Poultry

Many species of birds with different purposes are domesticated. For economic purposes - for the sake of getting a feather, down, meat (usual chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, pheasants), for entertainment - talking parrots, miniature amads, singing canaries.

Poultry is also early, and productive, and prolific. In addition, their taste qualities are highly appreciated. Birds of the home are divided into heavy and light. For example, chickens, related to light breeds, are able to be carried already after four months, to heavy ones - one and a half months later. Geese, ducks and turkey will mature no earlier than eight months. Yaitsen chickens will give up to 300 eggs, turkeys - up to 100, ducks - up to 200, and geese - up to 80 per season. But the fertility of chickens falls in a year, but in geese, on the contrary, it increases. Therefore, chickens are usually kept no more than two years, and geese are left to three, or even four years.

Chickens related to meat (heavy) breeds: Plymouth White, Cornish White, Langash, Dorking, Brama, Faveliol; To meat-egg: rod-ayland, New Hampshire, Sussex, Orpington, Wandot, May Day, Poltava, Kuchin, Jurlovsk, Livenskie; To egg: Leggorny white, white Russian, Leggorne grouse, Minor.

The most productive and hardy breed of ducks consider the Peking duck, followed by the Ukrainian gray, clayey white-bearded and black white-chested.

The heaviest geese include the Toulouse, the gray Emden and the Kholmogorsky. To the middle - Arzamas, Tula, Roma, Shadrin, Italian. The easiest (and most egg-bearing) are the Chinese, the Kuban, and the Gorky.

Breeding poultry in villages can be quite a profitable business. It is most convenient to buy already grown young on poultry farms (with a view and weight category, please specify in advance). In the future, domestic birds are sorted (in the process of growing): some individuals will go for eggs and breeding, others for meat.

Selecting a bird for the tribe, pay attention first of all to the conformity of species and weight indicators, to the overall development, the severity of the characteristics of the breed. Special requirements are imposed on males. They must be absolutely healthy and well developed. One male cock is enough for 10 hens, 10 turkeys are enough for one turkey, one drake for 5 ducks, one gander for 3 goose.

Many domestic birds are capable of incubating. But you need to take into account and pedigree, characteristic features. For example, chicken leggorns incubate rarely and not very well, but individuals of heavy breeds, on the contrary, are more prone to incubation. This ability of many goose and ducks is clearly manifested.

For a hen, a basket or box is prepared, the bottom is lined with hay. The place is chosen dry, clean, separate (the common house is not suitable). The number of eggs placed depends on the bird itself. For hens it is about 18, for a duck - about 15, for a goose - 10, for a turkey - no more than 20 eggs.

The hen feeds the usual dry food (it is better to put the feeder near the nest, as well as water). The first five days after the withdrawal of the hen and young animals are kept indoors, the paddock begins already from the sixth day. Usually the hen leads the chicks up to a month, sometimes even longer.

Young growth can also be grown without a hen. But here the temperature regime is extremely important: the first five days for geese with ducklings + 28 ° C (not more than + 30 ° C), for turkeys + 35 ° C, for chicks + 36-37 ° C. After a week, it is possible to lower the temperature ) To +18 ° C. Light day is prolonged by artificial lighting until 20 hours (the young must see its food). As the length increases, the time of illumination decreases and gradually (by the month) is brought under the usual light day.

If you plan to receive in the future layers, start the withdrawal in March-April. In this case, the poultry will complete its growth by the fall, will be stronger and will safely carry the winter, starting to rush before the onset of frost.

If domesticated birds are grown to obtain meat, the young are purchased early in the spring. Slaughter conditions are reached in three months.

Successful growth of any bird depends on providing the necessary quantity of high-quality feed, access to clean water, good sanitary conditions, exclusion of drafts and dampness, adequate ventilation. For this purpose, a separate block (poultry house) is created. The young are kept on the floor. The first time a square meter is enough for 15 chickens, 10 ducks or goslings. As the poultry grows larger (or the territory grows).