Chickens Foxy Chick
In Russia, the Foxy Chik breed of chickens is also known under the names "Red Broiler" or "Hungarian Giant". These birds are the result of crossing the representatives of Orpington with the best individuals of the Hungarian breeds. Due to their high productivity, they are widespread in Europe and are among the top ten crosses.
Chickens Foxy Chick
Brief information about the breed
- Productivity type: meat and egg.
- Rooster weight: heavy (from 5.5 kg).
- Chicken weight: medium (from 3.5 kg).
- Ovipositor start: early (from 4 months).
- Egg production: high (300 pcs per year).
- Features of the: cannot be withdrawn again at home.
- Egg size: large (70 g).
- Are they suitable for a beginner: Yes.
Full description
Chickens Foxy Chick is a large-sized breed of egg and meat direction. Differs in unpretentiousness to the conditions of detention, increased immunity and high productivity. The name translated from English means "fox chicken" and is obtained due to the bright red color of the plumage and the perky nature of the bird.
The cost
Compared to representatives of other breeds, Foxy Chick is not widespread in Russia. Because of this, their cost is relatively high.
In addition, taking advantage of external similarities, unscrupulous sellers often give out a cross between Foxy Chick chickens with Rhode Island or Arlington roosters instead of purebred chickens. In this case, the birds are less productive, so you need to buy only from trusted breeders with good recommendations.
The average cost of an egg is 300 rubles, a chicken - 800 rubles, an adult rooster - 4500 rubles, a chicken - 500 rubles.
Appearance
Foxy-Chick - large chickens with a well-developed body, with proper care, the weight of birds reaches 4-6 kg. The plumage is dense and lush, the color varies from fiery red to auburn.
The wings are small and darker in color, fitting tightly to the body. The tail is rounded. The crest is leaf-shaped and small, with round earrings, serrated, bright red. The legs are strong, yellow, the thighs are densely feathered.
Character
The birds are energetic and aggressive. Moreover, not only roosters fight, but also chickens. There are frequent cases of attacks on the owner, so it is worth entering the aviary armed with a broom - this way you can protect yourself without harm to the bird.
It is necessary to keep the livestock separately from others and not to leave two sexually mature roosters in one chicken coop.
Incubation instinct
It is not difficult to breed Foxy-Chik at home, because the hens willingly hatch eggs and take care of the young.
The brood hens do not leave the nest in search of food and turn the eggs themselves. One chicken can hatch up to 10 eggs. Such dedication can deplete the bird's body, therefore, during the incubation period, it is worth paying increased attention to the chickens.
Productivity
Birds gain weight quickly
With proper care, Foxy Chick quickly gain weight, the weight of an adult rooster ranges from 5.5 to 7 kg, chicken - 3.5-4 kg. The meat is juicy, tender and dietary.
Chickens begin to rush from 4 months. Egg production is 300 eggs per year. Colored eggs: beige or light brown, large - 66-70 g. When hens reach the age of two, the weight and number of eggs decreases.
Young growth develops quickly, with an average weekly growth of 690 g.
Advantages and disadvantages
From the description, the following advantages of birds can be distinguished:
- high productivity;
- unpretentiousness to care;
- incubation instinct;
- increased immunity;
- high survival rate of chicks.
Negative characteristics:
- aggressive character;
- impossibility of breeding the breed "in itself";
- the complexity of the purchase.
Breeding features
The genes responsible for bird productivity are not dominant and in the second generation they are split into the original breeds.
Which breeds are crossed to obtain a cross, the manufacturer keeps secret, making purebred breeding at home impossible.
To preserve a large mass of brood and egg production, you need to bring them together with representatives of other breeds.
Who to breed with Foxy Chick:
- so that the brood has a large mass, it is recommended to cross with the Orpington;
- to maintain high egg production - Rhode Island.
Incubation
When buying hatching material, choose a medium size, because weak chicks can hatch from small eggs, and from large ones - with defects.
If the incubation technology is observed, the chicks hatch on 21 days.
