Breed of chickens Hungarian Giant
The Hungarian giant is a meat-and-meat breed of chickens with a fairly high productivity. Adult birds and chickens are well adapted to the cold, unpretentious in keeping. True, representatives of this breed are a little capricious in nutrition: in order for them to gain weight normally, they need to be fed with compound feed or special mash. Hungarian chickens, or Foxy Chik, are constantly being improved. Perhaps the new lines will get rid of this shortcoming.
Chickens breed Hungarian Giant
Description of the breed
Chickens of the Hungarian Giant breed were bred by crossing Orpington with a local bird. As a result, it was possible to achieve that chickens became more resistant to diseases and unfavorable climates, the survival rate of chickens has increased. It was also possible to partially correct the shortage of meat products, which are received from Orpington. The meat has become less fatty and tastier. Here is the external characteristics and description of the Hungarian giant chickens:
- The head is small, rounded.
- The beak is strong, short, rounded, of a light yellow shade.
- The eyes are small, orange with red inclusions.
- The scallop is small, serrated.
- The earrings and ears are rounded.
- The crest, ears, earrings and face are bright scarlet.
- The neck is powerful, elongated, located at right angles to the body.
- The body is massive, but without sharp corners, they are hidden by a barrel-shaped plumage.
- The breast is massive, moderately arched.
- The tummy is plump.
- The back is rather wide, but shortened.
- The wings are set at right angles to the back, tightly pressed.
- The tail is average, located at an obtuse angle in relation to the back.
- The thighs are well developed and well muscled.
- Legs are short, without plumage.
- Feathers are lush, red, roosters have developed braids.
Females may have a rounder and deeper breast, a larger tummy, and a smaller scallop. Males are slimmer and leaner. The nature of chickens and roosters is calm, they are contact and non-aggressive. Any other bird and even a rabbit can get along with them. At the same time, birds are active, lively and curious. It is better to see the appearance of chickens in photos and videos.
Product characteristic
The breed of Hungarian giants is distinguished by good productivity. When correct feeding chickens grow quickly, already at 7 weeks chickens weigh more than 2 kilograms. Of course, their performance is lower than that of other broilers, but this is fully compensated for by good egg production. Description of product characteristics is as follows:
- The weight of adult males is up to 6 kg, of hens - up to 4 kg.
- The number of eggs per year is 250-300 pieces.
- The mass of one egg is 55-65 g.
- The shell is light brown, strong.
- The beginning of laying is 4 months.
- The survival rate of chickens is almost 100%.
Hungarian chicken meat is very healthy. It contains a complete set of amino acids, trace elements and other substances. It tastes juicy, tender, not too greasy, almost like a rabbit.
Advantages and disadvantages of the breed
Like any breed of chickens, the Hungarian Giant has a number of positive and negative qualities. The advantages include:
- Stability and excellent adaptation to any climate.
- Good productivity in both meat and egg production.
- The chicken is a good brood hen and mother.
- Excellent health and survival of the offspring.
- Fast growth.
The breed also has its drawbacks, because no one has yet managed to bring out the ideal cross. In addition, Hungarian chickens are now developing dynamically, they continue to be improved, crossed with other crosses and lines. So, here are the main disadvantages of the Hungarian chicken breed:
- Demanding feed.
- A short productive period, egg production lasts no more than a year.
- Tendency to obesity due to improper feeding ..
Otherwise, this breed of chickens does not have any special negative features. No wonder she already maintains her popularity a lot. Chickens are especially often bred in private households. They multiply and grow quickly, like rabbits, do not require special conditions for keeping.
Features of the content
Chickens of the Hungarian breed perfectly tolerate any conditions of detention. They have a lush plumage that reliably protects from the cold, therefore additional heating in the poultry house is not required. The area of the room where chickens live should be large. For 1 sq. m, you should not place more than 2-3 individuals, since they are quite large. In this case, the ceiling must be high enough, not less than 1.3-1.5 m. The cellular content of the breed is completely unsuitable.
Chicken coop for the Hungarian giants must always be clean, bedding should be changed regularly. Humidity should not exceed 25-30%. It is also worth considering proper lighting in the house. If the duration of daylight hours is maintained at 14-16 hours all year round, the chickens will lay better. Good ventilation in the poultry house, especially with a heap of content.
Before settling a new herd, the chicken coop must be disinfected and cleaned. The litter is changed completely, it is advisable to sprinkle the floors with slaked lime. Hungarian is quite resistant to various infections, but once again it never hurts to play it safe. In the room where birds live, you need to enter in removable shoes so as not to bring in germs and not carry dirt.
Feeding chickens
Special requirements apply to the feeding of chickens. The best food for them is specialized feed with a high protein content, then the bird grows quickly like a rabbit. If this is not possible, you can make your own grain mixture, which includes:
- corn - 40%;
- wheat - 22%;
- barley - 18%;
- peas - 12%;
- other ingredients - 8%.
Other ingredients mean animal proteins, of which there is a lot in meat and bone meal, skim, you can also give chicken broth. In addition, herbal flour, cake, mineral additives (chalk, salt, shells, small gravel or pebbles) must be added to the compound feed. If the bird does not eat compound feed, it must be fed with ready-made vitamins. In summer, fresh vegetables are included in the diet, in winter you can give boiled potatoes, kitchen waste, but in small quantities.
Breeding chickens
Unlike many broiler breeds, Hungarian chickens breed well at home. Laying hens have a well-developed maternal instinct, they hatch eggs on their own, the survival rate of chickens is close to 100%. Before placing the incubation egg under the hen, an ovoscopy is required, the unfertilized material is discarded.
Artificial incubation of eggs is also acceptable, the survival and hatchability of chickens is as high as with natural incubation. It is important to adhere to all the basic rules of incubation: the temperature should be 37.6-37.8 ° C, humidity - 55-65%, as well as normal ventilation of both the incubator itself and the room where it stands.
The chick hatches on day 21. At first it is wet, and then it becomes fluffy, like a small rabbit, weighs 45 g.For the first three days, chickens should be kept under 24-hour lighting and a temperature of 28-31 ° C. Then the lighting is reduced daily for an hour, and the temperature is reduced by 1-2 °. Room humidity should be kept at 55-60% and there should be adequate ventilation.
You can feed the chicks with a standard compound feed for broiler chickenseg "Tetra". You can alternate it with natural foods that include eggs, cottage cheese, green nettles, grass, porridge, and steamed grains. A week after birth, the chicks are released for a walk, and after 3-4 weeks they can safely live with adult birds and eat standard feed.
Chicken cost
How much do hatching eggs, chickens and adult Hungarian giant chickens cost? The breed is quite expensive, a hatching egg costs 80-100 rubles. The price of day-old chicks is 150-200 rubles, monthly - 250-300 rubles. Half-year-old chickens cost 500-600 rubles per head. For bulk purchases, the cost can be slightly reduced.
The Hungarian giant has consistently received positive reviews from farmers. It is not difficult to breed it even for beginners, therefore it is worth trying to buy these fast growing chickens. The versatile breed pays for itself quickly.