Chickens are among the very first birds that man has managed to domesticate. They bring indisputable benefits, as they allow to receive not only a sufficiently large amount of tasty and tender meat, but also throughout their life to provide the owners with healthy eggs.
Even modern people, who are trying in every way to facilitate their lives and abandon the breeding of domestic animals, get rid of chickens at the very least. If, on the contrary, you are trying to diversify your farm and poultry house, we want to tell you about one of the best meat-breeding breeds, called Viandot.
What are the features and advantages of Viyandot curia: we get acquainted with a detailed description of the breed
There is this breed for more than a century. And although she was bred in the United States, over the years she has managed to spread and become famous for her good productive qualities literally throughout the world.
By the way, it may be known to you personally even under a different name, since the name Viandot was assigned to the hens much later than its first representatives appeared (by the way, this name was borrowed from one of the old Indian tribes living in the territory of modern states).
So, in connection with the features and a huge variety of plumage, they were called both Colombian hens, and American sibrates, and Excelsior.
It is also worth mentioning the main rocks, on the basis of which we described today was created:
- Bentham-sybright;
- Brama;
- Hamburg chickens;
- Dorking;
- Leggorn;
- Orpington;
- Chickens that belong to the type of Coching.
As a result of such crosses, which lasted for many years, the main purpose of the work of scientists was to obtain a highly productive and universal breed. Such characteristics could not be better embodied in the new breed, which is one of the best representatives of the meat-producing direction of chickens today.
What virtues the breed is famous for?
There are quite a few positive qualities in Vandot’s, and all of them make you just fall in love with the breed. But first things first:
Wyandot hens are very good. Moreover, the laying of eggs in no way shows either the time of year, but the peculiarities of feeding. Their full egg-laying begins at the age of 6-7 months, which for ordinary chickens is simply unrealistic early indicator.
It often happens that a hen starts laying eggs even earlier, however this is not a very good factor, as it results in a reduction in the years of bird life. Egg products of chickens provide the owners constantly and without fail, for which they are so highly valued;
the survivability of the described breed chickens is simply impressive. They are usually derived naturally, but in the absence of a hen, artificial incubation of eggs also gives a good result. At the same time, the absence of a hen will not affect the growth of young offspring in any way: it very quickly learns to independently search for the necessary food, and thanks to the calm disposition they do not move away too far from the house without endangering themselves.
But even without an artificial incubator, chickens show a very good instinct for incubation of eggs, and they are also very caring mothers (in this regard, the survival rate of young offspring is at a very high level). The chicks grow very quickly, they fry well at a very early age, they are rapidly gaining live weight, they enter puberty early;
representatives of the breed are very convenient for keeping and breeding, because they have a very calm disposition and display friendly behavior towards both humans and other breeds, animals. In this regard, for them it is not necessary to build a separate house or a paddock, but you can safely throw it to other chickens;
The great advantage of the breed, which also facilitates the process of keeping and breeding these chickens, is lack of ability to fly. As a result, they can be kept in ordinary poultry houses, in cages, and in uncovered enclosures;
meat productivity of this breed is simply amazing. This is due to the fact that, firstly, these chickens have the ability to fatten very quickly. Secondly, Viandotov meat is famous for its high quality, good taste, as well as extraordinary tenderness.
In general, it is worth paying attention to the fact that Wyandot hens are distinguished by unusually good adaptability to climatic conditions. They can live in areas with a very warm climate and high humidity, where there is never winter, and in harsh conditions, where winter is a common and prolonged phenomenon.
At the same time, they can tolerate frosts quite well, sometimes without even requiring additional heating of the house. Good adaptability is manifested when changing places of residence from one to another, which is not displayed either on the general condition of the bird or on its weight.
It is also worth noting that Wiandot is inactive. For walking they do not need a lot of space, so you can keep them in very limited conditions, resembling a way of keeping birds on large farms. Even the roosters of this breed show themselves as very calm and inconsiderate.
Do Vynadot have disadvantages: get to know each other and look for solutions
It is not strange, but even such a beautiful breed of chickens has one small drawback - it is a tendency to obesity. It does not even arise from feeding the birds, but because of their natural inactivity.
After all, eating even a small amount of food, they simply do not release excess energy, which as a result is deposited in the form of fatty tissues. But do not neglect this fact, considering that chicken fat is also good. The fact is that excessive obesity complicates the process of laying eggs, and often makes such function of chickens impossible in general.
Therefore, in order for your chickens to become too fat, they need to ensure at least rare walks. Also, the feed that they are given should be well balanced and contain as much protein as possible.
Thus, even in the absence of strong activity, muscle tissue will develop quite intensively, and fat will not be deposited. In the presence of natural grazing on green grass, birds generally can do a summer diet, feeding them only once a day (but resorting to this is only possible if there is a clear problem).
We tell in detail about the breed characteristics of Wyandot curia
If most breeds of chickens can easily be determined by the color of feathers alone, then with Viandotas such a simple trick will not work. The fact is that today there are more than 15 different types of color of these chickens, regardless of which all the birds still belong to the same breed. In general, the plumage of the breed is very luxurious, soft and smooth to the touch, quite tight to the skin.
Due to the fact that they have a very wide feather, the plumage makes birds visually larger, although in fact they can be much smaller. The most common are the hens and roosters of the following colors:
- white;
- blue with pale yellow;
- black with a golden or silvery border on the feathers;
- striped yellow;
- white and blue-golden;
- partridge;
- with a combination of other various colors.