Food
For the first 10 days, the chicks are fed every 2 hours, then the period between meals is gradually increased to 4 hours.
- In the first days after birth, the diet of chickens consists of hard-boiled eggs and crumbly cottage cheese mixed with semolina or corn grits. Groats are added so that food sticks less to the fluff and legs;
- From the 3rd day, chopped greens are included in the diet: onions and young nettles;
- From 5 days of age, it is recommended to give mashings of oatmeal, wheat or corn grits in fish or meat broth;
- From the 10th day, they give crushed chalk, eggshells and boiled vegetables: potatoes, carrots, zucchini and pumpkin;
- From the 21st day, chickens can be fed with compound feed for broilers;
- From one and a half months of age, young animals are transferred to pre-crushed "adult feed".
Foxy Chick chicks grow quickly and weigh about 2 kg by two months.
In order to avoid eating disorders and infections, care should be taken to ensure that the chicks do not trample their paws on the feeder, remove food leftovers after eating, rinse the feeders and drinkers with boiling water and do not give whole milk and grain.
Chick care
Chickens should not be in a draft
For the first 5 days, chickens should be kept in a dry, draft-free room at a temperature of 29-30 °. Then it is lowered by 3 ° every week, brought to 18 °. It is convenient to use infrared lamps for heating.
No more than 25 chicks should be placed per 1 square meter. Further, from 20 weeks, youngsters are seated at 10 heads per 1 m. Paper with corn grits sifted on it is used as bedding.
Chickens are taken for a walk at the age of 3 days in warm weather.
Maintenance of adults
What should be a chicken coop
Foxy Chick tolerates low temperatures well, so in the hen house it is enough to insulate only the floor. For this, flooring made of straw, sawdust or peat is used.
In summer, in order to prevent overheating, the thickness of the litter should not exceed 10 cm and ventilation windows are required. Perches and nests are equipped at a height of 80 cm. For cleaning the feathers, it is recommended to put a container with ash and sand.
Food
You need to feed the birds twice a day, it is better to cook mash for the first meal, and grain in the evening. A varied and balanced menu should be provided to maintain egg production and weight gain.
Feeding recommendations for chickens:
- the diet should contain grains and legumes: wheat, barley, peas and corn;
- mash is prepared from boiled potatoes, carrots and dairy products with the obligatory addition of greens: young nettles and onions;
- bone meal, chalk, crushed shells and shells are added to food as mineral additives;
- it is allowed to use industrial vitamin supplements for broilers;
- to increase egg production, chickens are fed with sprouted grain.
Foxy Chick loves to dig in the ground in search of worms and all kinds of pasture, so it is advisable to periodically sprinkle the area for walking with shell rock or pieces of chalk.
Place for walking
An open-air cage is arranged on the south side of the chicken coop and is surrounded by a high fence. If the area of the courtyard is small, it is necessary to additionally put feeders in the aviary.
Foxy Chick is allowed to go for a walk for the whole day at temperatures above 10 °.
Molting
Molting begins in the second year of life and lasts about 6-8 weeks. During this period, the egg production rate decreases. To speed up the process, it is recommended to exclude cereals from the diet and introduce foods high in sulfur (cabbage, bone meal, clover).
You can also shorten the molting time by artificially reducing daylight hours, that is, keeping the chickens in the dark.
Possible diseases
Birds of this breed have increased immunity, due to which cases of common chicken diseases such as pasteurellosis and coccidiosis are rare.
However, due to non-observance of the rules of keeping, it is possible that lush-feathered chickens can be affected by ticks, which can be dealt with with the help of insecticide treatment (Sevin, Ekoflis, Pyrethrum).
Owner reviews
From the experience of breeders, Foxy Chick is a great choice for a beginner.
They rush well, do not get sick, the young are very tenacious and grows quickly. The breed is easy to care for and breeding quickly covers the acquisition costs.
However, many breeders note that it is difficult to buy purebred chickens, and they mention frequent cases of buying chickens of other breeds under the guise of Foxy Chick.