Hen Orpington: breeding, reviews. Orpington - breed of chickens

In our time, poultry farmers are breeding three main breeds of hens: egg, meat and meat-egg. All of them are very popular. But still the most popular are poultry meat breeds, especially chicken orpington. And this is not surprising, since in a fairly short time it can build up a decent body weight.

History of deducing

Orpington - a breed of chickens, received its name due to the eponymous town, located in England, in the county of Kent. Its creator is a certain William Cook, who wanted to bring out poultry that meets all the requirements of that time, and the main one was the presence of white skin.

His work on the removal of the orpinguons, he began in 1876. At first the crests of birds had two forms: leafy and pink. But then they left only the first one. To form the breed, William Cook used dark plymutrok, minorok and langshan.

The new breed liked the majority of breeders so much that breeders immediately began to improve it. The most successful was the work of Parington, who crossed the black cochin with the hybrid obtained by Cook. As a result, the chicken Orpington received magnificent plumage, which became the trademark of this breed. English breeders continued their experiments until the bird acquired the species that is still considered the reference species.

general description

Orpington - a breed of chickens, whose representatives have not only a broad chest, but also the same body. Despite this, her head is small, with a crest of crimson color. The ears of the ears of the chickens are red, with earrings of round shape.

The body of the orpngtones resembles a cube in shape, which makes them massive in appearance. It is formed by the width and depth of the trunk, rather wide shoulders, short tail and low growth. The impression is further strengthened and because of the very magnificent plumage that the chicken Orpington possesses.

Legs of birds of dark and blue colors - black. In all other cases - white and pink. The plumage is soft, and the wings and tail are small. I must say that the chickens of the orpington have a more squat appearance than the roosters. The color of the eyes depends entirely on the color of the plumage.

Orpington is a breed of chickens, whose representatives are considered to be the most beautiful poultry. In addition, they compete well with other species not only in meat, but also in egg production. These chickens have a noble article and look very attractive. Therefore, they can decorate any aviary.

Color

There are 11 colors of feathering, according to which the chickens are orpington: yellow, black, blue, red, white, birch, black and white, striped, porcelain, yellow with black border and partridge.

The black orpingtones were originally derived by William Cook. In addition to excellent productive qualities, they also attracted attention and a rather unusual and bright appearance. Many poultry farmers wanted to somehow improve the new breed, so over time chickens and other colors appeared.

White Orpington was first seen at an exhibition held in 1889. They appeared from the crossing of white Leggorns with black Hamburgers. As a result, the resulting white chickens also mated with dorkings of the same color.

Palinous orpingtones appeared at the exhibition in 5 years. Such chickens were obtained from the crossing of three species: golden Hamburg, dark dorking and fawn Cochin. From the time of appearance until now, birds of this color are considered to be the most common.

At the end of 3 years, porcelain orpingtons were presented, just in time for Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee. It is generally believed that they were bred in the same way as the fawn, but not with dark, but with variegated dorking.

In 1899 for the first time appeared black-white coloring orpings. They were also removed by mixing three rocks: silvery-spotted hamburgers, striped plymouths and black dorking.

In 1900, Blue Orpington was brought out by Parington. I must say that there are very few of them, and they are an amateur variety of this breed.

Selection of eggs

Experienced poultry farmers know that in order to get a good brood of chickens, you need from the very beginning to adhere to several basic requirements. And the most important of them is the correct selection of eggs. To do this, you will need an ovoscope. With its help determine the correctness of the shape of eggs, as well as the presence of cracks on the shell. Only after it is found out that there are no defects, they can be attributed to the breeding and choose for breeding chickens. After this, the egg is stored no more than a week in a cool and dry room.

If all these conditions are met, the hatched chickens will be strong and viable.

Growing and feeding young animals

For the prevention of various diseases from the 3rd to the 5th day of life to chickens, in addition to glucose, it is necessary to give the antibiotic "Enrofloxacin". And from the 6th to the 8th their diet should be supplemented with vitamins. After three weeks, you will need to repeat the procedure for using antibiotics.

Further, the primary goal that stands before the poultry farm is to ensure a balanced supply of chickens. From 1 st to 3 rd day, they should be given a boiled egg grinded on a grater. One chicken will be enough for 1/30 of a piece. Corn cereals and millet are also excellent. On the 4th day in the diet, you can add a little greens, for example, nettles or onions.

Experts advise the chickens of the orppington during the first two weeks to give only boiled water, and later it will be possible to drink them and raw.

When the chicks are 2 months old, they are fed with mixtures from different cereals, like adult birds. It is very good, when until the very end of autumn they will receive juicy grass, such as sporich or dandelion.

