The Kotlyarevskaya breed is a versatile bird intended for home breeding. In addition to high productivity in the form of eggs and meat, the breed has one significant advantage - high vitality.
History of the origin of the breed
Breeders work nonstop to create different versatile breeds with excellent health and ease of care. Scientists get different results, but not a single result of creating chickens can be better than Kotlyarevskaya.
The breed got its name thanks to the plant in Kabardino-Balkaria. To date, the breed is being improved and its standards are being consolidated in Genofond LLC. In the process of creating Kotlyarevskaya, scientists used the following chickens: Zagorskaya salmon, Russian white, Golosheinaya, New Hampshire and Striped plimurka.
Kotlyarevskaya was created with the aim of producing chickens with excellent vitality, high egg production and a large meat yield. After a while, the selection continued to make all existing characteristics even better and better. Some argue that the Kotlyarevsky chickens are meat and egg, but in fact they are egg and meat.
On an industrial scale, chickens are not bred, and indeed there are not so many of them in the villages. Buying chickens is costly. The price is high due to the limited number of purebred chickens.
Advantages and disadvantages of Kotlyarevsky chickens
Breed advantages:
- strong immunity, excellent survival rate of young animals (about 92%);
- not exacting care;
- need a little food;
- there is a great demand for young animals (at bird fairs, chickens are bought in a matter of minutes);
- high productivity (at 6 months, a chicken weighs about 3 kg);
- high egg production;
- juicy, tasty, dietary meat.
Disadvantages of the Kotlyarevskaya chicken breed:
- it is difficult to acquire (chicks are quickly bought up and often poultry farmers simply do not have time to buy young);
- there is no maternal instinct.
Characteristics and description of the breed
The Kotlyarevskaya breed is a representative of birds with excellent heredity. The best breeds of domestic birds are considered its ancestors.
Appearance
The appearance of this breed has its own distinctive characteristics. Birds have a small head and not a long neck. Feathering makes the neck much larger than it really is. Both the hen and the rooster have a comb, but in the male it is more pronounced. Comb in the form of a leaf.
Feathered eyes are large orange. A characteristic feature is the presence of red and white lobes in layers. Males boast a pronounced rib cage. The back of the male is even, it rises closer to the tail.
The wings and tail are well developed, covered with a large number of feathers. They can fly, but the Kotlyarevsky birds do not like to move in the air, they walk and run more often. The legs are wide apart, short. There are no feathers on the legs, each has 4 toes. The beak is short and sharp.
As for the color of the birds, it can be different. The reason is the large number of breeds participating in the creation of the Kotlyarevsky birds.
Character
Breeders do not complain about the behavior of a given breed. The chicken has a calm and friendly character. Kotlyarevskie birds are ideal for keeping in villages. They are not particularly active, they do not drive around the yard, they do not encroach on the beds.
Birds communicate with a person with great pleasure, do not quarrel with each other and do not cry. We can say that the Kotlyarevskaya breed is solid phlegmatic birds.
Productivity
The weight of the birds and the number of eggs they produce are indicative of high productivity. High egg production is characteristic - one laying hen can produce about 220 eggs per year. Birds gain weight quickly and are often raised for tasty and juicy meat.
The onset of puberty
Rapid growth and active development are the main distinguishing features of layers. At the age of six months, the roosters reach a mass of 3 kg, and the hens begin to lay eggs.
Egg production
This process in birds does not improve immediately. Layers become fertile with age. The shell is creamy. Clutch is active up to 240 pieces per year, hens take a break only during molting. Even in cold climates, but in a cozy and warm chicken coop, you can get large eggs every day.
Incubation instinct
Breeding work brings not only benefits, but also colossal harm. For example, lack of maternal instinct. Pure breeds have retained this opportunity. But crosses or hybrids rarely keep it. The species created by breeders also lack the brooding instinct, or it is greatly weakened. This is really a big drawback, since chickens cannot fully hatch their offspring and they die before they even hatch.
The instinct is not completely lost, but finding a good "mommy" is difficult. All hens sit on their offspring, but almost none of them hatch it to the end. Poultry farmers, out of desperation, use a hen of another breed of hens or a special incubator for breeding.
Subtleties of content
Inexperienced poultry farmers can start this breed without fear. Chickens Kotlyarevsky are not demanding in care, they do not need special food, they almost never get better.
The diet
A well-chosen diet can help a breeder get an egg weighing about 70 g. In summer, food is different from the winter version. During the winter season, breeders add more mineral supplements and nutrients to their diet. Dried grass, coniferous or herbal flour is used as food. In the summer season, the main food for chickens is greens and pasture.
The second difference between the winter menu and the summer one is in the amount of food. In winter, it should be 10% more. This is due to the fact that chickens spend a huge amount of energy on heating the body.
The birds' favorite dish is wet mash. They are well digested, chickens eat them with pleasure. Another additional advantage is that the poultry farmer can add any vitamin and mineral powder mixtures to them. Moist mash provides the body with energy and strength for the whole day. Better to give them to birds for breakfast.
Adult chickens are fed 2 or 3 times a day. In the winter season at least 3 times. In summer, you can feed twice, only if the birds can eat greens and forage at the foot of the open air.
The basis of the diet of all chickens is grain crops. The main place is occupied by wheat and oats, and one should not forget about cereals. Plumage helps to restore sunflower seeds, it is better to give them during the molting period.
Chicken coop device
If you live in a warm climate, then you don't need to build a heated chicken coop. It is necessary to make the chickens a room with a roof, and in the cold season provide them with a large amount of food so that the birds can generate a lot of energy and strength for warming.
We recommend reading the article on how to make a chicken coop yourself.
The floor covering is covered with a special heating material such as straw or peat. In winter, you need to lay a warm bedding, which itself will serve as an excellent source of heat. Sawdust or peat is turned over from time to time and added more.
