Characteristics and description of the Pavlovsk chicken breed, rules of care and maintenance

If we talk about Pavlovsk chickens, it is first worth noting that this is the oldest breed of bird. It is impossible not to say that they are the world standard of chicken beauty. Despite these features, until recently the breed was considered lost. What this was connected with, what is the history of the emergence of birds, their characteristics and much more can be found out further.

History of origin

The Pavlovsk breed of chickens saw the light in the 18th century and it happened in a village called Pavlovo, located in the Nizhny Novgorod central province. The birds are named after this settlement. The species was introduced to the world in 1875, in Moscow, during the Acclimatization Exhibition, after which chickens began to participate in all subsequent poultry exhibitions.

The breed received the status of the country's national breed in 1899 at a meeting of the organizing committee of the International Poultry Exhibition. At the same time, the Pavlovian chicken was given a small description of its characteristics. The birds received their final status as an indigenous Russian breed in 1905. Pavlovsk chickens, due to their frost resistance, were popular in many northern regions of the country.

The October Revolution of 1917 left its mark on the breed, as a result of which chickens practically disappeared. As a result, only a few bird representatives remained. This was followed by a period when no one remembered Pavlovsk chickens until the twentieth century.

In the eighties, the St. Petersburg Institute VNIIGRZh began work on recreating the breed. However, they had a catch: no one knew exactly how the species was originally bred. As a result, breeders had to choose their own path.

Appearance and bred subspecies

Pavlovsk chickens definitely stand out for their appearance. Birds should be described from the head, which is decorated with a crest: in some individuals it is spreading, in others it is laterally compressed. The beak is smooth and thin, and does not have a hawk's hook. The nostrils also differ from other species of birds due to their size and slightly raised location.

The species lacks a large crest; in general, it looks underdeveloped. The eyes of representatives of the breed are slightly convex, dark and small.Birds have whiskers that go down to the neck and visually form a kind of beard. On the neck there is long and protruding plumage, thanks to which the birds’ scruff clearly stands out.

In structure, the body shape is similar to that of a simple laying hen, but the Pavlovsk breed is compact. The wings fit tightly to the body and are well developed. The legs have an original kind of stockings, which are formed due to tightly fitting feathers. The tail is small in size and somewhat protruding.

There are a couple of subspecies of Pavlovsk birds: silvery and golden.

Silver

If we talk about silver roosters, it is worth noting that their dominant plumage color is white.

Golden

This subspecies is distinguished by its golden-brown plumage. At the end of the body, the brown color is not sharp, but smoothly, flowing into black, outlining a certain edging that resembles the letter V running along the body of the bird.

Character of the breed

Despite their undeniably outstanding decorative features, Pavlovsk chickens cause controversy among poultry farmers. The birds have a spectacular appearance and are interesting, but for breeding you need to carefully select the parent flock.

Chickens of this breed are active and mobile, they love to run. A distinctive feature in the behavior of birds is fussiness. In addition, chickens simply fly over certain obstacles, changing their trajectory.

Roosters have a cocky disposition. However, despite the apparent aggressiveness or belligerence, males get along with other bird species. In relation to humans, Pavlovsk chickens are quite disposed and trusting. They make no attempt to escape and are quite attached to the coop.

Taking into account the warlike nature of roosters, the best option for them is to create a separate place in the chicken coop.

Productivity

If we talk about egg production, it is worth saying that this breed is average. In general, one individual produces from 280 to 300 eggs per year. If you provide laying hens with a decent level of maintenance, they lay eggs more often and more. The shell color of eggs is white or beige; weight – up to 55 grams.

The breed cannot be called large. So, roosters reach 2.5 kilograms, and chickens - 2 kilograms. To some extent, this decorative species is called early ripening.

Pavlovsk chickens are also characterized by high hatchability. In turn, survival makes it possible to increase the size of the farm in a short time.

Advantages and disadvantages

Among the advantages of the breed, poultry farmers highlight:

• simplicity of content;
• insignificant waste of feed;
• high percentage of young animals survival;
• good taste of meat and eggs.

If we talk about the disadvantages, there is practically one single drawback: the danger of acquiring livestock of dubious breed, and hence low productivity.

Rules for keeping birds

There are a number of rules regarding the maintenance of the breed, which we propose to discuss further.

Chicken coop, feeders and drinkers

Birds cannot be called whimsical. Due to dense, abundant plumage and increased activity, chickens are able to tolerate sub-zero temperatures in a room without heating. However, at the same time, the place where the bird is kept must be protected from drafts.

Poultry farmers recommend organizing a free, warm chicken coop for the Pavlovsk breed.

Walking yard

Birds do not respond well to cages and confined areas in general.This is due to their active lifestyle, so in the summer it is better not to limit the freedom of chickens, giving them the opportunity to stay in the walking yard until the evening.

What to feed the birds

The Pavlovsk breed stands out among other meat and egg-meat species in that it is undemanding to the diet. In particular, in summer birds feed on worms, insects, and grass. In winter, chickens consume regular food: grain, silage, bran, mineral supplements. With proper organization of the diet, one individual needs 50 grams of feed per day.

Chickens

On the first day of life, chickens are given cottage cheese and a hard-boiled egg, which are mixed with boiled cereal or corn kernels. On the third day, complementary feeding with nettles, boiled carrots and potatoes, and clover is introduced. From the fifth day they give greenfinch, tops, dry mash, yeast. It is worth making sure that the birds' crops are full by the end of the day.

Chickens consume food on a tray. It is not cold water or warm milk that is added to the drinking bowls.

If chickens do not have the opportunity to select pasture, the following diet is organized:

• food is given 3-4 times a day;
• In the morning, chickens are given 1/3 of grain, and 2 hours later - wet mash;
• in the evening they give the remaining amount of grain.

Adults

The daily diet of adult individuals of the Pavlovsk breed includes grain, mineral supplements, vegetable mixtures, as well as food of animal origin. This list is mandatory.

If the owner of the farm has a desire to receive eggs in order to breed young animals, the hens are given protein feed and a complex of vitamins. In this case, protein feed refers to meat, feather and fish meal. Plant products include legumes, nettles, yeast, meal and cakes.

Breeding Features

Often, chickens of this breed are bred to decorate the yard. That is, we are not talking about making a big profit from the livestock. For this reason, before purchasing a bird, it is worth finding out the features, appearance and other subtleties, in order to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Breeding the breed is not difficult, since females are excellent hens and mothers; with the appearance of offspring, caring for them falls solely on them. All that is required from the breeder is to ensure proper maintenance of the chickens.

Common diseases and methods to combat them

Chickens are resistant to colds and diseases. Due to the fact that they consume a significant amount of green food in the summer, they develop strong immunity.

Farmers who have a large number of poultry on their farms vaccinate them against Gumboro, Newcastle and Marek diseases.

How much do they cost and where to buy

Pavlovsk chickens are not an expensive breed. On average, the cost of a chicken ranges from 300 to 500 rubles. Prices for adult elite individuals start from 500 rubles.

It is possible to purchase the species both in markets and on farms that breed and sell poultry.