

Bentham

Bentham is one of the smaller breeds, also known as kinglets. These birds were bred to decorate parks, gardens, bird yards. For breeding, they need dry, clean and warm rooms. Coloring bentamok can be the most diverse: white, black, yellow, blue, striped, tricolor.

Bantams are the most common dwarf chickens. Laying hens of this breed are known as excellent hens. They are often used to breed chickens of a different breed. The weight of an adult cockerel is 0.6 kg, chickens - 0.5 kg. As for the egg production of these birds, it is not high - about 80 eggs per year. Eggs have a white shell and weigh about 25 grams.

Dwarf gate

This breed was bred in England and Germany from large breeds, furry and silky dwarf chickens. Dark, light, partridge-yellow and partridge-blue bramas with rich plumage can decorate any yard. Due to the feathering on their legs, sandy soil or cut grass while walking are suitable for these birds.

Meat dwarf Brahma chickens are quite tall and strong, they tolerate low temperatures well, although it is not recommended to let them out in the snow. The hen weighs an average of 1.1 kg, the rooster - 1.3 kg. Egg production is 80-100 eggs per year, eggs have a light brown shell and weigh about 35 grams.

Orlovskaya dwarf

This breed is similar in appearance to large Oryol chickens with a dense constitution. The head of these birds resembles the head of fighting cocks. The chest is broad, the body is muscular, the legs are high and strong. By color, they are snow-white, dark, brown, chintz. These birds are active and mobile, like all dwarf breeds.

Chickens are unpretentious. The weight of the hen is 0.6 kg, the rooster is 0.8 kg. The egg production of the breed is 80-100 eggs per year. One egg weighs over 37 grams.

Dutch white-crested

This breed of chickens arose long ago with the improvement of Polish Corydalis chickens. A distinctive feature of these birds is a fluffy white crest on the head. Coloring can be white, black or blue. These beauties can be not only an ornament, performing decorative functions, but also give a sufficient amount of eggs and meat.

The egg production of Dutch white-crested chickens exceeds the average and is 100-140 eggs per year. Eggs are quite large - 50 gr. The shell is white. But the mass of these birds is rather big - chickens weigh 1.5-2 kg, roosters - 2-2.5 kg.

Shabot

This is an attractive breed from the Land of the Rising Sun. A neat body on short legs and a magnificent high tail give these birds a special charm. To maintain the beauty of the plumage, the walking area should be kept clean and well maintained.

Chickens can be with a smooth, silky or curly feather. They can have the following colors: white, yellow, blue, black, white black-tailed, black with white specks, yellow with a black tail, gold, partridge, wheaten, with a golden neck, porcelain, silver, colorsbirch.

The birds are small, the weight of the hen is 0.5 kg, the cockerel is 0.6 kg. Egg production is small - 80 eggs per year with a weight of eggs with a white shell of 30 gr.

Peter neck

Dwarf hens are famous for their good egg production, but not for their aesthetic appeal. A distinctive feature of the breed is nakedness. The chicks hatch already without a fluff around their necks. Over time, the skin becomes rough and red. Chickens are very hardy, tolerate heat well and withstand frost. The coloring of birds can be very diverse.

A hen weighs about 0.7 kg, a rooster 0.8 kg. The reason for the popularity of the breed is its excellent egg production with such a small size - from 120 eggs per year, with a white-shell egg weight of 30 grams.

Seebright

These miniature English hens attract many poultry farmers. Their body is neat, rounded. The banded plumage gives these birds a special charm. Their character is also remarkable: cheerful, fighting, fervent, these birds are trusting and perfectly tamed. Color - silver and gold.

Seebright hens weigh only 450 grams, and cockerels - 500 grams. The egg shell is yellowish, the average egg weight is 30 gr. Egg production is 80 eggs per year.

Cochin dwarf

The dwarf cochin hen breed is also known under the names Beijing bantam and cochin chin bantam. This independent decorative breed was bred for the imperial gardens. The plumage is soft, plentiful. Because of this, the chickens seemmore massive, rounded. Dwarf cochinchins are quickly tamed, they are good hens. Their color can be white, black, striped, fawn, blue, birch, partridge, brown with a horseshoe border. There is a curly variety.

Weight of laying hens - 0.7 kg, males - 0.8 kg. Egg production is small - up to 80 eggs weighing about 30 grams. The color of the shell is delicate, from light brown to cream.

Pygmy Leghorn

Pygmy leghorn chickens are distinguished by high egg production. The color of the birds is white, the size is small. The weight of an adult rooster is 1.7 kg, chickens - 1.4 kg. They are a miniature copy of a large breed. Birds are hardy, strong, mobile. The fertility of eggs and the survival of chicks are high, but the hens in the breed are poor. An incubator is used for breeding.

Dwarf leghorns are planted not only in small backyards, but also on farms and poultry farms. The egg production of these babies is simply amazing - up to 260 large 60-gram eggs per year. Chickens start laying at the age of four months.

Dwarf Wyandotte

Pygmy Wyandot chickens are a form of regular Wyandotte. Today, the lesser form is so popular that it greatly outnumbers the normal form. There are many color options: black, white, yellow, blue, golden, partridge, silver, golden and silver neck, white and gold, blue and gold, multi-colored.

Weight of cockerels - 1 kg, hens - 0.8 kg. Egg production is 100 eggs by weight45 gr. in year. Eggs have yellow-brown shells.

For many domestic breeders, the benefits of small breed hens are becoming more and more obvious. Gradually, small colorful birds appear even in the most conservative poultry farmers, because their maintenance is more economically profitable.