All breeds of chickens are classified into two main areas: meat (broilers) and egg (laying hens). What kind of bird to start depends on the desires of the owner of the compound. Broilers require more care, but maintaining them is more profitable. Layers are unpretentious and do not give the owners absolutely no problems. The foxy chick breed combines the best qualities of both species of poultry. It refers to broilers. However, up to 300 eggs per year can be obtained from each hen Focci Chick. We will talk about how these hens look exactly, as well as about the features of their content.
Foxy chickens: breed description
This bird got its name for the color of its plumage, which has a pronounced red hue. "Foxy-chick" is translated from English as "fox chicken." These hens were brought to Ukraine from Hungary. Hence their second name - "Hungarian giant." These are really very large chickens. Owners of homestead farms often call them also “red broilers”. The features of the exterior of the breed include:
- Large size and some squat. Outwardly, foxy chickens are very similar to the bird of the well-known master gray breed, but have slightly shorter legs.
- Fluffy thick plumage, the shade of which can vary from fiery red to brownish red.
- Yellow, powerful legs.
- Wide chest.
- Bright red leaf crest and earrings of the same color.
The foxy chickens look really impressive. Owners who decide to have this breed will probably be envious of all poultry neighbors.
Breed features
Foxy chickens (the description of the breed given above clearly demonstrates their attractive and characteristic appearance for boilers), among other things, are also very unpretentious. Keeping this bird is no more difficult than regular laying hens. These hens grow a little slower than broilers, but their survival is much higher. This indicator can reach 100% brood. The behavioral characteristics of chickens of this breed include, first of all, pugnacity. Farmers who have already managed to get acquainted with foxy-chicks are not advised to leave more than one mature cock in the herd. These birds fight very often. There are conflicts between the hens. This is precisely a character trait. Therefore, it is not worth worrying, for example, that the bird lacks food and this causes aggression.
Another feature of this breed of chickens is noisiness. If any pet or stranger approaches the enclosure, the owners will immediately be notified of this by the loud cry of the cockerels and the nervous clucking of hens.
Growth Features
Foxy chick - chickens growing really very large. Males gain weight up to 5-7 kg. The hens of this breed are noticeably smaller. Their weight can reach 3.5-4 kg. But they rush very well. In the household, with appropriate care, 200 pcs of eggs per year is very easy to obtain. Due to this feature, buying chickens of this breed is actually very profitable. Afterwards, the cocks can be slaughtered for meat, and the chickens left to receive eggs for a couple of years.
Weight gain for this bird is as follows:
- at 20 days of age, the bird weighs about 500 grams;
- in the 30-day - 700 grams;
- after about a week, the average weight of the bird is already about a kilogram;
- at the age of one and a half months, foxy-chickens weigh about 1300 grams.
What you should know about
The peculiarity of these chickens is that at first, teenage chickens look very thin and long. Because of this, many farmstead owners sometimes even begin to suspect chick sellers of forgery for the breed. However, after some time, foxy-cheeks begin to dramatically gain weight, which immediately affects their appearance. The bird grows into a typical broiler with wide breasts and powerful paws.
Egg production
These hens rush, as already mentioned, very well. Among other things, they also belong to very precocious breeds. The foxy chick begins to lay eggs at 4 months of age or a little later. These birds fly, despite the great weight, no worse than laying hens. Nests for them can be located at the perch level (about 80 cm above the ground). Eggs in foxy chicks are quite large (65-70 gr), and the shell is pleasantly creamy in color.
Feeding Features
Foxy-chick - chickens suitable for breeding in household households are just fine. They can be kept both in cells and simply in the barn. The main share of their diet is cereals and legumes. It can be, for example, wheat, corn, barley or peas. Of course, you need to give chickens and mixers. They are prepared from grated potatoes, carrots, beets, apples, etc. Be sure to add to such vitamin feed and fresh chopped grass. A lot of substances useful for the bird's body are found in nettles, cabbage, swans, tops of carrots, beets and radishes, etc.
Of course, balanced fodder should be included in the chicken diet, as well as various kinds of vitamin and productivity enhancing additives for broilers. In addition, small amounts of chalk and salt should be mixed into the grain. Such an addition as fish and meat and bone meal will not harm these chickens. In general, the diet for this bird is not much different from the "menu" of any other broilers. The fox chick breed of chicken should receive a sufficiently large amount of protein.
Content Features
An enclosure for chickens of this breed may be small. Since their plumage is magnificent, they feel great even in a sharply continental climate. It is not necessary to heat the house in winter even in central Russia. However, covering the floor with a thick layer of straw is certainly worth it. In this litter, over time, various kinds of biological processes begin to occur, accompanied by the release of heat. As a result, in winter, the layer begins to function as a natural “heater”. It is possible to spread the floors not only with straw, but also, for example, with sawdust or hay. Foxy chicks run in the cold season do not stop.
In the summer, the barn should not be too hot. In any case, ventilation in the form of at least one opening window should be arranged. Perches and feeders are arranged in the usual way. The former are made of poles with a cross section of about 4 cm and are installed at a height of about 80 cm above the floor surface. The feeders are knocked down so that the chickens cannot climb into their legs or leave droppings.
The aviary is being built on the south side. From the chicken coop they arrange a move. In front of the poultry house, a table is set up for the preparation of mixes and compound feeds.
Little Chick Care
Since chickens are foxy-chick (photos of them can be seen on the page) - the breed is very productive, the chicks are quite expensive. The seller should be selected very carefully. In the market under the guise of foxy cheeks, completely different breeds are often sold. And at the same price. It would be better to get chickens at some official hatchery. Residents of Russia should be especially careful. On the forums on the Internet (2015), homeowners complain about the huge number of fraudulent ads for the sale of eggs of this breed, posted on a variety of sites. In Russia, foxy-cheeks are still very, very rare.
The purchased brood is fed in the usual way. First, the chickens are given a starting mixture for broilers. Later, feed and ground grain gradually begin to be given. Since the feed is dry, chicks should have constant access to fresh water. In good weather, chicks can be allowed to walk in the aviary at the age of three weeks. With good care, the foxy-chickens described above will quickly gain weight and begin to lay eggs.
Breeding "in yourself"
You can try to get offspring from these chickens, including at home. Breeding this bird “in itself” is not a particularly difficult procedure. Typically, a foxy chick is mixed with roosters of the Orpington Red or Rhode Island breeds . In this case, the offspring of the second generation will not be inferior in productivity to the parent bird. When using males, Orpington chickens will grow almost as large as foxy chicks. Crossing with the genus of islands allows you to get chickens with very high rates of egg production.
Foxy chickens (photo fully confirm this) - the breed is actually very productive and unpretentious. Keeping this bird at home is certainly beneficial. Roosters grow very large, and laying hens lay many eggs. At the same time, the taste qualities of the latter, as well as the meat of this bird, are simply excellent.