Coral chickens: breed description and characteristics, breeding and nutrition rules

For Russian poultry breeders, the breed of chickens Coral, the description of which is given below, has become known recently. Corals are laying hens of German selection. They are characterized by high egg production and unpretentiousness, tolerate cold well, adapt to new living conditions quite quickly. They have a he althy heredity and retain the positive characteristics of the breed during reproduction.

Description and characteristics of the Coral breed

The Coral cross breed was also bred in Russia, having purchased genetic material from Germany. Local individuals are no different from German ones. Eggs have an unusual color - pale brown, with a pinkish tint.

Appearance of chickens

Chicken Coral has a white color with black spots, for which he received the name "Dalmatian". Outwardly, these are neat medium-sized laying hens. The weight of the female is about 2 kilograms, the male - 3-3.5.

Character

Coral chickens have a calm and balanced character. Easily takes root in a new flock, accepts newcomers to the chicken coop without hostility. Corals are flyers, they can fly over a high fence. This should be taken into account when building an aviary. The bird does well in cage and free-range rearing

Hatching instinct

This is not relevant for Coral, they do not like to incubate eggs, they use an incubator for reproduction.

Productivity

Productivity depends on the maturity of the laying hen. Chicken Coral at the age of one and a half years lays eggs weighing within 63 grams, in a two-year-old - 64, after three years this figure increases to 65 grams. The annual clutch is 340 eggs.

Advantages and disadvantages of the breed

The advantages of Coral chickens include the following points:

• calm character;
• requires little food;
• high egg production;
• stamina.

Earlier, the disadvantage of the Coral breed was its foreign origin. The high price, the problem of finding a real representative of the breed made it inaccessible to poultry farmers. With the start of Coral breeding in Russia, this disadvantage was eliminated.

Content specifics

Corals do not require special care. They can be kept in cages, aviaries, pens. With free placement, you need to arrange a mesh roof so that the bird does not fly out, it can fly up to a height of 2 meters.

Caged hens require less feed as they consume fewer calories.

Poultry Requirements

Whatever way Corals are kept, they need a closed space to roost, a nook to lay their eggs. In winter, the bird needs a warm house, protected from the cold, wind and rain. The optimal winter temperature in the chicken coop is plus 12-14 degrees, humidity is no more than 70%.

The sanitary condition of the house is important. Lay out the bedding on the floor and change it as it gets dirty. It will be necessary to treat wooden walls and floors with disinfectants from diseases and parasites. In winter, additional artificial lighting is installed.

Important. To get eggs in winter, install LED lamps in the chicken coop, creating a daylight hours of at least 12 hours.

Walking yard, drinkers and feeders

For the comfortable existence of Coral, it is necessary to equip a place for walking. When moving, the chicken becomes more active, there is no accumulation of fat in the body, and egg production increases. She pecks at pebbles and other minerals, which contributes to the strength of the eggshell.

It is important to decide on a sufficient number of drinkers and feeders. You can use this rule:

1. The length of the drinker is equal to the number of chicken heads multiplied by 2 centimeters.
2. For a feeder, each head needs 10 centimeters.

One feeder should be designed for no more than 10 individuals.

Forced molting

This procedure is performed to increase the duration of the egg-laying period. It is most often carried out in winter. For the appearance of molting, the bird is given special preparations. This is:

• Thyreoidin;
• Progesterone;
• Thyroxine.

They are added to the feed, the amount is indicated in the attached instructions.

The process of shedding a feather is accompanied by a loss of protein and other necessary substances by the body. To replenish them, vitamins and microelements are added to the feed for chickens, iodine and manganese are added to the water, this stimulates the formation of new plumage.

Planned herd replacement

Corals reach sexual maturity at 4.5 months, at which time egg-laying begins. Peak performance occurs at the age of one and a half years. By the age of three, the productivity of chickens decreases, there is a need to change the bird flock. This should be taken care of in advance so as not to be left without eggs.

Foods suitable for feeding

The Coral breed prefers dry food. Mixes containing grains of various cereals are considered the best, supplements of fresh vegetables, a small amount of fish, meat and cottage cheese are required.

Be sure to have clean water in the drinker.

For chickens

Chickens of the Coral breed begin to be fed from the first hours of life every 2 hours around the clock. They give boiled water and chopped steamed barley and corn grits, mashed boiled egg yolk, cottage cheese.

On the 4th-5th day add milk, vegetables, fish oil, small stones. It is permissible to use special compound feed for chickens. At the age of two weeks, they are transferred to the normal diet of laying hens, while the grain feed should be crushed.

For adults

When feeding adult chickens, the way they are kept should be considered. If the chicken lives all the time in a cage, you need to limit the amount of calories consumed - no more than 280 per day. An aviary-raised bird needs a minimum of 350 calories. Coral's daily allowance is 100 grams of grain composition.

Composition of the mixture:

• wheat;
• oats;
• barley;
• corn crushed and in small quantities.

For good production Coral hens are fed three times a day. The first feeding is done early in the morning.

Features of breeding

The Coral breed is a hybrid, so chickens derived from their own eggs may not inherit the characteristics of their parents. In addition, they are poor hens and rarely incubate eggs. To get a real Coral breed, it is better to buy chickens or young layers from a producer.

Possible diseases and methods of dealing with them

Among the diseases that Coral chickens are susceptible to, the most common:

Salmonellosis. Pathogens - intestinal strain of salmonella. Infection occurs with food and water. Pullorose. Infectious disease. Transmitted by airborne droplets. Pseudoplague.

Disease	Signs	Treatment
Chickenpox. Viral disease. Transmitted by contact with a sick individual, eating contaminated food.	Small sores appear on the body. The eyes and internal organs are affected.Tetracycline, Synthomycin are added to the feed for a week. If treatment fails, sick chickens are disposed of.
Thin, frothy frequent stools, sluggish state of the chicken. Poultry eggs and meat are contaminated. Dangerous for humans.	Isolation of sick individuals. Furazolidone, Streptomycin are added to the water. The chicken coop room is treated with disinfectants.
Lack of appetite, shortness of breath. The comb turns pale and sags.	Taking antibiotics with food or water. Isolation of sick birds. Sanitization of the poultry house.
Affects the nervous and respiratory systems. The chicken is panting, losing coordination, falling.	Treatment impossible. Sick individuals are destroyed. The chicken coop is being sanitized.

An important point is the prevention of infectious diseases in chickens.To do this, you should buy a bird from a trusted manufacturer, the same applies to feed. New individuals should be placed in quarantine to assess their condition. Keep the bird locations clean, periodically treat them with disinfectants

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