For personal household plots, the breed of chickens is not always chosen for productivity, for some, the appearance is important. It is beautiful when birds walk around the yard with bright plumage, which do not need special care. Even better, when external beauty is combined with excellent performance. The Welszumer breed of chickens meets these requirements. She has many positive qualities, which is why she is often grown in private courtyards.
Breed features
The breed of hens Welsmer belongs to the combined - meat and egg direction. This type is the result of the long work of breeders. The bird differs from others in its unusual, bright color, dense plumage and large body. The breed does not have any special signs, such as feather cover on its paws or a special type of crest, but experienced poultry farmers can determine the velzumer by exterior indicators.
Standard breeds
In the breed of hens Welsmer, the features of the exterior are determined by certain indicators of the color of the tail, type of crest, body shape and more.
- Color. Females and males vary in color. The male representatives of the breed have wings, tail and lower body black with a metallic greenish sheen. The feather on the back and neck is painted in fiery red with a redhead. On the chest there is a mixture of different shades: red, black, brown, there may be gray spots. The upper body, neck, head are of a dark brown color, the rest of the plumage is with weakly expressed black stripes and almost indistinguishable intersperses.
- The host is medium in size.
- The crest is red, small, earrings of bright color.
- Paws, yellow beak.
- The body is rectangular in shape, set horizontally. Muscle mass is well developed.
- The eyes are orange.
For representatives of the chicken breed, the Welsummer is characterized by aggressiveness. This behavior is due to the fact that in the pedigree there is a fighting breed - Malay. As a result of the work of breeders, the bird turned out not to be shy, friendly enough to the owners. Despite this, roosters are aggressive towards those who encroach on their territory, the family. The aggression towards dogs, cats and other animals that enter the territory of chickens is clearly manifested. The desire to protect the family helps save the young from the attacks of other animals.
How did the breed appear
According to the description, the Welsummer chickens were bred in Holland, in the village of Welsum. When breeding, they used a variety of birds: Rhode Island, Dorking, local partridge, Malay fighting. The latter are characterized by a strong physique, aggression. Most often, this breed is used to obtain meat crosses. From each breed they took the best. So, from the Malay fighting men, not only the character of the roosters was inherited, but also a kind of plumage, the structure of the body. From Dorking - large eggs, and from the islands - the color of the shell and egg production.
Finally, the breed of chicken meat and egg was formed at the beginning of the last century. Initially, the Welshmer were distributed in Europe, later it became popular in central Russia. Given the frosty winters, the breed proved to be excellent: it tolerates frosty winters perfectly.
Welsumer has a twin dwarf breed. This is an exact copy of large representatives, but gives eggs of a smaller size, weighing about 40 grams.
Disadvantages and advantages
Producers and poultry farmers highlight the following advantages and disadvantages of the Welsummer breed:
- early bird ripening;
- excellent chick survival;
- the bird tolerates cold winters perfectly, and continues to lay eggs;
- unpretentiousness in leaving - even if you feed it with one grain, the bird does not lose its productivity.
Among the shortcomings, only the fact that the bird does not hatch eggs is distinguished. Because of this, you have to lay them in an incubator. Another drawback - roosters often fight among themselves.
Poultry productivity
It is not worth waiting for 300 eggs a year from chicken meat and egg. Eggs of the Welsummer chickens are large enough, weighing up to 70 grams and in quantity - about 180 pieces per year. The shell is painted in a light brown color. The shape of the eggs is standard, oval. Taste qualities do not differ from products of other breeds. Chick survival is 92%.
The weight of roosters reaches 3.5 kilograms, and chickens - 2.5 kg.
Content Features
When choosing chickens for home breeding, it is worth considering the Welsummer breed. Its representatives are unpretentious and feel great even at low temperatures. Contain the bird outdoor, providing her a range. The basic requirements for the conditions of detention are as follows:
- The optimum temperature is considered to be the air temperature when the floor content is about 16 degrees. If this is repairing young animals of a month old, then the temperature should not be lower than 18 degrees, but not higher than 35.
- Hens feel great at a humidity of 65 percent. Lower rates lead to drying out of the mucous membranes of the respiratory system and eyes, and higher ones contribute to the development of fungi in the chicken coop. To prevent this from happening, the house is equipped with forced-air and exhaust ventilation.
- There should be two types of lighting in the house: artificial and natural. For an area of ââ5-6 square meters, one incandescent lamp with a power of 60 watts is enough. Lack of light leads to a decrease in egg production and weight gain.
- Beelzumer spend a long time on the walk. If it is not possible to create conditions for walking, then the bird is provided with fresh grass.
- There must be a cock in the herd. The number of males is calculated by the number of chickens: 10 females 1 male. If the herd is small, then only one male is enough.
- Hens should feel comfortable in the house. Usually no more than three birds are placed on one square meter.
There should be litter in the chicken coop. To do this, use hay, straw, peat. When using sawdust, they are mixed with other types of litter and often changed. This is due to the fact that this material quickly becomes wet.
