Many species of birds have been domesticateddifferent purposes. For economic purposes - to get a feather, down, meat (chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, pheasants), for entertainment - talking parrots, miniature amads, singing canaries.
Poultry is also early, and productive, andare prolific. In addition, their taste qualities are highly appreciated. Birds of the home are divided into heavy and light. For example, chickens that are related to light breeds can be carried already after four months, to heavy ones - one and a half months later. Geese, ducks and turkeys 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 not more than two years old, and geese are left to three or even four years.
Chickens related to meat (heavy) breeds:Plymouth white, white cornish, langash, dorking, brahma, faverol; 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 Toulouse, grayEmden and Kholmogory. To the middle - Arzamas, Tula, Roma, Shadrin, Italian. The easiest (and most egg) - Chinese, Kuban, Gorky.
Breeding of poultry in villages canturn out to 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.
When selecting a bird for the tribe, pay attention tofirst of all on the conformity of species and weight indicators, on the overall development, the severity of the characteristics of the breed. Special requirements are imposed on males. They should 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 hatching.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, by contrast, are more prone to incubation. This ability is evident in many goose and ducks.
For a hen, a basket or box is prepared, the bottomit is lined with hay. The place is selected 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.
Feeds the hen with the usual dry food (feederit is better to put it 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 time increases, the duration of the lighting time decreases and gradually (by the month) is brought under the usual light day.
If you plan to receive in the future laying hens,Start the withdrawal in March-April. In this case, the domestic birds will complete their growth by the autumn, will be stronger and quite safely endure the winter, starting to sweep even before the onset of frost.
If domesticated birds are grown to obtain meat, the young are purchased in early spring. Slaughter conditions are reached in three months.
The successful growth of any bird depends on the provision ofthe necessary quantity of high-quality fodder, access to clean water, good sanitary conditions, the exclusion of drafts and dampness, adequate ventilation. For this purpose, a separate block (poultry house) is created. Young animals 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 increases).
