Description and rules for keeping chickens of the Xin Xin Dian breed

The East and, in particular, China have always surprised the rest of the world with exotic novelties, including among varieties of poultry. And just Xin Xin Dian - a Chinese breed of original, unusual chickens - is confirmation of this, which is proven by their description and the opinions of poultry farmers. Thanks to their combination of positive qualities, they can increasingly be found in Russian yards.

Characteristics and full description of purebred chickens Xin Xin Dian

This breed was bred in China by specialists from the Shanghai Institute, and was brought to Russia by Khabarovsk poultry farmer N.B. Roshchin.

Appearance of the breed

The birds are characterized by red, brick and common black colors. The head of the chickens is small, but the deciduous crest is developed, painted in a bright, scarlet color. Lobes with earrings hanging on the sides are of a similar color. The neck is short, wide, smoothly transitions into a trapezoidal, medium-sized body. The legs are small, proportional, with short, yellowish-gray, bare metatarsals. The weight of a rooster is 1.8-2.0 kilograms, and that of a chicken is 1.3-1.5 kilograms.

Character of chickens

Chickens of this breed are characterized by accuracy and discipline, good adaptation to new conditions. They are friendly, active and mobile throughout the day. Roosters rarely show pronounced aggression, but, of course, they compete with each other.

Hatching instinct

Hens of the Xin Xin Dian breed have a developed brooding instinct, and they cope well with maternal responsibilities.

Bird productivity

The egg production of the Xin Xin Dian breed per year is 260-280 eggs, and the weight of one egg is on average 54 grams. But birds gain the greatest productivity in terms of egg production in the 2nd year, but already in the 3rd year of life the indicators drop.

A special feature of the breed is eggs with shells of an unusual greenish-blue color.

The composition includes acids, vitamins and minerals that have a beneficial effect on the human body; they are much healthier than quail. In Chinese alternative medicine, eggs are used as a medicine.

Maturation

Chinese poultry farmers, when breeding the breed, set the goal of reducing weight in favor of increasing egg production and maturation speed.Chickens begin to lay eggs when they reach the age of 4.4-4.6 months, but the weight will not exceed 55 grams. But after one year of age, their size increases to 62 grams.

Pros and cons of the breed

Xin Xin Dian chickens have many positive qualities, but they are not an ideal breed and have their drawbacks.

Strengths:

• unique composition and unusual appearance of eggs;
• mobility, good character and lack of aggression in chickens;
• high adaptation to new conditions;
• good, stable egg production, starting from 4 months;
• chickens consume little feed;
• high hatching rate and survival rate of chickens;
• good immunity to diseases.

Weak sides:

• poor resistance to low temperatures;
• the need for a high fence for the walking yard.

Subtleties of content

For high egg production rates, good weight gain and maintaining the overall health of chickens, you need to know all the nuances of their maintenance.

Diseases and the fight against them

Thanks to the efforts of breeders, chickens of this breed have strong, innate immunity to diseases. To maintain the health of the herd, routine vaccinations are used. But Xin Xin Dian chickens are susceptible to parasitic infections, in which case they are treated with strong antibiotics.

Walk

Due to increased activity, Chinese chickens cannot exist without walks, they often try to fly outside their territory. Therefore, it is necessary to equip a spacious exercise yard surrounded by a high metal mesh.

Density

An important point will be the arrangement of the chicken coop - Xin Xin Dian chickens are disciplined and get used to a certain life order.They even occupy the same places for the night - their own places. Therefore, to maintain health and productivity, owners must provide them with comfortable conditions - both during sleep and during laying.

Each chicken needs at least 40-50 centimeters of perch, but in general, a chicken coop requires 1 square meter of space for 6 chickens. It is important to have a spacious walking yard.

Lighting

If there is not enough light in the poultry house during the winter, then additional sources are used. For a medium-sized chicken coop, 2 small lamps are enough. Daylight should begin at 6 am and last 12 hours until 6 pm.

Temperature and humidity

This breed of chicken does not have the ability to tolerate low temperatures. Frost, as well as a cold and damp chicken coop, will lead to widespread disease in the flock and even possible death. Therefore, they maintain a low level of humidity (equip ventilation), keep the bedding dry and heat it during the cold period. The temperature in the chicken coop should not be lower than +5.2 C...+7.2 C and higher than +20 C degrees (optimal: +12.5 C...+14.5 C), and at sub-zero temperatures chickens are not allowed to go for a walk .

Litter

Clean, and most importantly, dry bedding is an important factor in maintaining the health of chickens. This is especially carefully monitored in winter. The best materials for making are dry moss, sawdust or peat. In addition to absorbing moisture, moss also has fungicidal properties; it is used mixed with sawdust or peat.

Bath

Baths filled with a mixture of sand and wood ash are installed in the exercise yard. By regularly taking such baths, chickens rid themselves of fleas and other parasites.

Nutrition of adult birds and young animals

Feeding the chickens does not pose any problems; with proper nutrition, they grow quickly and by 2 months they gain up to 815 grams of weight. For the first 9 days of life, you need a diet that includes: boiled eggs, greens, baker's yeast, cottage cheese and corn grits.

Further nutrition includes combined feed mixtures according to age, as well as boiled vegetables and complex vitamins. To maintain high and stable egg production, chickens are given a balanced diet.

The chicken menu includes the following components:

• combined cereal feeds with a predominance of corn (more than 50% of the composition);
• daily inclusion of vegetables and herbs in the diet (up to 40% of the volume);
• sources of animal protein - earthworms, fish, meat waste;
• fish oil, sprouted grains and yeast;
• wet mash with minerals (ground shells, chalk, ordinary salt, shells, ground bone meal).

A nutritious diet is especially important because birds eat little and must get everything they need with every meal.

Breeding Features

Thanks to the preserved maternal instinct, chickens of this breed will not have problems during breeding. They are bred at home without the use of incubators. Chicks are born healthy, strong and quickly gain weight with the right diet.

At 2 months of age, their weight reaches 1 kilogram. At the initial stages of development, chicks need a constant temperature of +30 C degrees and lighting. But then they are gradually accustomed to the dark and the temperature begins to decrease.

Care during shedding period

During this period, chickens stop laying eggs, conserving depleted body resources. During autumn molting, they require rest, warmth and abundant, varied food, enriched with vitamins and minerals.

Chickens of the Xin Xin Dian breed have a hard, painful time molting - the skin becomes very sensitive, even minor injuries will cause bleeding of the feather papillae.