Description and characteristics of the Seabright chicken breed, conditions of detention

It is believed that chickens are raised only for the purpose of producing eggs or meat. But true bird lovers and connoisseurs have breeds that are not very productive, but are at the same time decorative and provide aesthetic pleasure with their appearance. Seabright chickens can become a real decoration of a poultry yard, especially since caring for them is not difficult. They are unpretentious and picky.

History of the breed

The breed has its origins in England, when at the beginning of the 19th century it was first shown by John Seabright, whose name the dwarf chickens bear. It took the English lord about 15 years for breeding work, during which he crossed dwarf betnamok, Polish and Hamburg chickens. The result was a miniature breed of poultry with beautiful plumage. Within a few years, she gained such popularity that the breeders created their own club, which included many noble people of Great Britain. Today, Seabright chickens have gained worldwide fame and decorate many farmsteads and nurseries.

Distribution and direction

Over the course of two centuries, the Seabright breed spread throughout the world and was brought to Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. Most often, breeding is done for the sake of interest, but sometimes, despite the decorative nature and dwarfism of the breed, they are kept to produce eggs and meat, which has a delicate taste.

Description and characteristics of Seabright chickens

Seabright chickens are distinguished by their miniature size and light weight. Their plumage can be golden or silver, with a beautiful black edging, similar to fish scales.

Exterior of a bird

When purchasing Seabright chickens, you need to know the main characteristics of the exterior:

• the body has graceful lines, while looking wide and well-built;
• convex chest;
• the neck is trapezoidal, short, arched back;
• the back is flat, gradually turning into a fan-shaped tail;
• head with a rose-shaped comb and smooth round earrings;
• the eyes are large, the iris is brown;
• the beak is pinkish, curved at the end;
• voluminous shins;
• the wings are long and hang freely;
• the metatarsals are bare, gray in color, the toes are far apart;
• the feather is wide and round in shape.

Gender differences

Roosters and chickens have the same color: golden or silver feathers with a beautiful black edging that resembles lace. Seabright roosters do not have feathers with sharp ends in the lumbar region and mane, as is the case with other breeds.

Males are distinguished from females by the size of their crest and tail. Roosters have larger ones.

Character

Seabright chickens are peace-loving and non-conflict. Birds easily get along with fellow birds of other breeds. But despite their small size, they bravely respond to aggression and boldly repel the enemy. They are trusting, easily get used to their owners, and are unpretentious in their care and requirements for maintenance and nutrition.

Productive qualities

The miniature Seabright breed is considered decorative. Breeders do not count on high productivity of poultry. On average, 1 chicken can lay up to 80 eggs per year, weighing about 40 g each. Representatives of the breed become sexually mature at the age of 3-4 months. In adulthood, roosters reach 600 g, hens - 500 g. Females clearly demonstrate the instinct of brooding; if necessary, they easily hatch chicks; an incubator is not needed.

Flaws in appearance

When chickens are found to not meet breed standards, the chickens are considered defective. This happens if:

• the bird's body is rough and too long;
• the wings are not lowered, but raised or pressed tightly to the body;
• there are feathers with sharp ends in the mane and on the lower back of the rooster;
• feathers do not have a black frame;
• there is a double, broken or gray border;
• The color contains black inclusions.

If culling is not carried out in time, it leads to a violation of the purity of the breed, and degeneration of the herd occurs.

Keeping birds

The rules for keeping the Seabright breed are not much different from others. Caring for miniature chickens is not difficult, they are unpretentious in food, and live in an ordinary chicken coop. But it is worth creating favorable conditions for their life so that the birds grow quickly, develop, do not get sick, reproduce, and maintain their breed characteristics.

Chicken coop equipment

To raise chickens, it is not enough to simply allocate a room; it is necessary to arrange it so that the birds do not experience discomfort and feel great at any time of the year.

The chicken coop must have a perch - a place where the birds sleep and hide from the weather. Its size depends on how many individuals live in the chicken coop. At least 25 cm of perch should be allocated per bird. It is prepared from bars, poles and placed in the warmest place in the room, away from the door. The height should correspond to the height of the Seabright breed.

It is equally important to arrange nests for laying hens. For this purpose, boxes or baskets are placed in secluded places in the chicken coop and the bottom is covered with straw. Their height should be about 30 cm, width - 40 cm.

Feeders are placed so that birds can easily get food, but cannot tear it up or stain it with their droppings. Be sure to have a drinking bowl with clean water. The best option is a special device with a dispenser and removal of excess water.

There should always be clean bedding on the floor - dry sawdust, straw. When it becomes dirty, replace it with a fresh one.

A preventive measure against the appearance of lice in the Seabright breed can be wood ash, containers with which are installed in the chicken coop. Chickens enjoy “bathing” in it.

