Seabright chickens: description and characteristics of the breed, diet, conditions of detention

It is believed that chickens are raised only for the purpose of obtaining eggs or meat. But real bird lovers and connoisseurs breed breeds that are not very productive, but at the same time decorative, giving aesthetic pleasure with their appearance. Seabright chickens can become a real decoration of the poultry yard, especially since caring for them is not difficult. They are unpretentious and picky.

History of the breed

The breed takes its origin in England, when at the beginning of the 19th century it was first shown by John Seabright, whose name dwarf chickens are.It took the English lord about 15 years for breeding work, during which he crossed dwarf betnamok, Polish and Hamburg chickens. The result is a miniature breed of poultry with beautiful plumage. Within a few years, she gained such popularity that the breeders created their own club, which included many noble people of Great Britain. Today, Seabright chickens have gained worldwide fame and adorn many farmsteads and nurseries.

Distribution and direction

For two centuries, the Seabright breed has spread throughout the world and was brought to Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. Most often, breeding is done for the sake of interest, but sometimes, despite the decorativeness and dwarfism of the breed, they are kept to obtain eggs and meat that has a delicate taste.

Description and characteristics of Seabright chickens

Sebright chickens are small in size and light in weight. Their plumage can be golden or silver, with a beautiful black edging that looks like fish scales.

Bird exterior

When purchasing Seabright chickens, you need to know the main characteristics of the exterior:

body with graceful lines, while looking wide and well-built;
chest convex;
Trapezoid neck, short, curved back;
back is straight, gradually turns into a fan-shaped tail;
head with rose-shaped comb and smooth rounded earrings;
large eyes, brown iris;
beak pinkish, bent at the end;
shins are voluminous;
wings are long, hanging freely;
tarsus bare, gray, fingers far apart;
feather is wide, rounded.

Gender differences

Roosters and hens have the same color: golden or silver feathers with a beautiful black edging, reminiscent of lace. Seabright roosters do not have feathers with sharp ends in the loin and mane, as is the case with other breeds.

Males are distinguished from females by the size of the crest and tail. Roosters have bigger ones.

Character

Sebright chickens are peaceful and non-conflict. Birds easily get along with fellows of other breeds. But despite their small size, they bravely respond to aggression, boldly repulse the enemy. They are gullible, easily get used to the owners, are unpretentious in care and requirements for maintenance and nutrition.

Productivity

The miniature breed of the Seabright is considered decorative. Breeders do not count on the high productivity of the bird. On average, 1 chicken per year can lay up to 80 eggs, each weighing about 40 g. Representatives of the breed become sexually mature at the age of 3-4 months. In adulthood, roosters reach 600 g, chickens - 500 g. Females clearly show the instinct of incubation, if necessary, they easily hatch chickens, an incubator is not needed.

Flaws in appearance

When chickens are found to be non-compliant with breed standards, they are considered defective. This happens if:

bird's body is rough and too long;
wings are not lowered, but raised or tightly pressed to the body;
available feathers with sharp ends in the mane and on the lower back of the rooster;
feathers do not have black trim;
has double, broken or gray borders;
there are black blotches in the color.

Culling not carried out in time leads to a violation of the purity of the breed, degeneration of the herd sets in.

Feather maintenance

The rules for keeping the Seabright breed are not much different from others.Caring for miniature chickens is not difficult, they are unpretentious in food, they live in an ordinary chicken coop. But it is worth creating favorable conditions for their life so that the birds grow quickly, develop, do not get sick, multiply, and maintain their pedigree indicators.

Chicken coop equipment

For breeding chickens, it is not enough just to allocate a room, it is necessary to equip it so that the birds do not experience discomfort and feel great at any time of the year.

There must be a perch in the chicken coop - a place where birds sleep, hide from the weather. Its value depends on how many individuals live in the chicken coop. At least 25 cm of perch should be allocated per bird. It is prepared from bars, poles and placed in the warmest place in the room, away from the door. The height should match the height of the Seabright breed.

It is equally important to equip nests for laying hens. For this purpose, boxes or baskets are placed in secluded places in the chicken coop and the bottom is lined with straw. They should be about 30 cm high and 40 cm wide.

Feeders are positioned so that birds can easily get food, but cannot tear or stain it with their droppings. Be sure to have a drinker with clean water. The best option is a special device with a dispenser and removal of excess water.

There should always be clean bedding on the floor - dry sawdust, straw. As it becomes dirty, it is changed to fresh.

A preventive measure against the appearance of lice in the Seabright breed can be wood ash, containers with which are installed in the chicken coop. Chickens are happy to “bathe” in it.

