Foxy Chick chickens are popular birds, many breeders are engaged in breeding in order to obtain healthy meat and egg products. Birds are undemanding in care, but it is necessary to create suitable conditions for them so that productive indicators always remain at a high level.
The origin, description and characteristics of the breed
The name of the bird was due to the fox color of a bright red color. Birds appeared originally from the Hungarians, subsequently, having gained popularity among many farmers, hens were brought to many European countries, including Russia. The bird has more than one name, which is translated from English as "fox chicken." The bird is often called the Hungarian giant and the red broiler. This is directly related to the large size of the birds and their color.
The distinctive features of the breed include a small head with orange eyes, a yellow beak and paws of the same shade. The birds have a large, strong body, small stature, wide back and chest. Foxy Chick chickens first grow up, then begin to grow in breadth. This feature often causes farmers to confuse the breed with other species.
Chickens have a medium-sized crest, slightly inclined to the side. The plumage color is bright red, sometimes with a brown tint. The feathers are dense, so the bird is protected from severe frosts. This breed perfectly tolerates frost and cold.
Character
Foxy Chick chickens have a calm character, because of this, difficulties with their contents rarely arise. Farmers characterize birds as active, curious and calm animals. Hens are able to get along well with other inhabitants of the yard, and the males carefully guard their family, but will not rush to strangers without a known reason. But between themselves roosters and hens of this breed can constantly lead disputes, fight, therefore it is advisable to leave no more than one male in the livestock.
Red broilers are noisy birds: if a stranger approaches the aviary, they will immediately cluck and flap their wings, informing their owner. Females of this breed are distinguished by a well-developed instinct of incubation - they are able to raise not only their own, but also foreign chickens. One chicken is able to raise 9-10 chicks at a time.
Productivity
The body weight of the chickens of this breed is particularly impressive. One adult bird can weigh in the region of 3.5-4 kg, while roosters are the leaders among all poultry and weigh up to six kilograms.
Since birth, chicks, having a thin body, look much more than babies of other breeds of the same age. For example, at 20 days of age, the weight of the chicks is about half a kilogram, and at the age of one and a half months, their body weight reaches already 1.4 kg. Birds develop and grow rapidly.
The table shows the age of the bird and its approximate weight in this period:
Bird age | Weight |
21 day | 460 g |
28 days | 690 g |
35 days | 980 g |
42 days | 1.37 kg |
49 days | 1.73 kg |
Cultivation for slaughter is beneficial not only due to the large weight of the birds, but also due to the fact that the products have excellent taste. Feathered meat is juicy and tender, dietary, with a minimum amount of fat.
The birds reach puberty at the age of 4 months, sometimes later. For a year, a laying hen gives about 260-300 eggs, while representatives of other breeds - no more than 160-180 pieces. If you take care of the females correctly, even in the winter, chickens will continue to rush.
The weight of one egg is 60-70 g. Large eggs with a light brown or beige dense shell. Egg sizes increase significantly as the birds grow older, reaching maximum volumes within a month after the first laying. But when the peak of productivity ends, the output again becomes smaller. The disadvantage of birds is a short period of productive egg production - about 1 year. If the bird has reached the age of two, after reducing the masonry, it is sent for slaughter.
Advantages and disadvantages of breeds
This breed has many advantages. Many farmers value the bird not only for its charming appearance, but also for other advantages:
- Unpretentiousness. The bird does not need to create any special conditions for keeping - it easily tolerates severe frosts and temperature changes, is able to adapt well to different climates.
- Fast growth. Young growth is gaining weight intensively and increasing in size.
- Good health. Unlike meat breeds of chickens, Hungarian cross practically does not get sick and has a high resistance to diseases.
- Delicious meat. The meat of birds of this breed is tender, dietary, juicy.
- Low feed requirements. Feeding birds does not require any special difficulties from the farmer, and the ability to let the bird out for a walk can significantly save on its maintenance.
- Developed maternal instinct. Foxy Chick hens are responsible for their offspring, take care of it, protect it. Due to this, the percentage of survival among chickens is very high.
- High rates of egg production. Poultry puberty occurs early, because in a year they can lay a record number of eggs - up to three hundred.
But there is a significant drawback among birds, not counting the inanimate nature and craving for constant showdowns among themselves - a short period of productivity. Layers of this breed lay large eggs for no more than 1 year. But this minus is easily offset by a quick replenishment of the livestock.
Care and maintenance
The birds of this breed are unpretentious, they are easily able to tolerate various climatic conditions. Even if you keep a bird in the northern strip, it is not necessary to insulate the chicken coop, but the nests must be warm. To do this, it is recommended to lay a deep layer of litter in them, hang a dense wool curtain at the entrance to the house.
House requirements
There is no need to heat the house. But Hungarian giants cannot tolerate drafts, therefore it is necessary to cover the floor of the house with straw and sawdust. The litter should be clean and dry to keep the heat at the right level. Dry leaves or straw are also used as litter material. In summer, the thickness of such a layer should be no more than 12 cm, in winter, especially when it is very cold, 2 times more material will be needed.