Temperature, humidity and lighting

For small breeds, it is very important to maintain the temperature within 15-21 ⁰C, since they are heat-loving and changes are detrimental to them.In winter it should not fall below 15 ⁰С.

Dampness has a detrimental effect on the health and productivity of seabrights; in the poultry house the humidity should not rise above 60%. To reduce it, install forced ventilation or a window, and change the bedding more often. It is worth remembering that the Seabright breed does not tolerate drafts.

Additional lighting in the chicken coop is necessary, since poultry are able to lay eggs only if the daylight hours are extended to 17 hours. Light is also needed for the bird’s comfortable existence. Due to poor vision in complete darkness, they cannot sit on a perch, so the lighting must be turned off gradually - first leaving one light bulb, and then turning it off too.

Walking area

The Seabright chicken breed always behaves actively and does not tolerate cage housing. The best option for them is free walking in an enclosure and living in a poultry house. A walking yard is usually made on the leeward side of the poultry house, fencing it on all sides with a chain-link mesh at least 2 meters high.

It is advisable to close the top part as well so that birds cannot overcome the fence.

A canopy is installed inside the courtyard so that the chickens have a place to escape the heat and rain. Drinkers and feeders are placed not only indoors, but also outdoors. Experts believe that the most suitable would be a nipple drinker and a bunker feeder. A bedding of hay, straw, and sawdust is periodically poured onto the ground.

Sanitation and hygiene

When ventilating the room where the chickens are located, it is necessary to curtain the door and window with a mesh to protect the room from insects.

With the onset of warm weather, in the spring, the chicken coop is cleaned and disinfected. Treatment is carried out with caustic soda (2%) or formalin according to the instructions.To destroy bacteria, the walls of the poultry house are whitewashed with lime, and wormwood brooms are hung. Two days after treatment, the chickens are released into the poultry house.

One of the main conditions for maintaining the health of the Seabright breed is timely vaccination of the livestock.

Diet

Seabright chickens are born a day earlier than other breeds. Their diet during this period consists of crushed boiled eggs with well-sifted feed. The frequency of feedings is at least 6 times. After two days, the chickens are fed millet porridge with the addition of herbs. Gradually, meals are switched to four meals a day. After changing from down to feathers, the young bird begins to be fed like adult chickens:

• grain;
• milk;
• greens;
• beets;
• curdled milk.

Seasonal molt

The seasonal change of feathers in the Seabright breed occurs annually in the fall and lasts about one and a half months. During this period, it is necessary to support the bird’s immune system with food rich in sulfur and vitamins:

• cabbage;
• boiled fish;
• meat waste;
• clover;
• peas.

Breeding ornamental birds

Roosters become sexually mature at 4 months, chickens at 3. The breeding process continues throughout the year, excluding the molting period. The Seabright breed is capable of hatching eggs. To do this, you need to make a nest in a secluded corner of the poultry house, placing a basket with hay at the bottom and placing a lining there. As soon as the hen sits in the nest and does not leave it, eggs are placed under her (no more than 6 pieces). Food and drink are placed closer to it. Seabrights have a developed maternal instinct and, after breeding, carefully care for them.

Diseases and prevention

Diseases common to other breeds are typical for Seabright chickens.They can be acute and be more dangerous for miniature birds due to their weak immunity. Among the main diseases:

• rhinotracheitis - caused by a virus, affects the respiratory, nervous, and reproductive systems;
• Marek's disease - the virus leads to paresis and paralysis of the limbs;
• mycoplasmosis - an infectious disease of the respiratory system;
• salmonellosis is a pathology of bacterial origin that affects the gastrointestinal tract and respiratory organs.

For prevention, it is necessary to monitor the conditions of poultry keeping, vaccinating chickens in a timely manner. It is carried out in two ways - using injections and adding the medicine to the drink. The vaccination schedule involves vaccination in the first two days against salmonellosis and Marek's disease. Vaccination against coccidiosis is done a week after birth, against infectious bursitis - in the fourth week of life, with revaccination after eight days.

About when to vaccinate miniature Seabright chickens, you should consult a veterinarian and strictly follow his instructions..

Possible problems during cultivation

When breeding miniature Seabright chickens, you need to more carefully monitor the cleanliness of the keeping and take measures in advance to prevent diseases:

• change the bedding in the poultry house more often;
• throw away uneaten wet food;
• monitor the purity of the water in the drinking bowl;
• periodically disinfect the premises;
• If a chicken gets sick, it is removed and quarantined elsewhere.

Despite all the difficulties of raising miniature birds, this activity is very interesting and exciting for hobbyists. Despite their low productivity, the taste of Seabright eggs is reminiscent of quail eggs, and the meat is similar to partridge. But most often they are of interest to breeders only from an aesthetic point of view.