Inside the barn should be feeders, drinking bowls, nests for chickens. Inventory should be cleaned regularly, change the contents. Also perches are built on which the bird rests, sleeps.
Lander
For comfort and safety, it is recommended to fence off the courtyard, where the bird can walk freely. To do this, you can use a grid or other material. The height of the fence is not less than one and a half meters, with a lower fence, hens can fly over it. Grass should grow in a fenced area. The bird will peck at it, dig out roots, worms, insects. If this is not possible, then the chickens are given fresh grass, worms.
To protect from the scorching sun, part of the courtyard is covered. Under the canopy, the bird is hiding from the rain. As a material for a canopy, it is best to use slate. Under it is not as hot as under a metal canopy. Here they also place a feeder with shell rock, ash, put a container with sand. The latter is necessary for cleansing feathers. For the summer, you can equip nests under a canopy.
Cold attitude
Welsumer is a breed with high cold resistance. Chickens tolerate frosts without reducing egg production. The bird walks around the courtyard even in frosts of -20 degrees, but not for long.
For wintering, the hens are insulated with hens, the flooring is made of straw and other warm materials. This will protect against freezing feet and hypothermia.
How to feed
You can make feeders and drinking bowls for chickens with your own hands from improvised materials, or you can buy ready-made factory designs. There should always be clean water in the drinkers.
Beelzumer belongs to unpretentious breeds. In the summer, birds rush well, consuming grain and fresh grass. In winter, the diet should be balanced. Based on the norms of feeding, poultry farmers make up a diet, which includes the ingredients necessary for proper development, egg production. The menu includes:
- up to three types of crops - 70%;
- animal feed (meat and bone meal or fish meal) - 10%;
- root crops, green fodder - 15%;
- mineral type additives (shell rock, chalk, etc.) - 5%.
The basis of the chicken diet is grain. They are happy to eat corn, millet, barley, wheat, oats. Chickens can also be fed mollusks, small fish, dairy products, fruits and vegetables.
Making do-it-yourself feeders and drinking bowls for chickens take into account the possibility of tracking feed consumption. In the summer, the bird eats about 120 grams of the mixture, and in the winter - about 160 grams.
Adults are fed twice a day - morning and evening. According to reviews, it is recommended to feed the breed of chickens with the germinated grain. With a free range, food is given twice a day. Hookers are cooked before distribution. The amount of food should be such that after half an hour the feeders are empty. Minerals, vitamins and meat and bone meal are always added to the mixers. If in half an hour the bird does not eat food, then its amount is reduced, and the remainder is disposed of.
From the first days of life, chickens are fed a boiled egg with semolina, and from the third day, sour-milk products, animal feed, vegetables, greens are gradually introduced into the diet. During this period, it is recommended to feed the chickens with drugs for diseases.
In the first ten days, chickens are fed 6 times a day. From the eleventh day, the number of feedings is reduced to four times.
Breed propagation
Chickens are not prone to laying eggs. Because of this feature, repair young animals are obtained only by artificial incubation.
Hens begin to lay eggs at the age of six months. For incubation, eggs begin to be collected in early spring. To increase the percentage of hatchability, they must be stored correctly. Do not allow the eggs to lie in chicken nests for a long time - they are collected at least once a day, but better - twice a day. You can not store eggs for a long time, as this leads to a decrease in the percentage of hatchability. It is recommended that eggs be taken from the nests while still warm. They are kept in a dry and cool room, at an air temperature of 12 degrees and a humidity of 80%. Store incubation products horizontally, periodically turning over. Duration of storage - no longer than a week.
For incubation, eggs of the correct form are selected without defects and damage. Products must be fresh. Survival in chickens is quite high, about 92-95%.
Oversized eggs of an irregular shape for incubation are not used.
Disease prevention
In order for the bird to be healthy, it is necessary to provide it with good care, including the prevention of various diseases. The right conditions, good food for adult chickens is one of the ways to prevent disease. In addition, you must:
- The chicken coop should be dry and clean. It should be well ventilated and have two types of lighting.
- Before settling chickens, the barn is disinfected. It is best to use slaked lime soda solution. They process walls, floors, and ceilings. Inventory is disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate. Slots in the chicken coop are treated with a water emulsion of malathion to protect the bird from ticks, spoofers and other insects.
- Floors are covered with slaked lime at the rate of 0.5 kilograms of funds per square meter.
- After disinfection, the shed is aired.
- The floors are covered with fresh litter of peat, straw or other materials.
As a disease prevention, chickens are regularly examined. When the plumage, crest, behavior changes, it is necessary to drop the bird from the rest of the herd and try to find the reason. Loss of appetite should especially alert. Welsumer is distinguished by strong immunity, but this does not mean that hens do not get sick. They, like other breeds, need disease prevention. For this, it is worth periodically soldering the birds from diseases, parasites.
Conclusion
Beelzumer is an excellent choice for those who want an unpretentious breed with fairly high rates of egg laying and ease of care. It is recommended to breed this breed for beginners and those who do not have enough time to care for the bird, but really want to have their own chickens.