Pervomaiskaya breed of chickens: description and characteristics, maintenance and care

When growing May Day chickens, a number of features should be taken into account. These birds were bred back in the thirties of the last century. They are characterized by high productivity and universal purpose. This meat and egg breed has excellent egg production and excellent endurance. This makes it the choice of many farmers.

How the May Day breed appeared

These chickens began to be bred at the Pervomaisky state farm in the Kharkov region. They were obtained on the basis of the Yurlovskaya vociferous, Rhode Island and white Wyandot breeds. Thanks to this, breeders managed to breed birds with high meat and egg productivity.They received the key advantages of parent breeds - excellent productivity, endurance, physique.

Description and characteristics of chickens

Before breeding birds, you should familiarize yourself with their key characteristics. This will help provide them with quality care.

Bird Exterior

May Day chickens have a number of features. They differ from their counterparts in size and plumage color.

Color

Feather color is considered a hallmark of the breed. Adult birds have white plumage with a slight silvery sheen. At the same time, the tail, neck, wings have a border of black feathers. This makes the bird look very elegant.

Plumage

The key characteristic of birds is closely spaced hard feathers. They are securely pressed to the body. Due to this, the chickens are well protected from moisture and wind.

Torso

May Day chickens are large and powerful physique. They are characterized by a rounded chest, a wide back, small wings. The tail is small and fluffy.

Neck and head

Birds are characterized by a small head with a red crest. The beak curves down slightly. The neck is rather short and has a black feather collar.

Productivity

The popularity of birds is due to their high productivity. This is a universal breed that belongs to the meat and egg direction.

Meat

The average weight of chickens is 2.5 kilograms. Sometimes it reaches 3 kilograms. Cockerels are usually larger in size. Their weight reaches 3.8-4 kilograms. At the same time, they are rapidly gaining mass.

Egg

May Day chickens lay their first eggs a little later than modern breeds. But they are characterized by high productivity. It reaches 200 pieces per year. The eggs are medium in size and weigh no more than 60 grams.

Breed temperament

The advantage of the breed is a balanced character. Both chickens and roosters are characterized by the following traits:

• compliance;
• stress resistance;
• calm reaction to external factors;
• phlegmatic;
• submission to the leader.

Main advantages and disadvantages

The benefits of birds include:

• good immunity and resistance to pathologies;
• cold resistant due to high feather density;
• calm character;
• great maternal instinct;
• excellent juvenile survival;
• rapid weight gain;
• good productivity.

The disadvantages include the following:

• unstable nervous system in young animals;
• Decrease in productivity with a poor diet.

Subtleties of maintenance and care

These are medium heavy birds that easily tolerate crowding. However, there is a risk of fighting for territory. To get good egg production, it is worth providing the birds with ideal conditions.

Poultry Requirements

When building a chicken coop, consider the following features:

• building needs to be insulated;
• house should be warm and dry;
• it is worth providing proper ventilation, but try to avoid drafts;
• to get enough light, you need to make a window;
• make dry bedding on the floor - it can be organized from hay or straw.

When contaminated, it is recommended to change the litter, otherwise the birds will lose their egg production.

Walking yard, feeders and drinkers

May Day chickens are inactive. But to maintain good immunity, they need walks. At the same time, they are allowed to be released outside in winter. To do this, it is recommended to fence the area on the south side of the barn. The walking yard should have sufficient area. 1 chicken should account for 2-3 square meters.

If the walking is organized separately from the poultry house, it is recommended to make a canopy. Thanks to this, the birds will be able to hide from rain and sunlight.

Equally important is a sufficient number of feeders and drinkers. Feeders are recommended to be made of wood. To prevent the birds from climbing inside, it is worth attaching a pole in the center that can rotate freely.

Shedding and laying break

Shedding lasts 2-2.5 months. At the same time, the birds lose their plumage and stop rushing. To speed up the recovery process, birds need to be properly fed. The food should contain a lot of protein foods. At the same time, the amount of calcium should be reduced.

Planned herd replacement

Chickens live 10-12 years. However, breeders keep them for a maximum of 4 years. Then the birds stop giving eggs. If birds are bred for meat, they are recommended to be slaughtered at 1 year. The selection of young animals is recommended to be performed three times. This should be done at 1 week, at 3 and 5 months. It is recommended to remove weak and skinny birds.