A chicken coop should not exist without roosts, it is better to make them from boards. Perches are placed low from the floor so that the birds can easily climb on them, do not forget that they do not like to fly.
In the room for chickens, nests must be installed so that the birds can lay eggs. Their number depends directly on the number of chickens, but for 5 females there should be 1 box with nests, if possible, then their number is increased. Hay or straw is placed in boxes, it is not necessary to leave them naked, birds can generally refuse such nests and lay offspring in another place.
Walking
The presence of a walking yard is required, since the representatives of the Kotlyarevskaya breed adore fresh air and walks, although they do it very slowly. In the yard, greenery should grow: clover or alfalfa, which will serve as excellent food for birds. The courtyard is fenced on all sides with a net so that the birds do not get into the territory of other animals. And other animals, in turn, did not infect the Kotlyarevskaya chicken breed with viruses and infections.
Feeders and drinkers
Basic requirements for feeders and drinkers: comfortable, roomy and easy to clean. Such containers are installed on a walking yard and in a chicken room. The number and size depend directly on the number of birds. Read about making drinkers with your own hands here.
There is about 0.1 m of feed tape per bird. Drinking bowls are made stable and comfortable. You can use plastic bowls, enamel buckets. If you have the opportunity and the necessary material, then you can make containers for water and feed with your own hands. Read an additional article on how to make your own chicken feeder.
The use of a siphon drinker is justified if you have no more than 12 chickens. It is a glass with a siphon system and a container for water intake.
Molting period
Every year, laying hens enter a difficult stage in life - molt. People in autumn suffer from boredom and despondency, and chickens begin to lose their feathers, this process is associated with a decrease in daylight hours. During molting, birds stop laying eggs.
This is normal and does not cause any health problems. There are times when layers cannot shed on their own, they have to help with this.
Forced molting can only be prescribed by a veterinarian, you do not need to "torment" the chicken yourself.
Breeding
Due to the fact that chickens of the Kotlyarevskaya breed are not particularly good mothers, they put their eggs for incubation under other hens (of a different breed) or use a special incubator.
The appearance of chicks is a very reverent and important moment, you should prepare for it in advance so that the young do not die, since the chicks are very vulnerable and sensitive, any wrong movement can cause them irreparable harm.
As for the appearance, the chicks of the Kotlyarevskaya breed do not differ from each other. They are born white or yellow. There are also representatives with 2 black stripes on the back. All striped - hens, chickens with a solid color - future cockerels.
The mass of a chick at the age of one day is not more than 40 g. However, this is not for long, birds gain mass very quickly, especially with a high-quality and balanced diet. 30 days after birth, the young already weigh 350 g, after 1.5 months - 500 g.
Chick care
Young growth of Kotlyarevskaya breed is very sensitive to temperature extremes. Any climatic difficulties should be avoided so that the babies do not die. 1 day before the birth of handsome men, start preparing a "home" for them.
When breeding birds in large numbers, special systems and equipment are used, but this is not necessary at home. If a box is the room for growing young animals, then dry bedding is lined at its bottom. A lamp and an electric heating pad are installed near the "house".
One of the main components in caring for chickens is a well-chosen diet. It ensures good growth and development of the young. Particular attention should be paid to protein products, since thanks to them muscle tissue, which is necessary for young animals, grows rapidly. The first 10 days, food stops on boiled eggs, low-fat cottage cheese and cereals. After some time, combined coarsely ground feeds are added to the menu.
The temperature regime does not differ from what is needed for other chicken breeds. Newborn chicks should be kept at +32 degrees Celsius. The optimum moisture content is 55%. This requirement is relevant for the first 7 days, then the indicators are reduced by 2 degrees every 6 days.
Sanitation must be at the highest level, this rule is relevant not only for babies, but also for adult poultry. However, chicks need cleanliness more than adults, since their immunity is just beginning to form, any bacteria and infections can weaken it.
You can improve the health of chicks from birth; gradually add vitamins and minerals to the diet. For example, fish oil and yeast, ascorbic acid. Feed feed mixtures containing vitamins.
Diseases
The Kotlyarevskaya chicken does not often get sick, but if her health deteriorates, then parasitic infections are the source. This happens only if the hen was not vaccinated.
The survival rate for chicks and adult chickens is about 93%, for birds this is a high indicator. If the poultry farmer takes all preventive measures for the care of the birds, then he will not face serious problems with the layers.
Reviews of poultry farmers about Kotlyarevskaya chickens
Olga, 42 years old, entrepreneur, Alchevsk.Most of all, the birds of the Kotlyarevskaya breed surprise me with the fact that, despite their miniature appearance, they bring large eggs. A recent discovery amazed me: the laying hen brought an egg weighing 73 g. For me they are real hard workers. They rush every day, in the chicken coop I maintain the temperature at +5 degrees Celsius. Also, tribute should be paid to the excellent plumage. My layers are very sociable, the rooster is generally tame, it can sit quietly and for a long time on my shoulders.
Oleg, 38 years old, zoologist, Sochi.I can't get enough of chickens of this breed. They survived the winter without much heating; they brought eggs every day, even in winter. The exception was molting, this, as for me, is the most difficult period for chickens. They looked tortured and afraid. I tried to help as best I could, survived normally, immediately began to lay eggs. The color is brownish, only the laying hen brings white eggs, I do not place them in the incubator.
Ivan, 76 years old, retired, Omsk.Egg production did not disappoint. Chickens are great, they rushed even in winter. A good breed, I will continue to breed such.
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Chickens of the Kotlyarevskaya breed are not particularly whimsical in care, they are distinguished by excellent survival. If the poultry farmer provides them with the right conditions, he can raise healthy and strong poultry.