Chickens Leggorn is an unpretentious breed that has gained popularity among many breeders. This breed is praised for its many benefits. It has an attractive appearance. The article describes the characteristics, rearing and care of birds. Varieties of the breed and their productivity are considered.
Breed history
Leggorns were bred in Italy closer to the beginning of the 19th century. But even then she could not boast of high productivity, because it was considered to be known exclusively in the Tuscany region.
The breed had average maturity and egg production, it began to be exported first to England, then to the United States. American breeders, who were actively involved in the breeding of new highly productive breeds at the time, used Italian chickens in their experiments. And not in vain, because the birds had great potential.
Leggorn managed to be bred when crossing with Spanish breeds, Japanese decorative chickens and white minor. In the 1860s, Italian birds in the United States were dubbed the "Leghorn". They entered the territory of Russia only in the second half of the 1920s.
Description
Leghorn is an old breed with a shallow constitution, which is more acceptable for egg breeds. They have a wedge-shaped body with a rounded and slightly protruding chest forward. The back is wide and elongated, concave in the center. The head is small, with a bright red large crest on it. In roosters, the crest is upright, and in chickens, it hangs slightly to one side. They are characterized by a long neck, smooth but thin legs.
Both hens and roosters of this breed have rather massive tail plumage. Sometimes a male is distinguished from a female along the crest. Many believe that the Leggors have a white color, but in fact there are several shades of plumage. In the industrial poultry industry, white leghorns previously prevailed, but as consumer demand for eggshells increased, breeders began to pay more attention to breeding colored birds.
Birds have a calm character. The breed is adapted for industrial breeding, therefore there is no maternal instinct in chickens.
Features and Productivity
White Leghorn is considered one of the best breeds in terms of egg production. For a year, one layer brings about 300 eggs. This is significantly more than other breeds. It is this trait that birds farmers appreciate for raising large numbers of eggs.
Almost 95% of the eggs are fertilized, because Leghorn roosters are very active. If the farmer wants to get young growth on his own, you will have to use an incubator. Despite the lack of hatching instinct, hatchability is high.
Unlike white Leghorn, dwarf birds bring a little less eggs per year - 260 pieces, weighing from 57 to 65 grams. Layers begin to rush as early as 4 months. During the first two months they can give small eggs, but then their size increases significantly.
Varieties of breed
Leghorn is an amazing breed of birds, not only distinguished by its color, but also by its external characteristics. Today, several varieties of this breed are distinguished:
Striped motley
The species was bred in the 80s at the Institute for Breeding and Genetics of Farm Animals in the Soviet Union. In the process of selection, scientists based on an increase in egg production, early puberty, an increase in egg mass and an improvement in external qualities. Striped and variegated Leggors were hatched when crossed with the black-and-white Australorps.
As a result, it was possible to obtain birds in which the following characteristics are distinguished:
- Resistance to disease. The birds have good health and high immunity.
- Egg orientation. During the year, laying hens give 220 eggs of white or cream color. The shell is dense.
- Fast weight gain. Already at the age of 5 months, chickens weigh about 1.7 kilograms. Closer to 1 year, laying hens gain weight up to 2.1 kilos, roosters - 2.5 kilos.
- Marketable condition. Laying hen attracts with external data, which is very important for colored animals.
- Fast puberty. Hens begin to hatch at the age of 5.5 months. In this case, the fertilization of eggs is up to 95%, hatchability of chickens is 80%, survival rate of young animals is 95%.
Still continue breeding work to improve and consolidate the highly productive qualities of the striped-motley Leghorn.
Mini Leghorn
This is a small copy of the Leggorn bred by Russian breeders. Today is in demand all over the world. Despite their miniature size, females weigh an average of 1.3 kg, roosters - 1.5 kg.
Mini Leggors are famous for their high productivity. The egg-oriented breed is popular in that for a year birds bring up to 260 white eggs weighing about 60 g. Animals start to hatch early, at 4-4.5 months. The main advantage of the breed is a high survival rate of chicks - 95%.
Breeders appreciate this breed for the profitability of breeding. Chickens are unpretentious in nutrition and eat 35% less than larger birds. But for full egg production, they need a feed containing a lot of calcium and protein.
Although the fertility of eggs is 98%, the dwarf breed is completely devoid of maternal instinct. Animals are characterized by a calm nature, lack of aggression towards the owner, the ability to adapt to the climatic conditions of Russia.
