Household farming is difficult to imagine without one of its main attributes - it is important that chickens walking around the farmstead. Their content is quite capable novice poultry farmers. Even a few birds of modern meat and egg breeds can provide with eggs, and on solemn occasions - with meat for the festive table. One of the quality crosses (representative of the crossing of several breeds) is the space breed hens, which are described in this article.
Cross Crossing
Cosmos is a cross-country of several species at once, the best properties of which they tried to combine in one bird. Producers of meat and egg breeds, as well as pure meat, were used.
Meat-egg chickens involved in the creation of the cross - Leningrad white, Rhode Island and Kuchinskaya anniversary. The meat chickens that took part in the breeding are Cornish (red and white) and Plymouth.
The birds were bred in the French laboratory of the company ISA. Then this successful breed began to spread rapidly throughout Europe and around the world.
Cobb-700, ROSS-308, ROSS-708, Super Harko, Loman White, Brown Nick, High-Line, Shaver, Hercules, Avicolor, Moravian Black, Iza Brown, Rhodonite, Hungarian Giant, Haysex, Hubbard are capable of high productivity. .
Description and characteristics
The description of this large chicken can be misleading for an inexperienced farmer, as representatives of the breed may have a different appearance. They have one thing in common - a substantial mass.
Exterior
In appearance, the space chickens are similar to many other, different breeds and even outbred.
- Color - can be different, from brown to white with inclusions from representatives of the original rocks, often spotted.
- Head - small.
- Comb and Earrings - bright red, even in chickens are highly developed, and in roosters very large.
- Neck - middle length.
- Back and chest - wide, because of which the bird has a stocky figure.
- Tail - small, fan-shaped.
- Paws - short, strong (as in one of the parent breeds - Cornish).
Important! The color of these chickens may be different, but the large crest and earrings of the rooster clearly identify the breed.
Character
The calm temper of the chicken is an excellent addition to its external and culinary data. Poultry farmers are pleased that there is no need to build sophisticated aviaries for this breed. Enough low fence, which the chicken does not try to overcome, being content with being under human guardianship.
Learn how to properly incubate chicken eggs.
Hatching instinct
In addition to the calm nature, representatives of the cosmos breed show a good laying out of the masonry with high egg production. Chicks show excellent maternal instinct and patiently nurse their eggs.
Performance Indicators
The breed has good performance in both meat gain and egg production.
Live weight cock and chicken
The mass of representatives of the cosmos breed is their main advantage. With proper care, at week 17, females reach weights up to 3.5 kg, and males up to 4.2 kg.
Puberty, egg production and egg mass
This cross reaches sexual maturity in about 130 days. After that, up to 160 days of laying hens can reach 50% of the egg production rate. At 190 days old, chickens have a peak egg production phase.
This chicken has a rather large egg - more than 60 grams. It has a brown or cream color.
The average chicken of this species is able to carry 230-270 eggs during the year. Some individuals can carry up to 300 eggs - practically by an egg per day!
Did you know? The name of the dish "tobacco chicken" is not related to tobacco, cigarettes or smoking. This is a distortion of the original name "chicken tapak", where "tapak" is a special Georgian pan, on which they prepare the dish.
Feeding ration
Space Breed is unpretentious in nutrition, unlike most of its egg "colleagues." But still, to increase the weight and egg production, it is necessary to observe a balanced diet and diet.
Learn how to feed chickens, broilers, laying hens.
Adult chickens
The organization of feeding should be multidirectional - to stimulate weight gain without excessive obesity and to maintain high egg production. Compared with egg-laying hens, meat and egg consume 20% more feed. To compensate for the loss of the body of the bird, in winter, a larger amount of food is given.
The approximate daily dietary rate for adult chickens is shown in the table:
Chickens
With the right approach, children already at two months of age can gain 1.5 kg of body weight.
Learn how to use meat and bone meal, bran, wheat germ for chickens.
