Description and maintenance of Borkovskaya Barvistaya chickens, care and breeding

Chickens of the Borkovskaya Barvistaya breed appeared in poultry houses not so long ago, but have already gained popularity due to their calm nature, tasty eggs and dietary tender meat. Interest in this breed is not accidental. The variety has many advantages, keeping laying hens is economically beneficial, in addition, motley chickens are simply beautiful.

Historical information about the breed

The Borkov barvy breed of chickens was bred by Ukrainian scientists and was registered recently, in 2005. The name comes from the name of the village of Borki, where the breeders worked, and the Ukrainian word “barva”, which means “paint”, as a reference to the motley color of the birds. The main goal was to create a variety with good adaptation characteristics to climate change. The most highly productive Breed of domestic chickens for egg production - Leghorn, so an additional advantage of the bred birds was their egg production.

Features and characteristics of Borkovskaya barvistaya chickens

Given the silver-motley color and the fact that the Borkovskaya Barvisa descended from Leghorns, chickens of this breed are sometimes called silver Leghorns. Since the breed is young, some characteristics, such as behavioral ones, may change over time.

What do they look like?

A description of the appearance of birds of the Borkovskaya Barvistaya breed is presented in the table.

Productive Features

Chickens of the Borkovskaya Barvistaya breed lay 250-260 eggs per year. Birds begin to lay eggs early, already at the age of 4 months, and have high productivity up to 2-2.5 years, which is a good indicator for egg-laying breeds.The eggs, with light cream or light brown shells, are not very large, approximately 55 grams. The meat is tender and tasty; by the age of two months, the chicken reaches 1.2 kg.

Temperament

The nature of the birds is peaceful, although some roosters are aggressive. The reason may be that the breed is still young, so the pugnacity of males has not yet been eliminated in the selection process, but work is underway to improve this indicator. The chickens are smart, calm, get used to their owner and get along with other inhabitants of the poultry house. Moderately shy.

Maternal instinct

The maternal instinct in chickens is quite developed, so in households it is possible to breed chickens without an incubator. The hens of this breed are also given eggs from other chickens. The survival rate of offspring in Borkovsky barvises is more than 90%.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of the Borkovskaya Barvistaya chicken breed include their versatility: they use both eggs, which are produced in sufficient quantities, and tender meat. What other advantages do birds of this breed have:

• Calm character and easy-going personality.
• Long-lasting productivity.
• Good cold tolerance and high adaptive characteristics.
• Immunity to typical diseases.
• Developed maternal instinct.
• High survival rate of chicks and adult chickens.
• The ability to distinguish the sex of day-old chicks by color.
• Beautiful appearance.

The breed has few disadvantages. The disadvantages include the low number of eggs laid per year, but this is only when compared with the most productive breeds. In addition, the eggs are not very large, although this is compensated by their good composition and high content of easily digestible protein. The disadvantage of chickens is the habit of flying over the fence of an open range, the problem is solved by installing a higher fence or mesh as a roof.

Conditions and care of birds

Chickens of the Borkovskaya Barvistaya breed are unpretentious, but like other birds, egg production and health depend on maintenance and care.

For good productivity and strong immunity, birds need a spacious, warm home and a place to roam.

Chicken coop

The chicken coop is set up at the rate of half a square meter per chicken. The perches are arranged in 4-5 tiers. To prevent productivity from falling in winter, install additional lighting and insulate the home. It is important to protect your chickens from drafts, while at the same time ensuring adequate ventilation.

Walking yard

The area for bird walking is fenced with a fence of at least two meters high or covered with a net, since Borkovsky barvises like to fly over the fence. A canopy is provided in the courtyard to protect from the scorching sun and precipitation, and drinking bowls and daytime feeders are placed.

Feeders and drinkers

Chickens constantly rake up food with their feet, so feeders are designed in such a way that only their heads can fit inside. Drinkers must always contain a sufficient amount of clean water, this is especially important during the hot season. During the day, water is added or changed as it gets dirty.

Seasonal molt

Chickens usually begin to moult in the fall and stop laying eggs. Molting lasts approximately two months. Sometimes molting is forced in order to shorten its time and at the same time improve the health of the poultry house population.

Planned herd replacement

Egg production begins to gradually decline after the Borkovskaya chicken reaches the age of 2 years. For this reason, old laying hens are gradually being replaced by young ones. It is not advisable to keep chickens over 4 years old in the flock.

Diet

For the health of birds, it is important that the diet is complete and includes the proteins, fats, carbohydrates and microelements necessary for the body. Depending on the age, sex and functional purpose of the birds, the composition of the feed varies somewhat.

Chickens

Chicken feed should be finely chopped and crumbly so that it is easy for them to peck at it. During the first week of life, chicks should eat every 3 hours. The diet of babies initially consists of finely chopped boiled eggs, millet and chopped greens, then homemade cottage cheese, mixed feed and vegetables are introduced; from one and a half months, chickens can be given the same food as adult birds.

Adult herd

Adult birds are fed a grain mixture, which includes wheat, rye, barley, oats, wet food in the form of homemade mash, and purchased mixed feed. Birds get their vitamins from finely chopped greens and pureed vegetables; you can also add purchased vitamin-mineral complexes during feeding.

Laying hens are given calcium in the diet in the form of eggshells or shell rock, since the bird’s body needs the trace element during the formation of egg shells.

For digestion, chickens require pebbles, which the birds themselves find when free-ranging in the summer. In the winter season, as well as in the presence of a closed range, birds are given coarse sand or fine gravel.

It is necessary to constantly ensure that the chickens have clean water in sufficient quantities, for which purpose the drinking bowls are checked throughout the day and refilled if necessary.

Breeding

For breeding, healthy birds are selected that have the characteristic characteristics of the breed. There should be one rooster per 10 laying hens, so fertilization will be complete. There are no problems with hatching chicks, since Borkovsky barvises are excellent brood hens. The survival rate of offspring hatched by a chicken is higher than that obtained from an incubator; this figure is close to 95%. Hatched chicks, covered with gray down, weigh 45 grams. Day-old cockerels are lighter in color than hens.

Diseases found in chickens

Borkov barvy chickens are characterized by stable immunity to typical diseases, but the resistance of the birds decreases if the maintenance and diet do not meet the requirements. In this case, the laying hens weaken. Birds are not immune from vitamin deficiency. It can be eliminated by enriching the diet with herbs, fruits, vegetables, and vitamin and mineral supplements.

Chickens of the Borkovskaya Barvistaya breed will decorate any poultry house, and will not cause much trouble. Perfect for updating an existing herd or for breeding new stock. Thanks to strong immunity, high survival rate and frost resistance, laying hens will take root in almost any region except the Far North.