In order for the birds to feel normal, it is necessary to equip a ventilation system. Keeping birds in a room with stale and humid air can lead to the creation of favorable conditions for the propagation of pathogenic and putrefactive bacteria, which will cause the formation of fungal diseases. To prevent this problem will help not only the ventilation system, but also timely cleaning in the house, changing the litter, and carrying out preventive antifungal treatment of the walls.
Red broilers are large birds, which is why they are often kept on the floor, believing that it will be difficult for them to climb perches. But most farmers claim that Foxy Chick have good flying qualities. For this breed, wooden sizes are suitable, equipped at a height of 800 cm. There must be nests in the chicken coop - one nest accounts for 3-5 layers.
In the house, special baths are installed containing ash and fine sand. In this composition, birds clean their feathers, thereby protecting them from various dangerous parasites. How to independently build a chicken coop that will meet all the requirements for keeping birds - read here.
Walking
Free walking in the open air in the warm season is desirable for birds. The time of such walks is allowed not to limit. Foxy Chick chickens are well mastered in nature and can easily get their own food on their own, so the farmer significantly saves on feeding.
If for some reason it is not possible to organize free-range walking for birds, it is permissible to arrange a “solarium” - a place where animals will breathe fresh air and bask in the sun, while at the same time being limited in movement:
- To do this, on the southern side of the chicken coop, using a metal mesh, they enclose a small space about 2 m high and an area that the territory allows.
- Due to the fact that the amount of pasture in such a “solarium” is minimal, it will require the installation of a feeder, which will have to be monitored for cleanliness, because food spoils much faster on the street than indoors.
If the hens in the house are kept on the ground, they need at least a limited range of walks. Free range directly affects the palatability of poultry meat, and egg products of such layers contain 6 times more natural carotenoids needed for the human body. Do not stop walking with the onset of cold weather. If the temperature has not dropped below -10 degrees, the bird is released briefly for a walk.
Feeding
Red broilers are unpretentious in food. Until three weeks of age, chickens should receive mixed feed specifically designed for broilers. Then it is allowed to include ground grain in the diet. When the youngsters turn one and a half months old, the chickens are released for a walk, where they feed on pasture.
The nutrition of grown chicks should include foods such as wheat, vegetables, peas, corn, barley. Chickens are fed three times a day. Also do not forget about vitamin complexes.
An approximate diet based on the age of the birds:
Feed% | Chicks 1-4 days | Chicks 5-10 days | Chicks 31-60 days |
Ground barley | — | 10 g | 16 g |
Ground wheat | 40 g | 26 g | 35 g |
Fish flour | — | 6 g | 3 g |
Hydrolysis yeast | — | 3 g | 6 g |
Sunflower meal | — | 16 g | 13 g |
Salt | — | — | 0.4 g |
Powdered milk | 10 g | 2 g | — |
Soybean meal | 10 g | — | — |
a piece of chalk | — | 1 g | 1.6 g |
Meat and bone meal | — | 4 g | 3 g |
Herbal flour | — | 2 g | 2 g |
Ground corn | 40 g | 30 g | 20 g |
Adult birds must include in the diet mixes prepared from their apples, potatoes, beets, peas. Finely chopped, fresh greens are definitely added to this food.
It is useful to feed Hungarian crosses with cabbage leaves, beetroot and carrot tops, nettles and swans - they contain many components necessary for the body. The products give in crushed form. Be sure to feed chickens with balanced compound feed, vitamin supplements and formulations to increase productivity. It is advisable to add a little chalk and salt, fish and bone meal to the grain.
The feeding of laying hens is discussed separately here.
Breeding
Foxy Chick chickens are very caring, because they constantly keep the chicks warm. The hens turn eggs on their own so that the chickens do not freeze. During this period, special attention should be paid to the diet of the brood hens, since the lack of pasture and inactive lifestyle can cause depletion of birds.
Usually birds are brought with roosters of the breed Orpington red or Rhode Island. In this case, the offspring of the second generation will not be inferior to the parent bird in relation to productive qualities. When using Orpington cocks, the chicks will grow as large as the Foxy Chick. Crossing with males Rhode Island will allow to obtain chickens with high rates of egg production.
It is also allowed to breed in an incubator. This method was invented by the birds themselves, which tend to bury eggs in grass or leaves. If you have to resort to this method, you must follow an important rule: choose the right incubation material and pre-prepare it. It is impossible for the eggs to be supercooled, then it is important to monitor the temperature in the incubator.
Before laying eggs in the incubator, you need to check them for damage and cracks, and also using an ovoscope to make sure that the yolk is in the middle and the air chamber is from the blunt end. Do not forget about the timely turning of eggs.