Spotted
The breed is black and white. The first chickens of this color were obtained in 1904. They were considered defective, but over time they became the ancestors of the spotted Leghorn, who no longer crossed with any breeds. Perhaps the genes of the black minor, which were used to breed the Leghorn breed, affected. The peculiarity of the variety is that the spotted Leghorn are considered good laying hens.
Cuckoo-Partridge (Legbar)
Very often, the Cuckoo-Partridge Leghorn is used for breeding work. The advantage of animals is a high percentage of survival, unpretentiousness in nutrition. Chickens have gray with silver and gold-cream plumage. Roosters have sharper stripes than hens. Notable crest, bright crest with white earrings.
They are distinguished by a calm nature, good health, high egg production - they bring up to 270 eggs per year, weighing 60-70 grams. Egg shell with a blue or olive tint. The live weight of roosters is 3-3.5 kg, hens - 2.5-2.8 kg. Egg fertilization - 90%.
Golden
Golden Leghorn is characterized by small carcass size, beautiful appearance and high productivity. They are considered a decorative subspecies. Golden plumage gives the birds a certain mystery. For a year, laying layers bring up to 260 white eggs weighing 60-61 grams. The weight of an adult chicken is on average 1.9 kg, of a rooster 2.2 kg.
Maintenance and care of Leggorn chickens
Leghorn chickens are unpretentious animals, but require the observance of appropriate conditions, because their productivity depends on it. It is required to adhere to sanitary standards, feed the birds accordingly, and clean the house.
Room
In the houses, perches, nests, drinking bowls and feeders are equipped. For the arrangement of perches, the use of rounded poles with a diameter of 4 cm is recommended, so it will be more convenient for layers to lay around their legs. There should be enough space for all birds, because most of the time they spend it on the perch. The design must be durable, the perch must not bend and withstand several animals.
To equip the nests, use any containers in which the birds are placed. The bottom is lined with hay.
In private households, experienced breeders advise providing birds with an aviary for walking. To do this, enclose a site located near the house, stretch a grid one and a half meters high so that the birds do not fly away. Otherwise, animals can harm the household: tear out the beds, peck vegetables, etc. Walking allows birds to eat pasture.
In winter, containers with ash are placed in the house, where birds will bathe in it, which contributes to reliable protection against pests.
Feeding
Leghorn's diet is similar to the nutrition given to all other chicken breeds. The main thing is to feed the birds with fresh feed, observe a diet, make a balanced diet, where minerals and vitamins will be present.
Particular attention is paid to feeding the chicks:
- 1 to 3 day feed them with boiled grated egg, cottage cheese or starter compound feed for laying hens.
- On day 4 add greens: dandelion leaves, onion feathers, nettle.
- On day 5 feed chalk is introduced.
Young animals are fed at least 6 times a day.
From the third week, it is allowed to transfer chicks to a diet for adult birds. The grown-up chickens will not have to give food so often, three meals a day will be enough. But it is advisable to teach the bird to a new regime, gradually reducing the number of feedings by six months of life.
Adult birds are fed with such products:
- bone meal;
- grain feed;
- root vegetables, vegetables;
- green mass;
- mineral and vitamin supplements;
- herbal flour;
- feed chalk.
In the morning and evening, birds are given grain. At lunch, it is recommended to feed the animals with sacks of vegetables and shredded grass. Hens willingly eat any root vegetables. When compiling a diet for young animals include foods containing a lot of protein. Adult birds need enough vitamins and calcium. In the summer, they replenish their reserves from green fodder, in the winter they are fed with boiled vegetables, grass flour.
Poultry calcium is obtained from crushed shells. It will be more convenient to put containers with this product in the house. In addition to food, they give clean water, which they regularly change. In winter, birds are drunk with warm liquid.
Disease and Prevention
In industrial farms, birds often experience increased noise levels, which is why a disease characteristic of Leghorn chickens develops - noise hysteria. Laying eggs are especially susceptible to this disease. The disease manifests itself in the fact that chickens begin to behave aggressively towards each other, scream, wave their wings and beat against the walls. This leads to severe injuries and bruises, loss of plumage, decreased egg production.
Attacks of noise hysteria can happen several times a day. In this case, it is urgently necessary to lower the noise level and create the necessary conditions for the production of eggs.
Dilution and incubation
Leggorn poultry is especially good in the first year. Further, productivity gradually decreases. It makes no sense to keep birds for more than two years. Therefore, one-year-old laying hens collect eggs and lay them for incubation. Only smooth eggs are taken, on which there is no dirt, growths, damage.
