Super Nick chickens: description of the breed and characteristics, rules of keeping

Super Nick chickens are very popular with farmers. This is due to a number of advantages of such birds. They are characterized by excellent performance, have resistance to diseases, and ripen quickly. At the same time, birds are absolutely unpretentious in their care. To achieve success in growing them, you should properly organize the house and choose a balanced diet.

History of Breeding

Cross was bred by German specialists. Scientists sought to create an ideal laying hen, which does not have a tendency to frequent illnesses, but at the same time is highly productive. In 2005, the hybrid came to Russia and quickly became popular.

Description and characteristics of the breed

The birds of this breed are characterized by certain features. They feature beautiful appearance and high productivity.

Appearance and physique of Super Nick chickens

Chickens of this breed have the following features:

• light red leaf-shaped comb and earrings of the same shade;
• dense white feathers that have a smooth surface;
• white earlobes;
• compact body;
• round chest;
• grey beak;
• small back;
• medium sized head;
• gray-yellow metatarsals.

Cross temperament

These are quite active chickens. They move quickly and are fussy. Individual farmers keep birds in cages. At the same time, birds like to move more.

Hatching instinct

Laying hens of this breed have lost the ability to plant eggs. At the same time, it is pointless to remove chickens from the cross. They will not inherit the features of the breed. It is better to purchase chickens from breeders from time to time.

If you want to breed chicks yourself, you will have to use an incubator.

Breed productivity

This breed is characterized by high productivity:

• females weigh 1.6 kilograms, males - 2-2.3;
• birds are characterized by early maturation;
• birds start laying eggs at 4 months;
• egg production parameters reach 340-350 eggs per year;
• duration of egg production is 19-90 weeks;
• juvenile survival rates reach 96-98%;
• survival rates of adult birds are at the level of 90-95%;
• weight of 1 egg reaches 55-60 grams - in adult birds this figure increases to 70 grams.

Pros and cons

The advantages of the breed include the following:

• quick ripening;
• unpretentiousness to the conditions of detention;
• high egg production parameters;
• disease resistance;
• resistant to temperature drop.

At the same time, birds have certain disadvantages:

• restless disposition;
• prone to excessive weight gain;
• short period of productivity;
• lack of maternal instinct.

Subtleties of content

Birds can be placed in an ordinary chicken coop with a paddock or accustomed to cages from the beginning of life. Thanks to the content of birds in cages, it is possible to reduce the need for food.

In a chicken coop with a paddock

Such birds easily adapt to environmental conditions and are unpretentious. It should be borne in mind that chickens are characterized by resistance to frost. Even in the cold season, the room is allowed not to be heated. However, this negatively affects the performance of birds.

Birds should be provided with the following conditions:

• humidity - 60-70%;
• temperature - +14-19 degrees;
• daylight hours - 13 hours.

These chickens fly well. Therefore, when free-range birds, it is worth taking care of the organization of a high mesh fence.

When breeding birds in a range house, consider the following recommendations:

• the chicken coop should be wooden - it should be well insulated for the winter;
• the floor should be made of wood - while cement or clay is also quite acceptable;
• provide ventilation with vents or pipes with a plug;
• make windows 10% of the floor area - while the frames should be double and removable;
• make a walking area near the chicken coop;
• place perches in the chicken coop - they are made from wooden beams;
• put a bedding on the floor - it is made from sawdust, hay or straw;
• disinfect and dry the room in autumn;
• for 1 square meter of chicken coop there should be 5 birds;
• place litter trays under perches;
• room height must be 1.8 meters;
• There should be a sufficient number of drinkers and feeders in the house.

In cages

When growing birds in this way, you should also follow some rules:

• provide 1 chicken with a minimum of 400 square centimeters of space;
• 1 chicken should have 10 cm feeder;
• 4-6 birds per nipple of the drinker;
• ventilate the room regularly.

Moulting birds

Shedding of chickens of this breed occurs out of season. If daylight hours are of the same duration, there is no decrease in egg production during molting.

When are they planning to replace the herd?

The term for changing livestock depends on the duration of egg production. This breed has a slight decline at 66 weeks. At 89 weeks, egg production parameters are reduced by half. It is at this age that the replacement of livestock is performed.

What to feed?

In order to achieve high productivity of birds, it is important for chickens to provide a correct and balanced diet.

Adult chickens

The amount of food is determined by the characteristics of keeping birds. If they are in cells and spend less energy, it is recommended to reduce the amount of food. If the birds are free range, the amount of food should be increased.

Seasonal factors do not affect the diet of birds, since egg production is not determined by seasonal factors. It is stable even in winter. The diet should be adjusted during the period of approaching the first masonry - this is observed at 3.5 months.

To increase egg production in the diet of birds, it is worth introducing more calcium. The amount of this substance should be 2.5% of the total food volume. At this time, there is a need for more protein foods - especially animal products.

When catering, the industrial-scale use of dry food. This reduces labor intensity and costs.

1. Chickens should eat at least 3 times. This must be done at the same time.
2. It is important to consider the propensity of birds to obesity. With cellular content, the threat of weight gain increases. In such a situation, reduce calories. At the same time, greens and low-calorie foods are used instead of nutritious food.

The following foods should be present in the diet of chickens:

• cereals - millet, wheat;
• greens - knotweed, nettle;
• fish or meat and bone meal;
• wet mash - you can put curdled milk in the composition;
• boiled or fresh vegetables - cabbage, potatoes;
• sunflower cake.

To ensure the intake of calcium in the body of chickens, it is worth additionally using fish and crushed eggshells. Eggs increase in size with age. This means that the chickens need more calcium.

Separately, sand or small gravel should be added to the feeders. These substances facilitate digestion and normalize metabolism.

Chickens

Chickens of this breed need an adequate feeding regimen. They must eat at specific times. In industrial conditions, chicks are fed with special homogeneous compositions. Their rate should be gradually increased as the birds develop.

When growing birds in small farms, it is permissible to use compound feed containing vitamins and minerals. Up to 10 days of life, chicks should be fed with an interval of 2 hours. This can then be done every 3 hours.

When feeding chicks, you should follow these recommendations:

• in the first 3-7 days they should be given a boiled egg with nettle and porridge;
• give grass to birds - knotweed is especially useful;
• introduce vegetable components into the menu - potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, carrots;
• on the 5th day of life, instead of an egg, you can use boiled meat and cottage cheese;
• on the 12th day, instead of porridge, a mash is introduced;
• give sprouted wheat once a week;
• At 51 days, birds can be given whole grains.

Chickens should have constant access to fresh and clean water. This is very important for the normal development of birds. If automatic drinkers are used to grow birds, it is worth evaluating their serviceability. This will help you avoid dehydration, which often leads to negative he alth consequences.

Features of breeding

It is not recommended to breed birds of this breed on your own. Cross chicks are not able to inherit the characteristics of their parents. In addition, laying hens do not have a brooding instinct. If, nevertheless, independent cultivation is planned, it will not be possible to do without an incubator

Disease prevention and pest control

With proper care and timely vaccination, chickens practically do not face dangerous diseases. At the same time, it is important to vaccinate the birds against dangerous pathologies that can lead to the death of the entire livestock.

In the early stages of development, birds should be vaccinated against Newcastle disease, bursitis. They are also vaccinated against infectious bronchitis. After 1 month, you should definitely do a revaccination.This contributes to the proper formation of immune responses. In addition, you should be vaccinated against encephalomyelitis. Birds are also vaccinated against fowl pox.

Super Nick chickens are highly productive, which is why they are very popular with many people.

To achieve success in growing birds, they need to provide full and high-quality care.

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