Cross Hisex Brown
Chickens Hisex Brown is a cross belonging to the egg direction. Bred in Holland, 1970. In addition to the Brown line, there is also a Hisex White variety, which is inferior in productivity to its brown counterparts. Although the breed is relatively new, it has spread throughout Europe as well as the United States and Canada. You can find chickens of this cross in Russia. Farmers' reviews about him are mostly positive.
Chickens Hisex Brown
Description of the breed
Cross Hisex white and brown was created on the basis of breeds Leghorn, New Hampshire, and Brown took part in the development of the line Rhode Island... The parental lines were obtained in Holland, then they came to Canada. In the USSR, Highsexes appeared in 1974. First, they were bred in the Crimea and some farms in Ukraine, then the chickens ended up in the Tyumen region. It was there that more attention began to be paid to the Hisex Brown line. Due to better productivity, she quickly began to displace the White line from poultry farms and households.
The appearance of Hisex Brown chickens and cockerels is not particularly remarkable, because they were bred primarily for the production of eggs, and not for decorating the yard. They look a little like the breed Lohman Brown, but they have their own differences. Here is a brief description of the appearance and characteristics of the cross:
- the head is mediocre;
- the scallop is medium, pea-shaped, can stand straight or hang to one side;
- the earrings are round, bright scarlet;
- special eyes, light green;
- "Face" with pink thin skin;
- the beak is mediocre, even and strong enough;
- the body is compact and muscular;
- the wings are small, tight to the sides;
- plumage is very soft and silky, plump;
- the color of the feathers is brown-red, in females it is uniform throughout the body, in males it is darker on the collar, back, tail and pants, the braids of males may be black. In some individuals, the tips of the feathers on the wings and tail are painted white.
White chickens almost do not differ in appearance from brown ones, you can see this by looking at the photo. The only difference is the weight and color of the plumage. The character of Hisex Brown laying hens is calm, fearless. They do not suffer from stress, they never panic, they are happy to make contact. Cross is highly resistant to many diseases, but poultry farmers recommend that all birds be routinely vaccinated, especially with a heap.
Breed productivity
Layers Hisex brown, in addition to high productivity in the egg direction, also have a good body weight, in contrast to the White line. Some poultry farmers even refer them to meat and meat direction... This is not entirely true, but in private households they are often grown both for eggs and for meat. Here are the main indicators of the productivity of Hisex Brown chickens:
- a rooster weighs 2.6 kg (sometimes up to 3 kg), a chicken - 2.3 kg;
- the number of eggs per year - 305-320 pieces, for 80 weeks the chicken carries 363 pieces;
- average egg weight - 70 g;
- the shell is brown, strong;
- feed consumption per 10 testicles - 1.3 kg;
- fertilization of eggs - 99%;
- hatchability of chickens - 95%;
- the survival rate of chickens - 99%;
- vitality of adult chickens - 99%.
The white cross, in comparison with the brown cross, has more modest indicators, although they do not differ radically. Here is a brief description of the White cross:
- the rooster weighs 1.8 kg, the hen - 1.6 kg;
- egg production - 300 pieces per year, they begin to lay also early;
- the color of the shell is white, it is more fragile than that of the Brown cross;
- the mass of one egg is 60 g;
- feed consumption per 10 testicles - 1.25 kg;
- the survival rate of chickens is 95%.
The rest of the indicators for both varieties are the same. As you can see, the Heysex Brown breed of chickens is more profitable in breeding, as it has the best productivity. Reviews of poultry farmers, both private owners and industrialists, have repeatedly confirmed this, and the widespread displacement of white cross by brown speaks for itself.
Advantages and disadvantages of cross
Hisex brown laying hens have many advantages, it is not for nothing that they have won the hearts of farmers. The pluses of the breed include:
- high egg production;
- early maturation, pullets begin to rush at the age of 150 days;
- large egg weight;
- preservation of good egg production up to 2-3 years;
- relatively large body weight, which allows you to get from chickens not only eggs, but also meat;
- low feed consumption for such high productivity;
- resistance to various diseases;
- high survival and hatchability of chickens;
- calm character;
- unpretentious content.
The description of the pluses does not mean that the breed has no minuses. The cross has not so many disadvantages. The downside is a drop in the quality of meat after 2-3 years, therefore, it is advised to replace the herd in a year: this will allow you to constantly maintain high egg production of chickens and get tasty, tender, and not tough meat.
Keeping chickens
The content of Hisex Browns is simple, they are unpretentious, so even beginners can raise chickens. chicken coop should be light and well ventilated. Chickens do not tolerate cold too well, therefore it is advisable to equip heating. In winter, the temperature should not drop below 18-20 ° C, otherwise egg production will drop sharply, birds will lose their appetite, their joints and throat may become inflamed. With good ventilation, the house should be free of drafts.
