Decorative chickens: description of the 22 best breeds and keeping rules

Today there are many breeds of ornamental chickens. They differ in size, plumage color, productivity, character. This helps farmers to choose the best option depending on personal preferences. To achieve success in growing birds, you should familiarize yourself with the conditions for their maintenance. Such birds need a properly equipped poultry house, a balanced diet, and disease prevention.

Features and varieties

Decorative breeds are characterized by the following features:

Colour. Such birds are distinguished by colored feathers or an original solid color.
Sizes. Decorative chickens are very different from the rest in size. So, there are tiny breeds weighing less than 1 kilogram or huge birds that are close in weight to broilers.
Feather shape. She is unusual. So, Chinese crested chickens are distinguished by feathers resembling fluff.
Additional details. Decorative birds often have a crest, crest, cuffs. They are decorated with a long tail.

Popular ornamental chicken breeds

Today, many breeds of such chickens are known, each of which is characterized by features.

Chinese silk

Birds are characterized by lush plumage. It includes fine feathers with a silky texture. Especially a lot of feathers are on the head, legs and tail.

Curly breed

The feathers of this Asian breed curl up, making the birds look ruffled. The back of chickens quickly goes bald.

Pavlovian chickens

Chickens look like pheasants in appearance. They are silver-black or gold. Unusual tufts and plumage on the legs serve as decoration.

Faverol

These chickens are characterized by rapid maturation and high productivity. A distinctive feature of birds is a lush beard, forming a massive collar.

Dutch white-crested

These chickens are distinguished by the presence of a white tuft. In combination with feathers of a different color, an original butterfly-like pattern is formed on the forehead.

Araucans

This variety is characterized by a lot of fluff on the face, resembling a mustache and beard. Chickens may not have a tail. In doing so, they give unusual blue eggs.

Phoenix

This is an unusual Chinese breed. Cockerels have a beautiful narrow tail that grows quickly. The color of birds is different - golden, white, silver.

Ayam Tsemani

A characteristic feature of the breed is an unusual black color. Skin, face, eyes and even bones are painted in it.

Bantam

This is one of the most popular categories of ornamental breeds. Cockerels weigh no more than 1 kilogram, and hens weigh only 650 grams.

Appearance is very different depending on the breed.

Seebright

This is a dwarf breed, which is characterized by the original plumage. At the same time, the birds are energetic and unpretentious in their care.

Shabo

Shades of chickens are different. But the most popular are white or yellow birds with dark tail feathers.

Spanish Whites

As the name implies, the peculiarity of chickens is considered to be an unusual white face. The birds are large. Roosters weigh 3.5 kilograms, while females weigh 3.

Black bearded

Such birds combine original appearance and high parameters of meat and egg productivity. Movable earrings, a voluminous beard, and a large head are considered distinctive features of the breed.

Ukrainian forelocks

A distinctive feature of the breed is the presence of a feather crest on the head. At the same time, the color of the feathers can be different - light Colombian or classic black. There are also fawn varieties.

Paduan

The characteristic features of birds are considered to be a lush crest and a thick beard. The color of the feathers can be different - there are yellow-orange, golden, black, silver and even blue chickens.

Cochinchin

This Chinese breed has become the basis for breeding many species of birds that are highly productive. These birds are characterized by thick feathers of different shades.

Wyandotte

This breed was bred in America. It is distinguished by the variegated color of feathers and small size. However, the light weight is compensated by the beautiful appearance and excellent taste.

La Fresh

These French chickens are characterized by blue-black plumage. A feature of the breed is considered to be a horned comb resembling the letter “V”.

Brahma

These chickens were named after the Brahmaputra River. This Indian breed is characterized by a diverse plumage. They come in white or silver.

Milfleur

This breed is characterized by a variegated color. Depending on the subspecies, it is orange-black, light brown or bluish-gold.

Russian crested chickens

These chickens are characterized by a standard exterior. A tuft of feathers is considered to be an ornament of birds, which completely or partially hides the comb.

Pavlovskaya

This is an exotic breed with beautiful feathers. They come in silver or gold.

Positive and negative aspects of ornamental chickens

Decorative breeds of birds are characterized by many advantages:

eat little, which helps save on feed;
are small in size, which makes it possible to keep them in small chicken coops;
have a calm disposition.

At the same time, birds also have disadvantages:

no pronounced maternal instinct;
have poor frost tolerance.

The disadvantages of decorative chickens are less than the advantages. Such breeds are popular with farmers because they are distinguished by good character, high productivity and unpretentiousness.

Subtleties of maintenance and care

To grow ornamental chickens, it is worth providing them with suitable conditions:

Quality feed. Such birds need a more varied diet than ordinary laying hens. It is important that they get plenty of vitamins. Birds should be given vegetables daily - carrots, cabbage, beets. The use of mineral supplements is definitely recommended. As a rule, it is worth grinding gravel, chalk, shells. With a balanced diet, the birds will be able to maintain their decorative appearance.
Climatic conditions. The difficulties of breeding decorative breeds lie in the fact that they can hardly tolerate frost. When kept in a heated chicken coop, its size should be taken into account. In small rooms, birds lose their decorative properties.
Equipped perches. Most ornamental birds cannot fly. Therefore, they require low perches.
Localization of the chicken coop. It is best to put the room on an elevated place. This will help to avoid high humidity, which provokes diseases. Ventilation will help improve the indoor climate.
Illumination. In summer, half of the walking area should be under the sun, half in the shade. Thanks to this, birds will be able to hide from the scorching sun. This will protect them from overheating.
Chicken conditions. They should be isolated from adult chickens and roosters. The exception is the mother hen.

Breeding rules

When breeding decorative birds, you should focus on the characteristics of the breed. Some chickens normally tolerate cold, others get sick in conditions of high humidity. +22-25 degrees is considered a suitable temperature for birds.

Chickens with chicken are recommended to be kept separately. At the same time, it is important to maintain perfect cleanliness in the room. It is best to make wooden flooring, and place materials on top that are easily swept away. It is worth protecting the chicken coop from animals - rats, cats, foxes.

In order for the offspring to be he althy, it is recommended to properly feed the layers. Their diet should contain many foods high in vitamins - vegetables, cereals, yeast, germinated grains.

Possible problems

When growing ornamental breeds, some difficulties are possible. Most of these birds do not tolerate cold well. Therefore, they should provide comfortable conditions. It is important to use natural products for feeding.

In birds, the color and structure of feathers often deteriorate. Enough free space will help to avoid this.

Decorative chickens are very popular with farmers. To achieve success in their cultivation, it is worth creating comfortable conditions for keeping the birds and proper nutrition.