Thus, in order to understand that before you is a representative of the Wyandot breed, first of all you should carefully look at the peculiarities of the body and all individual parts of the bird's body. In accordance with the standard This breed is characterized by:
- medium in size and red in color earlobes;
- slightly down, smooth face red;
- red earrings;
- eyes red-brown;
- shortened dimensions of the beak, which has a slightly bent shape, sometimes with characteristic black stripes;
- pea comb, consisting of 3 lines;
- small rounded head;
- round and wide body shape, which has a compact size;
- wide and fairly full chest;
- broad back, slightly raised to the tail of the bird;
- abundant and very fluffy plumage makes the loin a little round;
- small wings, short, tight to the body and located in a horizontal position;
- rather voluminous belly, which is wide in comparison with other breeds;
- short or medium in length neck, decorated with a beautiful and very lush mane of a variety of colors;
- short, but fluffy tail of an open form with lush braids;
- medium-sized shins, covered with abundant plumage;
- bright yellow metatarsus, which are rather long and widely spread fingers.
There are also differences between chickens and roosters. First of all, these are larger sizes of a rooster, which is also characterized by a more lush, rounded tail. The tail of the roosters is at an angle of 30º relative to the horizontal line. Secondly, the chicken has a larger ring size - four, whereas in the rooster it is three.
At the same time, even a too short and angular body or a spherical body shape with small legs may even be a serious deviation from the breed standard. Those nestlings that have a narrow body and narrow tail are formed with maturing, the body is set too deep, the feathers are too loose, the ridge is too sharp, or the lack of it, the eyes are bright.
The absence of such deficiencies will ensure the receipt of these purebred representatives of the Viandot breed, who will delight you with high rates of their productivity.
What kind of productivity can be expected when breeding the described breed?
Since the Wiendot breed of chickens is meaty, these birds are quite large in size, although they do not claim to be the largest. So, cock weight often fluctuates from 3 to 3.4 kilograms. Chickens are much smaller than roosters, so they lag far behind them in weight, the average indicator of which is 2.5 kilograms. The meat obtained from the carcass has a very good quality and taste. A very long time to keep chickens is not worth it, because with age, their chicken becomes more rigid.
Regarding the egg-laying, these chickens are also capable of quite pleased their hosts. On average, in one year the young chicken Wiandot is able to lay from 170 to 180 eggs, for older individuals, this figure drops slightly to 150 eggs. At the same time, the eggs are quite large and weigh about 50-60 grams. The shell of Vandot's eggs has a yellow-brown color.
How to breed Vandotto: rules for keeping adults and breeding chickens
Where to keep thoroughbred chickens?
Before you start breeding Vinadot, you should take care of the organization of the house. In general, there are no big demands for him, however, right next to his entrance, large areas of paddock should be organized, where birds can eat green fodder and warm up. However, experienced poultry breeders are advised to be very cautious during their walking time and to stretch a special net over this place, which will prevent the spread of infections from other chickens and birds, which may fly off to the Viandotas.
The most important requirements for the house remain standard: a large amount of light and space, so that the birds feel comfortable and can move a lot, organize individual nests for egg laying.
As we have already noted, the described breed tolerates frost fairly well, which is facilitated by its abundant plumage. In this regard, cares about the insulation of the house is practically not necessary, although in any case it must have good ventilation and be protected from drafts. Among other mandatory moments of the organization and construction of the house is important to note the following:
- it is recommended to make perches for Viandotov very strong and attach them to the walls in a horizontal position;
- fine wood chips, buckwheat or rice husks, well-dried foliage from trees are ideal for laying these smokes;
- It is important not to forget to clean the house regularly, constantly changing the litter with the litter remaining on it; chickens are quite sensitive to changes in humidity,
- an indicator which can greatly increase without such regular events;
- A sand or ash box should be installed near the house where chickens can bathe, clean their feathers and get rid of various parasites.
Features of the chicken diet or how to feed Wyandot?
Regarding feeding, there are also many nuances to consider. The most important thing is the presence of a large amount of protein in the feed. Also, it is very important to ensure that pets never go hungry (unless of course they are not obese) and always pour the food to the trough. Chicken feeds, which are based on cereals, should always be stored in a dry place with constantly aired air. Otherwise, they may mold and become unfit for consumption by the bird.
In winter, birds especially need green food. You can replace them with dried green grass or very finely chopped hay mixed with boiled root vegetables or grains. Also, you can give them alfalfa. Do not forget about the minerals, the most important of which for curia is calcium, contained in ground shells, special vitamin complexes.
We breed and grow young Vandotov
To become the owner of pedigree chickens, the first time you have to buy chicks on the market. Treat this is responsible, so that you do not slip the representatives of another breed or simply sick individuals. You can also purchase not chickens, but eggs that can be put under the hen of another breed or use an incubator.
You will be able to get further generations of Wyandots without any problems yourself, using both your own eggs and your own hen.
Small chickens are fed sour-milk products and cereals. Among the latter, it is desirable to give preference to millet or corn. In the first weeks of porridge are given in boiled form, and later chickens can be fed and dry grains. Also, it is important to include in the diet as much greens as possible, which will stimulate well the growth of chicks and contribute to a more rapid onset of puberty.
