Hamburg chickens
Poultry farming is very popular in the modern world. With proper farm maintenance, you can not only feed your family, but also get a good income. Many breeders have Hamburg chickens today.
Description of the breed Hamburg chickens
The description of this breed makes it possible to understand why it is so popular. Despite the fact that the bird belongs to decorative types, it is used for other purposes, because this species is unpretentious in food and gives a large number of eggs.
A bit of history
For the first time, representatives of this breed were seen in 1740. Despite this, Hamburg chickens gained popularity much later. The bird got its name because of the transportation through the port of the settlement in Hamburg. Breeders in Germany began to breed birds. They really wanted to create a breed that would easily endure any climatic conditions and have high productivity.
Hamburg chickens were obtained by crossing several other species. Some breeds had good performance, while others had an attractive appearance.
External indicators of the breed
Hamburg chickens have a beautiful elongated body with a slightly curved silhouette. Their chest is slightly raised, and their head is tilted. The legs of this breed are quite strong, and the body is resourceful and very flexible. This type can be distinguished by its lush tail, which has long feathers.
The neck of the subspecies is thin and graceful. The rooster has a beautiful decoration on its head in the form of a large comb, which looks like a rose. The beak has a beautiful bluish-blue color. The wings of the breed are very large, therefore, they are most often cut off so that the bird does not fly away. In the photo on the Internet, it can be seen with the naked eye.
Hamburg chickens have long feathers that are densely located throughout the body. Most often you can find birds with a variegated color. On the neck with the head, white predominates, absolutely the whole body is motley.
Productivity of the Hamburg breed
Hamburg chickens in adulthood can weigh up to 2.5 kg. Roosters weighing about 3 kg. The main advantage of this breed is that it produces a large number of eggs. The bird begins to rush from the age of 4 months. About 200 eggs can be obtained from one chicken per year. An egg can weigh about 60 g.
Hamburg eggs
Many breeders in the modern world have learned to improve the performance of this species. Using a long-established technique, you can get 220 eggs from one bird per year.
To do this, you need to take the following measures:
- to do lighting in the chicken coop, which will increase daylight hours up to 14 hours;
- reduce daylight hours at the onset of the first month of spring;
- walk chickens in the summer;
- to provide birds with the opportunity to move freely in winter both in the chicken coop and in the place of walking;
- ensure in winter the air temperature is not lower than 11 ° С, and the humidity is not higher than 25%.
The Hamburg breed of chickens is famous for its productivity.Many breeders claim that a bird produces the most eggs in the first 2 years. Then the indicator starts to fall. This is the reason why it is necessary to regularly change old chickens to young ones. This advice applies primarily to those who breed this species to earn money. If this condition is met, the income will be stable.
Conditions of detention
The Hamburg breed of chickens is famous for its unpretentiousness. Regardless, there are certain conditions that must be met to obtain a sufficient supply of eggs. A chick of this type grows and develops actively, but only if it is properly kept.
Birds should always be kept indoors, clean and warm. The air temperature in the hen house should not be less than 5 ° C with a plus sign. When it falls, the productivity of the breed decreases. It can also lead to serious diseases... The barn must be equipped ventilation and lighting.
For each bird you need to prepare in the barn perches with bedding. This place should always be dry and clean. During the summer period, birds should move freely around the house and the area around it. In winter, chickens should be walked no more than 3 hours a day. This is to prevent the birds from getting frostbite.
Hamburg chicken nutrition
The Hamburg breed of chickens should receive food no more than 3 times a day. One bird should have about 100 g of feed. For the feathered, food that combines grain and soft foods is perfect. Also, the diet of this breed should include all the necessary vitamins and minerals.
Nutritional features of Hamburg chickens
Hamburg chickens do not know the measure, so they should be fed clearly according to the scheme. If you do not follow this rule, the birds will simply get fat, and this will lead to the fact that they will produce fewer eggs.
Breeding
Hamburg chickens, like many other bird breeds, have a weak maternal instinct, therefore, if it is decided to get offspring from this species, it is better to do it artificially. For this it is worth purchasing incubator... If desired, you can use birds of a different breed that will simply hatch the chickens.
Chickens develop actively, and at 2 months they have the plumage of an adult bird. It takes a little effort to achieve this. Only in this case, out of 100% of the brood, 90% of the survivors can be obtained.
Despite the fact that Hamburg chickens are unpretentious, chicks still need special care. To begin with, babies need to provide a place where they will walk. They should be kept separate from adult pets. The poultry house for chickens should be large and spacious, because during this period they are very active.
You need to feed the babies every 3 hours. The portions should be small but nutritious. For this, it is better to purchase special food for chicks. Also on the menu you need to drive a hard-boiled egg and green onions. Chickens are transferred to adult nutrition at the age of 2.5 months.
In order for as many chicks as possible to survive, it is necessary to regularly clean and disinfection of the premisesin which they live. Also, this factor is influenced by various diseases. Most often, babies die due to vitamin deficiency, so prevention of the disease should be carried out with the help of special feeds saturated with vitamins and minerals.
Pros and cons of the breed
Hamburg chickens are a breed that does not require any special conditions of detention and almost does not get sick. That is why many breeders are happy to breed them. Birds are unpretentious in food and easily adapt to any diet. Feathered eggs give throughout the year, and if you follow a special technique, you can achieve high productivity.
Despite the fact that Hamburg chickens are small in size, they can produce about 200 eggs per year. Also, due to their parameters, feed is needed less than a regular chicken. After the birth of offspring, most of them survive.And this is a very good indicator for such a bird.
The first productivity is observed at the age of 4 months. And another advantage is that they are healthy enough. Therefore, under properly created conditions, they should not have health problems.
Despite the fact that this breed has many advantages, it also has its disadvantages. The first and most important thing is that they have no maternal instinct at all, so you need to use an incubator to get chicks. But this disadvantage is compensated by good productivity.
The second disadvantage is that the main productivity falls only in the first year of life. The older the chicken, the fewer eggs it produces, so the livestock should be constantly updated. Experienced breeders have already adapted to this, and as soon as the bird begins to lay eggs, they lay a new generation in the incubator.
Conclusion
Hamburg chickens are a very common breed in the modern world. It is distinguished by its high productivity and endurance. Many breeders are engaged in her breeding, due to the fact that she is unpretentious in food and maintenance. Also, the bird has a beautiful plumage, which is not typical for all chickens.
If you are in doubt about whether to have such pets, you can study their detailed description and see how the Hamburg chickens look in the photo on the Internet. There are also forums on which farmers leave their comments about this subspecies, so it will not be difficult to deal with this issue, there would be a desire.