In modern poultry farming, meat, egg and meat-egg breeds of chickens are used.
Among all the breeds of this poultry meat chickens, Orpington gained particular popularity. And it is not surprising, because in a short time they can build up quite a large amount of mass.
The chickens of Orpington were bred by V. Cook in England, near the town of the same name. Black Langshans with bare legs, Minorca and dark Plymouthrocks participated in its formation.
The resulting breed immediately liked many breeders because of their appearance and high productivity.
Breeders immediately began to improve the new breed. The most successful attempt is considered the work of Partington, who crossed the resulting hybrid with the black Cochinchins.
They gave the Orpington fluffy plumage, which has become typical of the breed. Gradually, the English breeders were able to get Orpington chickens in the form in which they are now bred in many chicken farms.
Description breed Orpington
They are characterized by a wide torso and chest. At the same time, they have a very small head, a leaf-shaped and pinkish comb of scarlet color. Orpington earlobes are colored red, and the earrings are rounded.
The body shape of this breed of chickens is somewhat like a cube.that creates a feeling of massiveness. The outlines of the body of this breed are formed by the depth and width of the body, which are complemented by broad shoulders, short stature and short tail. This impression is further enhanced by the lush plumage.
The hen of Orpington breed looks more squat than a rooster. It has a small head, leaf-shaped or hornlike vertical ridge. Chicken earrings have an average size. The bird's eye color may vary depending on the color of the plumage.
The legs of the dark and blue Orpingons are black. In all other color variations, they are white and pink. The tail and wings are small, and the plumage on the body of the bird is extremely soft.
Orpingons of different colors are bred on chicken farms. White, piebald, blue, yellow, red, striped, hawk, black-and-white and porcelain chickens can be purchased.
Features
Chickens of this breed are appreciated by many poultry breeders because of tasty lean meat.
After cooking, the meat of this breed of chickens looks especially beautiful, so farms often supply chicken carcasses to various restaurants and celebrations.
These chickens themselves have a calm and friendly character. Because of this they quickly get used to the owner, even allow themselves to be carried. That is why Orpington chickens can be good pets in a small area.
Laying hens of the Orpington breed are distinguished by well-developed maternal instincts. They not only do well in incubating eggs, but also take great care of their offspring. As a rule, most of the young live through such caring hens.
Roosters and chickens quickly gaining the necessary weight for slaughter. At the same time it can easily reach 4.5 kg. Chickens of this breed are not much inferior in weight to roosters, therefore a breeder of such a breed benefits greatly from sales of poultry meat.
Of course, we should not forget that the Orpingtons look very beautiful. They can be a decoration for any suburban area, and not just for the farm.
One of the most prolific dwarf breeds in Russia is Leggorn dwarf.
Bronchopneumonia is common in the birds of our country. Here at //selo.guru/ptitsa/kury/bolezni/k-virusnye/bronhopnevmoniya.html you can familiarize yourself with this disease.
Unfortunately, the chickens of our breed have their drawbacks, which must be taken into account before buying young stock.
Firstly, these chickens always eat a lot. This may not seem strange, because they have a rather large body mass. However, birds often eat so much food that they begin to suffer from obesity. Because of this, the farmer needs to carefully monitor their food, so that the birds feel good and do not gain weight.
Secondly, the chickens of these chickens are slowly growing. It would seem that the meat breed of chickens, on the contrary, should differ in precocity, but not in this case. The owner of Orpington needs to be patient and wait until the chickens reach puberty.
A photo
For a clearer view, we offer you photos of the Orpington hen breed. In the first photo you see a close-up of our breed chicken:
Exactly the same chicken as in the first photo, only slightly from a different angle:
The handsome cock, which gained its maximum weight, acquired the shape of a cube. Can you imagine how much meat there is?
A black female walks outside on the green grass. You should already know how they like it ...
Well, the last two photographs depict yellow birds. On the first of them - close-up cock:
And then the situation in the house:
Content and cultivation
We now turn to the description of the proper care and breeding of Orpington chickens.
Feeding
Before you buy food for birds, you must first ensure its quality.
Only whole grain feed should be purchased, as it has a longer shelf life. In addition, it is completely free of impurities. It is much easier in a farm to independently mix feed for poultry than to buy from untested producers.
Feed must contain at least 6 ingredients. This contributes to rapid weight gain, as well as provides the population with the necessary vitamins and trace elements.
Feeding the parent flock always takes place in two stages. The first stage should always be held at the same time - at about 7 or 8 in the morning. The second stage of feeding occurs in the evening. An hour before turning off the light, 10% of the whole grains should be poured into the feeders.
In no case do not forget about the water. In the warm season, it needs to be changed in drinking bowls 3 times a day, otherwise pathogens can multiply in it.
In addition, Orpington chickens should have a separate shell for limestone, limestone, and egg shells. This will allow the hens to restore the calcium balance, since the bird's body needs 14 times more of this element to carry one egg than it can get from the feed. As for the roosters, they do not need such feeding.
Trough and room
The drinking bowl is always installed at the level of the chicken breast. The feeder for chickens should be placed 3 cm above the breast.
Such measures are necessary so that the birds rummage less in feed and do not scatter it on the litter.
At the private summer cottage, you can make a room for the Orpingons from a cinder block. The height of the ceiling in such a house should be 2 meters.
In this case, the floor should be fully concreted and covered with bedding having a height of up to 6 cm in summer and up to 8 cm in winter. It must always be kept dry so that chickens and especially youngsters do not suffer from high humidity.
Specifications
Orpington meat chickens are always well fed. This allows roosters to gain weight up to 4.5 kg, and chickens up to 3.5. At the same time, hens can carry up to 150 eggs in the first year of egg-laying and 130 eggs in the next year. Orpington's eggs have a yellow shell and a weight of 53 g.
Where can I buy in Russia?
- Orpington chickens are grown in many farms. You can buy an adult bird, young or hatching egg "Gukovsky hens".
The farm is located in the village of Gukovo, Rostov region. You can find out the cost of a bird by phone: +7 (908) 180-30-14 or +7 (863) 613-51-99. Information on the hens of this farm can be read on the site //www.gukkur.ru/
- You can buy young stock of this breed and hatching eggs on the site //www.cipacipa.ru/.
Here is a large selection of colors Orpington. The poultry farm itself is located 20 km from the Moscow Ring Road on the Nosovihinskoe highway. You can make an order by phone +7 (910) 478-39-85.
Analogs
An analogue of the Orpingtons can be called Cochinquins. These are massive birds that are gaining weight quickly. They are well suited for breeding for meat, and because of the lush bright plumage can be a good decoration for the country.
Moreover, Cochins are well suited to the novice farmer or just a lover of poultry, as they are unpretentious and can survive in any conditions. However, the breeder needs to monitor the diet of chickens, otherwise they can become very fat.
Another analogue is the chicken Brama. They are well acclimatized in any conditions of detention, have a good maternal instinct, and also have a pleasant appearance.
Unfortunately, this breed of chickens lays a small number of eggs, so it is difficult to reproduce it in amateur conditions. Usually eggs are incubated in incubators.
Conclusion
Orpington Hens is a meat breed of poultry that can brighten up life at the dacha. These chickens have a nice appearance, pleasant-to-taste meat, and also quickly become attached to their owner, which makes them an ideal bird for a small country house.