Temperature, humidity and lighting

For small breeds, it is very important to maintain the temperature within 15-21 ⁰С, since they are thermophilic and drops are fatal for them. In winter, it should not fall below 15 ⁰С.

Dampness adversely affects the he alth and productivity of the Seabrights, in the poultry house the humidity should not rise above 60%. To reduce it, they arrange forced ventilation or a window, change the litter more often. It is worth remembering that the Seabright breed does not tolerate drafts.

Additional lighting in the chicken coop is necessary, since poultry can only be carried if daylight hours are extended to 17 hours. Light is also needed for the comfortable existence of the bird. Due to poor vision in complete darkness, they cannot sit on a perch, so the lighting must be turned off gradually - first leaving one bulb, and then turning it off.

Place for walking

The breed of chickens Seabright always behaves actively, does not tolerate cellular content. Optimal for them is free range in the aviary and living in a poultry house. A yard for walking is usually made on the leeward side of the house, enclosing it on all sides with a chain-link mesh at least 2 meters high.

It is advisable to close the upper part as well, so that the birds cannot overcome the barrier.

Inside the courtyard, a canopy is being installed so that the chickens have a place to escape from the heat and rain.Drinking bowls and feeders are placed not only indoors, but also on the street. Experts believe that a nipple drinker and a bunker feeder will be the most suitable. Bedding of hay, straw, sawdust is periodically poured onto the ground.

Sanitation and hygiene

When airing the room where the chickens are, it is necessary to curtain the door and the window with a mesh that protects the room from insects.

With the onset of warm weather, in the spring, the chicken coop is cleaned and disinfected. Processing is carried out with caustic soda (2%) or formalin according to the instructions. To kill bacteria, the walls of the poultry house are whitewashed with lime, brooms from wormwood are hung. Two days after processing, the chickens are launched into the house.

One of the main conditions for maintaining the he alth of the Seabright breed is timely vaccination of livestock.

Diet

Seebright chickens are born a day earlier than other breeds.Their diet during this period is a crushed boiled egg with well-sifted feed. The frequency of feeding is at least 6 times. Two days later, the chickens are fed millet porridge with the addition of greens. Gradually, food is transferred to a four-time regimen. After changing the fluff to the feather, the young bird begins to be fed like adult chickens:

grain;
milk;
green;
beet;
curdled milk.

Seasonal molt

The seasonal change of the feather in the Seabright breed takes place annually in the fall and lasts about a month and a half. During this period, it is necessary to support the bird's immune system with food rich in sulfur and vitamins:

cabbage;
boiled fish;
meat waste;
clover;
peas.

Cultivation of ornamental birds

Roosters become sexually mature at 4 months, chickens - at 3. The breeding process continues throughout the year, excluding the molting period. The Seabright breed is capable of incubating eggs. To do this, you need to make a nest in a secluded corner of the house, placing a basket of hay at the bottom and putting a liner there. As soon as the hen sits in the nest and will not leave it, eggs are laid under it (no more than 6 pieces). Food and drink are placed close to her. Seabrights have a developed maternal instinct and after breeding offspring carefully take care of him.

Diseases and prevention

Diseases inherent in other breeds are typical for Seabright chickens. They can be acute and more dangerous for miniature birds due to their weak immune system. Among the main diseases:

rhinotracheitis - caused by a virus, affects the respiratory, nervous, reproductive systems;
Marek's disease - the virus leads to paresis and paralysis of the limbs;
mycoplasmosis - an infectious disease of the respiratory system;
salmonellosis is a pathology of bacterial origin that affects the gastrointestinal tract and respiratory organs.

For prevention, it is necessary to monitor the conditions of poultry keeping, vaccinating chickens in a timely manner. It is carried out in two ways - with the help of injections and by adding a drug to the drink. The vaccination schedule suggests vaccination in the first two days against salmonellosis and Marek's disease. Vaccination against coccidiosis is given a week after birth, against infectious bursitis - at the fourth week of life with revaccination eight days later.

Possible growing problems

When breeding miniature Seabright chickens, you need to more carefully monitor the cleanliness of the content and take measures in advance to prevent diseases:

change house litter more often;
throwing away half-eaten wet food;
monitor the purity of the water in the drinker;
periodically disinfect the premises;
if a chicken is sick, it will be resettled and quarantined elsewhere.

With all the difficulties of growing a miniature bird, this activity is very interesting and exciting for fans. Despite the low productivity, the taste of the Seabright eggs is reminiscent of quail, and the meat is similar to partridge. But most often they are of interest to breeders only from an aesthetic point of view.