Rules for feeding chickens

In order for the brood to grow strong and healthy, you need to pay attention not only to feed. You should also observe the intervals between meals. Feeding of chickens, whose age does not exceed 10 days, is produced every 2, and up to 45-every 3 hours. For adult chickens and grown-up chicks of the orpingtones, the break between feeding is 4 hours.

Despite the excellent and balanced daily feeding, individual individuals may sometimes lag behind in development. This does not mean that they will not survive. Just such chickens need to be given more attention than others, to feed them additionally.

Peculiarities of growing

For hens of this breed, it is not necessary to make an aviary too large, since their content does not require much space. This is due to the fact that they almost do not run, do not fly. Despite this, it is still necessary to take into account some features of the breeding of the orphington. Here are the main ones:

● Young growth . Chickens are quite demanding in terms of feed, especially chickens.

● Power . Before you buy these chickens, you need to know that they always eat quite a lot. Most of them can suffer from obesity. Therefore, the owners always need to ensure that the birds do not gain excessive weight and feel good.

● Ventilation of premises. Due to lack of air exchange, chickens may suffer from anemia, especially in the cold season, which may affect their reproduction.

● Increment . Orphingtons are late-bird birds. After all, their chickens grow very slowly. As you know, Orpington is a breed of chicken, which refers to the meat species and, according to the logic of things, should give a rapid increase. But in this case this pattern does not work. The owner will have to be patient and wait until the chicks reach puberty.

● Haircut . In order to improve the breeding, it is necessary to cut off the feathers around the anus in the form of a small funnel.

Feeding

Before you buy food for chickens, you must first make sure of its good quality. If possible, it is best to buy whole-grain, since it has a sufficiently long shelf life, besides, there are no impurities in it. It is best to mix food for birds independently, rather than take it from unverified manufacturers.

As you know, quality breeding of chickens orping directly depends on the correct selection of food for them. The feed should consist of at least 6 components. This will in many respects contribute to rapid weight gain, as well as provide them with the necessary micronutrients and vitamins.

It is desirable to feed adult chickens and cocks at the same time: in the morning - at 7-8 hours, and in the evening - for 1 hour before the light goes out. Special attention should be paid to water. When the heat costs, it is necessary to change the water in the troughs at least 3 times a day. Otherwise, various pathogenic bacteria begin to multiply rapidly in it.

Do not forget that the chicken Orpington needs a separate feeder, which must be filled with eggshells, shellfish and limestone. This is necessary for layers to restore the necessary amount of calcium in the body, since in order to take the egg, it will need 14 times more of this element than it receives from the feed. But for cocks such a top dressing is not needed at all.

Room and feeders

On private farmsteads, a chicken coop can be built from a cinder block, while the height of the ceiling must be at least 2 meters. The floor is best concreted, and then covered with litter. In the cold season, its thickness should be at least 8 cm, and in the warm - about 6 cm. And most importantly - the litter should always be dry, otherwise not only the young, but adults will suffer from excessive moisture.

Installing drinkers for chickens should be at the level of their breasts, and feeders should be higher by 3 cm. With this arrangement, the birds scatter the food on the litter less.

Price list

In many countries the breed of poultry orpington is very popular. Chickens in Ukraine and Russia have taken root long enough, their farmers are bred with pleasure. It's no wonder that this bird is very popular, as its meat is very tasty. Therefore chicken breed Orpington, whose price, compared to others, is slightly higher, are in demand even in the most prestigious restaurants.

The cost of birds depends on their color. In Ukraine, adult individuals stand from 300, daily chickens - from 50, and the incubation egg - from 15 UAH. a piece.

In Russia, there are also no difficulties with the acquisition of the domestic poultry of the Orpington breed. Chickens, the price of which varies for one hatching egg from 100 to 350, for a 7-day chicken - 230-450, and for an adult specimen - from 600 rubles., Are well established both on private farmsteads and on the territory of large farms.

Opinion

Orpington - a breed of chickens, reviews of which vary from each other. I must say that the opinion about it depends to a large extent on the views and habits of the breeders themselves. Many of them more than positively evaluate the productive qualities of these poultry.

Those masters who keep the orpingtones for more than one year say that this is one of the best meat breeds. The content and cultivation of these chickens is a good option for large families, because the weight of the live weight of one bird can reach up to 5-7 kg. Each layer can lay up to 150 eggs per year weighing about 53 g.

Those masters who keep them for years, say that one of the best meat breeds are the chickens of the orpington. The testimonies testify that this bird gives dense and tender meat, and the broth from it turns out rich.