Disease and Prevention
Compliance with the rules of feeding and hygiene requirements contributes to the survival of the chicks by almost 100%. All that is necessary for the well-being of the red broilers is the implementation of preventive vaccinations and compliance with the rules of care.
Foxy Chick is a hardy cross, practically not ill. If you neglect the maintenance and care, some diseases may appear:
- Marek's disease. It is accompanied by convulsions, an increase in goiter, lameness, and a change in eye color. There are no treatment methods, only prophylactic vaccinations are permissible.
- Coccidiosis Chicks do not tolerate the disease. The disease is accompanied by a deterioration in appetite, limp, loose stools, ruffled feathers. Veterinarians prescribe such drugs as Amprolium, Sulfadimezin, Koktsidiovit for treatment. They treat the disease with folk remedies using iodine or sulfur. As a disease prevention, at least 2 times a week you need to clean the drinkers and feeders, change the litter, remove food from the container after each feeding.
- Intestinal infections, ticks, worms. Ticks attach to birds and drink blood. Feathered suffer from severe itching and loss of appetite. Insecticides will help fix the problem. A bathtub filled with ash also helps to combat this.
- Pasteurellosis. During the period of the disease, the acute form is characterized by general depression, loss of appetite, green, mucous diarrhea, shortness of breath. In a chronic form, a runny nose, wheezing during breathing, swelling of the paws and crest are manifested in birds. The disease is not treatable; therefore, the bird must be disposed of immediately. As a means for prevention, it is recommended to take Levomycetin tablets.
More about chicken diseases, their symptoms and treatment methods are written here.
Shedding and egg laying breaks
Layers give eggs almost all year long. But they have a forced pause in egg laying, which is associated with annual molting. As soon as the indicator of egg productivity begins to decline, chickens need to create special conditions to speed up the process of molting.
Birds need to reduce daylight hours, give the most nutritious food. Shedding lasts from one and a half to two months. Clovers, alfalfa, meat and bone meal, cabbage are added to the food for such layers.
Experienced farmers recommend excluding grain from the diet during a break in egg production. Resuming the supply of grain mixtures is permissible during the period of the appearance of new feathers. During this period, hens especially need germinated grains of wheat and oats, sunflower.
Care and maintenance of chicks
Chicks need excellent lighting for their good development. The first ten days of life, the light must be constantly on. The first 5 days of life, it is optimal to keep babies at a temperature of +30 degrees. At a month's age, +20 degrees is enough.
At first, the chicks are given high-quality compound feed (for broiler breeds). In this case, simple forage for feeding young animals is not suitable for meat-and-egg birds.
After drying the chickens and their active movement, farmers include fresh cottage cheese, fish oil in the diet, and also feed the chicks with boiled eggs in a crushed form. Small birds should not eat whole grains and milk, because they still have fragile stomachs that can not cope with the digestion of these products.
After the birds are one and a half months old, they begin to feed them with chopped "adult" food so it is digested faster and better absorbed by the body. It is important to water the youngsters with clean, fresh water. Drinkers must be installed in the house so that it is difficult to stain them.First, the chicks are given warm water at least 40 degrees to avoid hypothermia. It is recommended to add a little solution of ascorbic acid to the drinkers.
Farmers Opinion
Many farmers respond well to Foxy Chick chickens, considering the birds easy to maintain.
Veronica, 38 years old, farmer. I happened to get acquainted with this breed about five years ago. First, the husband bought about 20 chicks. All of them were peppy, they were quite active. Over the entire period, they never got sick with anything. For a month I fed the birds with boiled eggs, then mixed them with the nettles in the crushed form. As adults, I give millet, corn. I prefer to cook compound feed myself, rather than buying. A week, one laying hen gives about five large eggs. But after a couple of years, their egg production becomes half as much, so I send the birds for meat.
Cyril, 49 years old, breeder. For the first time I saw birds on the market - they fascinated me with their amazing appearance, fiery color of plumage. At first I decided to get a dozen chicks, because even then I was not serious about breeding birds. But then I realized that laying hens supply me with large eggs, and there is enough meat for myself. Then he decided to raise birds solely for the sake of eggs. One layer gives 280-290 eggs per year. Nutritious, tasty products. I like birds due to their unpretentiousness. In the summer I release them for walking, and in the winter I keep them in the barn.
Vitaliy, 41, a breeder. I bought 15 chicks. At first I thought that I was caught by unscrupulous sellers, because at the age of one and a half months the chicks were very thin, their legs were long. But then they suddenly began to grow in breadth, and already in adulthood weigh up to 4-5 kg. Layer eggs give large. To breed chicks, I use roosters of a different breed so that I don’t have to buy an expensive egg or chickens. In the future I plan to buy an incubator.
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Foxy Chick chickens are excellent laying hens, strong cocks. They are distinguished by good productive qualities, unpretentiousness to the conditions of detention and nutrition. Birds rarely get sick, have excellent health, and their external data are especially pleasing to farmers.
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Ukraine. City: Kryvyi Rih
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