Cross chickens: what are they, classification, description of the best breeds

Some owners of summer cottages or villagers decide to seriously engage in the cultivation of poultry. However, before doing this, you need to familiarize yourself with the crosses of chickens and choose the right breed for further breeding and rearing.

What are cross-country chickens

Before you start growing, you need to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of such birds. Crosses are called a hybrid variety of chickens, which was bred using several breeds. They are meaty and have a high level of productivity. Therefore, they are most often grown in order to get a lot of meat for personal consumption or further sale in the future

How to receive

To understand in more detail what crosses are, you need to familiarize yourself with the process of their breeding. When creating such breeds, special livestock specialists are involved. First you need to choose one rooster. In this case, birds of highly productive breeds are used. They cross with hens of other equally productive breeds. As a result, the resulting hybrids are re-crossed, but with a third breed of birds.

Advantages and disadvantages

Such birds have a number of advantages and disadvantages that must be de alt with in advance. The main advantages of such chickens include the following:

• high strength of planting eggs due to the compactness of chickens;
• unpretentiousness in care and maintenance;
• high productivity for hatching meat and eggs;
• chickens have a calm temperament, thanks to which it is possible to avoid fights in the hen house.

The main disadvantage of crosses is that after a month of cultivation they will have to be limited in food.

Which is better, breed or cross?

People who have started raising poultry for the first time do not know what is better to start. If chickens will be grown only for meat, it is better to buy crosses. They are considered the most meaty. For breeding and obtaining eggs, it is better to use simple breeds.

Classification

The classification includes three main varieties of chickens that are grown in the agricultural sector.

Egg

Egg birds are bred as a result of crossing the island genus with other breeds of laying hens. In hens of the egg direction of productivity, the eggshell is colored white with a slight brownish tint. Such birds have many advantages, among which are resistance to high temperatures and stress.Therefore, they are suitable for growing in chicken coops, which are often hot.

Meat

People who want to get a lot of meat should raise meat chickens. On average, more than 1500 grams of meat can be obtained for two kilograms of feed. It is necessary to keep meat birds on the floor in special cages. This is done so that they move less and constantly gain mass. It is necessary to grow such chickens within forty days. During this time, the weight of one bird will increase to 2-3 kilograms.

Universal

Popular are versatile birds that can be raised for both meat and eggs. In addition to versatility, the advantages of chickens include their unpretentiousness to the conditions of detention. They can be grown in hot and cool chicken coops.

The main thing is that the room should not have a high level of humidity and strong drafts.

Best crosses

There are eleven varieties of crosses that are grown by many farmers.

Nehol neck

This is an exotic variety of chickens that look like turkeys. They have few feathers, but despite this, they survive even under harsh conditions. A distinctive feature from other chickens is the lack of plumage on the neck. The tail of such birds is not very long, but at the same time voluminous. The beak has a curved shape, its surface is painted scarlet. The wings of bare-necked chickens are close to the body.

Wyandotte

These are calm and hardy hens that can have a variety of plumage. However, most often there are individuals with black and white feathers. The body of adult birds is compact and has a rounded shape. The lobes with the comb on the head are painted bright red. The tail is small, covered with large feathers.Among the advantages of Wyandots, they distinguish that they rush well and constantly take care of new offspring.

Bressgalle

Fans of tender meat should consider raising Bressgale chickens. Grow them for a month and a half. During this time, they increase their mass to 3-5 kilograms. Also, such crosses can be attributed to laying hens, as they are able to carry large eggs. Birds have snow-white plumage, the comb is colored red.

Loman Brown

These chickens can not be called meat, as they grow slowly. At the same time, adult birds have a compact body and low weight. Many farmers breed Loman Brown for eggs.

The hens have dense plumage, feathers are painted white or ashen. The wings are small, the legs are elongated and feathered.

Eggs obtained from the Lohman Brown farming process have a dense shell.

Bielefelder

These are common productive chickens that were bred in Germany. The distinguishing features of Bielefelders include their resistance to frost, egg production and calm temperament. Chickens have an unusual coloration, as their feathers can be both golden and black at the same time. Red color is most often found among roosters. This breed is egg-laying and therefore rarely raised for meat.

Kuchinskaya

This breed is considered the most fleshy, and therefore it is better to breed it to get meat. The plumage of the Kuchinsky birds is gray, sometimes reddish dots are visible on the feathers. In hens, the wings are light and stand out against the background of the body, while in roosters they are darker. Also Kuchinsky chickens lay well, 200-250 eggs during the year. At the same time, they begin to rush early, at the sixth month of life.

Master Gray

This is a French breed of chickens, which belongs to the universal varieties of crosses. The feathers of birds are painted grayish with a white tint. Most often, these birds are grown in small farms for eggs and meat. Their body is large, with fluffy plumage. Feathers located on the wings sometimes have small patterns. The main disadvantage of Master Gray is that it will not work to get new offspring at home.

Legbar

This is a rare breed of chicken that is not found in agriculture as often as the rest. These birds look very funny, they have small legs and a rounded body. The crest and crest are painted bright red. The feathers on the body are thick and dense. Most often painted in ash color with a creamy tint.

Legbar is grown for meat. Each adult weighs at least three kilograms.

Hungarian giant

This breed got its name because of the rapid growth of birds. Also, the features of these chickens include tasty meat, ease of cultivation and the ability to carry many eggs. Birds have an elongated and elongated neck with a small head. On her crown is a red crest. The plumage of chickens is magnificent, feathers are available not only on the body, but also on the legs.

Brown Nick

People who are interested in egg-laying crosses can breed this breed of birds in the chicken coop. They can be fed almost any food, as they are omnivores. They begin to rush at the age of five months and finish in a year and a half. You can grow them both in spacious chicken coops and in compact cages. They do not need special conditions of detention, they tolerate heat and low temperatures well

Conclusion

Many beginner farmers want to grow crosses. Before breeding such birds in a chicken coop, you need to familiarize yourself with their classification, advantages, disadvantages, as well as the characteristics of their breeds.

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