Hisex Brown chickens are versatile, they can be kept both in cages and free-range. For 1 sq. m premises should not be kept more than four birds. Laying nests are arranged at a height of 40 cm from the ground. The area of one should be 25 cm². The area for walking does not have to be fenced off with a high fence, Hisex Brown chickens fly badly. 1 bird should be at least 1 sq. m walking area.
Litter in the chicken coop may be standard. Slaked lime is poured onto the floor so that it draws in excess moisture and neutralizes microbes. Then a layer of straw, peat or shavings with a thickness of 15-20 cm is applied. You can not completely change the litter, remove only the upper, contaminated part. General cleaning is done every six months in the chicken coop. It is important to take care of good lighting. If in winter daylight hours are artificially extended to 14-15 hours, the number of eggs will not decrease.
Bird feeding
As already mentioned, Hisex Brown Brown layers are unpretentious in food. They can be fed both with ready-made compound feed (this is more often done on industrial farms), and food available for private farms. A cereal mixture that completely replaces compound feed can be prepared as follows:
- wheat grain - 40%;
- corn cobs - 40%;
- crushed peas or other legumes - 20%.
In winter, in addition to grain, chickens are given wheat bran, cake (meal) from sunflower or soybeans, boiled potatoes, fresh vegetable peelings, grass flour. Also in the diet include brewer's yeast, meat and bone meal, chalk, table salt, crushed shells. To increase egg production - premix and other vitamin supplements.
In summer, roosters and hens are happy to eat zucchini, pumpkins, cucumbers, tomatoes. You can give them tops from plants (peas, carrots, beets). If birds are free-range, they can independently find worms, snails, beetles and other protein-rich feeds. With cellular content, chickens can be given reverse, special protein supplements. From vegetable feed, a lot of protein is found in oats, corn, legumes.
One individual will need 120 g of feed per day. It must be balanced, consist of grain or compound feed, wet mash, greens. There are also vitamin and mineral supplements on the menu. You need to feed the chickens twice a day. In the morning they give wet food and greens, in the evening - dry grain. As already mentioned, you need to spend 1.25-1.3 kg of feed for a dozen eggs produced.
Breeding features
The Hisex Brown chicken breed is a hybrid. He retained the ability to fertilize eggs, but with independent breeding at home, it will not be possible to get young animals with all the signs of cross, therefore it is necessary to buy either a hatching egg or ready-made chickens.
The hatchability of young animals is high. Even with minimal experience, you can get good hatchery offspring... It makes no sense to put eggs under the Hisex Brown chicken, the cross has lost its maternal instinct, but layers of other breeds can become wonderful mothers for chicks if there is no way to artificially breed them.
Caring for chicks
Chicks should be kept warm from the first days. The air temperature should be 28-30 ° C. It is advisable to maintain round the clock lighting in the first days From 2-3 days, they begin to decrease it daily by an hour, at the same time the temperature is reduced by a degree. To facilitate the rearing of young stock in the early days, you can buy a special brooder.
It is important to keep the chicks' box clean. The litter is made of moss or straw and is changed daily. You can add a little potassium permanganate or an antibiotic solution to the drinkers to prevent infection. Chickens can go outside for 30-40 minutes a week. From two weeks, they can walk all day.
One of the features of the Hisex Brown breed is the ability to easily distinguish between cockerels and hens... Day-old chicks begin to shed, but the process is faster in females than in males. 24 hours after birth, females are covered with brown fluff, while males are still yellow. This is the best time to separate them and grow them in separate boxes.
Feeding the young
Chick feeding is standard. In the early days, the birds are given a boiled egg or curd mixed with finely chopped herbs. You can pour fresh milk into the drinkers. It is important to ensure that it does not sour: this will harm the stomach of small chickens and may even cause their death. From 2-3 days, crushed grain is added to the diet (sometimes it is replaced with a special compound feed for young animals) and boiled vegetables.
Up to 2 weeks, chickens are fed 6 times a day, then up to 1 month they are transferred to four meals a day. From one month to two, chicks eat three times a day. From the age of two months, chickens can switch to an adult diet and feeding regimen.
Young cattle cost
How much do hatching eggs and day old chicks cost? Cross Hisex Brown is not too expensive. Hatching eggs can be bought for 20-30 rubles, chicks are sold for 70-100 rubles. You can also buy adult laying hens, their price is 350-500 rubles, depending on the farm. Of course, it is most profitable to buy eggs or young animals, but young hens will immediately lay eggs.
Before buying, be sure to study the photo of the breed, find out how these chickens differ from others, look through the breeding guide, and choose a good producer. It is better to buy not from private owners, but at large poultry farms that are specialized in breeding cross, because it is impossible to get purebred birds at home, and hybrids do not have the required productivity.