White Leghorns lay eggs with an almost transparent shell - this will reveal spoilage using an ovoscope. Screening is necessary in order for the breeder to look at the yolk and the air chamber:
- The yolk should be intact and slightly move to the side when turning, immediately return to the place.
- The air chamber should be located at the blunt end. With a strongly displaced chamber, the laying of such eggs is refused.
Incubation is carried out in the usual manner: the temperature regime and the required humidity are observed.
Industrial and domestic breeding
Leghorn chickens are especially in demand for breeding in industrial farms of different countries. More than 20 pedigree factories throughout Russia are engaged in the conversion and breeding of new species of this breed.
Improvement experiments have led chickens to lay eggs for more than 250 days a year. Leghorn breeding does not require much space and feed. Because today it is very profitable to engage in breeding birds on a large scale.
On industrial farms, Leggorn are grown in cages arranged in rows in a barn. Hormones and antibiotics help eliminate diseases that develop due to crowding and dirt. But this causes the depletion of birds, which entails culling. In industrial conditions, chickens are grown only a year, then sent for slaughter, because egg production is reduced.
Home breeding is profitable and cost effective. For commercial purposes, the cultivation of white Leggorn is popular, in homesteads they prefer birds with different colors. As a rule, these are brown chickens bringing large eggs. Poultry farmers are attracted by the appearance of such birds, although their productivity is lower than that of the white Leghorn.
Brown laying hens need special attention. They need to be fed not only well, but also in compliance with the regimen. Otherwise, egg production is impaired, which is then restored for a long time. Such chickens are more prone to infectious diseases than their white counterparts.
On the proper feeding of laying hens - read here.
Advantages and disadvantages of the breed
Leggorn is a popular and sought-after breed of egg-laying chickens. Animals are considered the best laying hens. This is not the only advantage of these birds. But chickens have several drawbacks.
The table below shows the pros and cons of the breed.
pros | Minuses |
|
|
Comparative characteristics of productivity with other breeds
Below is a table, thanks to which it is possible to compare Leghorn chickens with other breeds of egg orientation:
Breed | Laying Weight | The number of eggs per year | Egg mass | Shell color |
Loman Brown | 1.6-2 kg | 280-320 pcs. | more than 60 g | brown |
Rhode Island | 2.5-2.9 kg | up to 170 pcs. | 58-63 g | brown |
Black minor | 2.3-2.5 kg | 170-200 pcs. | up to 60 g | white |
Sussex | 2.4-2.7 kg | 170-190 pcs. | 56-58 g | light beige to tan |
New hampshire | 2.5-2.8 kg | 190-200 pcs. | 58-59 g | light brown |
Russian white | 2-2.5 kg | 300 pcs | up to 56 g | white |
Belarus 9-U | 2-2.1 kg | 250-260 pcs. | 59-60 g | white |
Farmers Opinion
On the Internet on the breed Leggorn there are only positive reviews. After all, it is almost impossible to find a breed that would be superior in egg production to Leggorn.
Olga, 44 years old, a breeder. I am engaged in growing birds in spacious cages. I believe that there they feel much better. I keep them families, even in the summer. I have never noticed that the Leggors behaved aggressively towards each other. But on the walk - a nightmare, they begin to scream hysterically, run somewhere, peck grass, they don’t know where to sit for masonry. Being in a cage, rush daily. I encounter molting once a year.
Daria, 25 years old, is engaged in home breeding. Leggorn used to be grown by my grandmother. Since childhood, I remember the snow-white color of birds. There were brown Leggors. Every day I was spoiled with eggs in a fried, boiled form. Layers laid eggs constantly, almost without a break. My husband and I decided to raise chickens, which we will use to get eggs for sale. Still, eggs are always in demand, and our family will be a useful product.
Pasha, 38 years old, businessman. I heard a lot from anyone, and I read on the net that in a year the Leggorn's egg production decreases. I don’t know why this is so, but my birds, in 1.5 years, lay eggs in large quantities, look attractive. I try to constantly feed the animals with crushed shells, proteins, millet. It is not necessary to get rid of kitchen waste - birds with pleasure eat them up. For breeding at home I use an incubator.
Hide
Add your review
Leghorn chickens are popular birds that are famous all over the world. They are unpretentious in care and nutrition, but need proper care. Only with good feeding, regular cleaning of the house and replacement of drinking water, the birds will please the breeder with a large number of eggs.
Posted by
3
Ukraine. City: Kryvyi Rih
Publications: 110 Comments: 0