In farms, two methods are developed for feeding chickens - extensive and intensive. In the first case, broilers are expected to be raised during the warm season with free-standing and eating pastures (usually 3-4 months), in the second case, feeding is carried out throughout the year with dense placement of chicks (up to 12 pieces per square meter).
The approximate diet of chickens is shown in the table (as a percentage of the daily norm):
Important! Broilers consume much more feed than adults - for a gain of 1 kg they eat up to 2 kg of dry food.
The daily feeding schedule is as follows:
- 6:00 - 1/3 of the daily norm of the mixture of grain;
- 8:00 - wet mash, which is laid for half an hour, and the remnants, after this time, are removed;
- 12:00 - wet mash is once more given and removed after half an hour;
- 16:00 in the winter, 18:00 in a warm and light season - 2/3 of the daily norm of the mixture of grain.
Content Features
Despite the unpretentiousness of this species, to ensure favorable conditions for egg production and weight gain, it is necessary to ensure that the chickens are constantly warm and comfortable. Representatives of the cosmos breed need sufficient illumination of the room, the possibility of walking, the use of additional feedings. Given the weight and lack of thirst for flying, these birds can be kept in low pens.
Important! With all the advantages of the species, it will not be possible to get offspring on your own, as this is a hybrid breed and it breeds only under broodstock conditions under the supervision of breeders.
In the chicken coop with walking
When walking, chickens feed themselves with green fodder, and then they can be fed with grain material.
In this case, it is necessary to adhere to sanitary norms and rules of hygiene more carefully, since after walking in fresh air the bird may become too wet, bring some kind of infection or parasites.
When sharing in the same room with large animals that produce enough heat, for each chicken it is still worth making a separate cell with a dry bedding in the form of sawdust or coarse cloth.
If the chicken coop is separate, it must be insulated and lit, which will give the birds peace of mind, so that they can gain weight and carry eggs without any problems.
Disinfection of the chicken coop is carried out in three stages - open-air cages or cells are cleaned, then washed, and the last stage is the treatment with disinfectants, such as the monklavit, bactericide, and virots preparations. During all these operations, pets are removed from the house.
Learn how to make an aviary, chicken coop, nest, perch, ventilation, drinkers, automatic feeders, heating.
Is it possible to breed in cages
It is clear that cellular breeding of chickens solves problems with placement - birds do not take up much space and, with proper care, they normally feel in a confined space. Reproduction in these conditions is unrealistic, but good egg production is quite possible.
Only the hens sit in the cage, and the producers are kept separately, since in the cage conditions the reproductive process most likely will not succeed. With this breeding, it is better to release females to roosters in separate enclosures or fences, where they can do their work, and then return to their cages.
With all the comforts of cell breeding chickens, it should be understood that for birds it is not the most convenient pastime - they are isolated and always in sight, which is stress. On the other hand, birds in cages are supervised, protected from predators, compactly placed. The cage design may include the collection of eggs, watering devices and feeders, as well as cleaning of waste products.
Did you know? During the life of the chicken, the size of the egg and yolk in it gradually increases until it reaches maturity, and then, to old age these figures are declining.
With careful attention, the breed of chickens space can provide the farm with a decent amount of meat and eggs. It is enough just to care for the birds. And they, in turn, will thank you for high-quality care with a quick weight gain and a large number of eggs laid.
Cross hens "Cosmos": reviews
and call the chickens with any names, just to sell ... the fashion went for Lohman, everyone had a hawk, they brought the car Dominant, all had dominants. A mix of dominants of several colors - the village chickens are obtained.
Veterinary shops near the market, in which they keep a record for a certain number, on certain chickens call more trust. If we are talking about a large number, you can go to the hatchery or an individual who has his chickens and incubators.
With the saleswoman on the market, the demand is not great, but they are afraid to “dilute” in the store, the risk is great to remain without windows, and the reputation has been gained over the years.
Yes, if someone brought this Cosmos, ask for the accompanying documents, invoices, certificates, slow conclusions, etc. otherwise it’s just a mix of crosses and a bulldog with a rhinoceros.)