Diet

May Day chickens are characterized by unpretentiousness in nutrition. However, with the wrong diet, productivity drops and diseases develop.

On the tribe

In this case, the birds are recommended to give 120-180 grams of feed - it all depends on the seasonal factor and the availability of nutrients. Be sure to give chickens vegetables. Fatty foods and starchy foods are used in a limited amount - up to 20% of the diet. It is important to provide birds with access to greenery.

Meat

Poultry that is fattened for meat should receive a large amount of mash. She also needs feed. Birds are in need of protein food. Meat products, fishmeal should be present in their diet. Vitamin and mineral complexes are of no small importance. Young birds up to 1.5 months old should be fed with compound feed.

Layers

Laying hens need vitamins. The amount of feed should be rationed. If the metatarsals turn pale during the laying period, the birds need carotene. In this case, a premix with this substance is urgently used. You can also give carrots and pumpkins to birds.

Features of reproduction

To create the first flock, it is worth purchasing hatching eggs. This is recommended for poultry farms. The hens fit perfectly on them. It is also acceptable to use an incubator.

Breeding options

There are the following ways to breed chickens:

1. Buy hatching eggs at various poultry farms. This allows you to get 2 unrelated families. They should have 2 cockerels. Thanks to this, it will be possible to obtain young animals of the first generation. In this case, the males should be slaughtered, and the young chickens should be left. The second generation will appear next year.Subsequently, family ties are not recommended. Therefore, it is worth taking a replacement rooster. This method makes it possible to breed birds for 10 years without acquiring new ones.
2. If you have a large poultry house, you can make 5 groups. From four groups of chicks, 2 lines are made. The fifth is used as a backup.
3. Mongrel chickens can be crossed with the first purebred rooster. Offspring - with the second rooster and so on. This allows you to get almost purebred birds.

Chick selection

Chickens should be sorted. Usually, an approximate equal number of chicks with the necessary and unnecessary traits is born. For the first time, it is recommended to sort them immediately after birth. Then they do it a couple of months later.

It is recommended to remove these chicks:

• with white metatarsals;
• with a non-rose comb shape;
• with too big or too red scallops.

The last time hens are sorted after the first molt, which allows you to determine the true color. The tribe requires 10 hens and 1 cockerel.

Caring for them

Hair hens take great care of their offspring. If the chicks are under the care of a chicken, they need a temperature of + 22-24 degrees. The chicks are fast growing. By the end of the first month, their weight reaches 1 kilogram.

Day old chicks need special care. At the same time, they require a light source and a temperature of at least +33 degrees. Chickens should be placed in a box with plastic containers filled with hot water and vent holes.

Egg incubation

This is a laborious process that depends on the conditions in the chamber. The success of breeding chicks is affected by the presence of ventilation and the frequency of turning over. During incubation, you should do the following:

• inspect and reject eggs;
• process them in potassium permanganate;
• put in incubator;
• incubate;
• chicks will hatch on the 20-21st day.

Feeding

You need to feed the chickens like this:

1. On the first day, it is recommended to do this 5-6 times a day.
2. After 5 days, food can be reduced to 3-4 meals.
3. Chickens should be given boiled eggs, herbs, vitamins.
4. On the 10th day it is worth introducing porridge, cereals, boiled vegetables, chalk, greens, mash into the diet.
5. At 1.5 months, birds are transferred to the diet of adult chickens. They should definitely be given proteins, chalk, shell rock, lime.
6. Use weekly glucose and ascorbic acid.

Frequent illnesses

These chickens are characterized by good resistance to pathologies. Infections develop in such cases:

• disregard for hygiene recommendations;
• unbalanced diet;
• violation of crossbreeding rules.

May Day chickens often experience indigestion. Black tea helps to cope with this disorder. It is also permissible to use a decoction of St. John's wort.Pervomaiskaya breed of chickens is characterized by excellent productivity. She is very undemanding to care. In order for the cultivation of birds to be successful, they should provide a balanced diet. Equally important is the proper arrangement of the poultry house and the walking yard.

Recommended