The Moscow black breed of chickens (the description of the breed is given in the article) belongs to the universal representatives of the meat-and-egg direction. It is popular with farmers and summer residents, it belongs to a breed that is beneficial for home breeding and maintenance. The large number of poultry in homesteads and farms ensures an uninterrupted supply of fresh eggs and dietary meat.
Breeds of chickens
The very first bird domesticated more than 8000 years ago is considered a banker chicken. The process of domestication and breeding of chickens has led to the emergence of more than 100 different species of poultry. Depending on the needs of the person and his desire to see a certain end result, several directions were selected for breeding specialized chickens.
According to the economic sign (purpose of use), all breeds are divided into main groups:
- Egg: they have a small body weight, meat of low taste quality, but high egg production (Russian white, leghorn, Oryol, izobraun).
- Meat: appreciated for excellent meat with excellent taste, a large body weight, but their egg production is low (kokhinhin, pomfret, plymutrok, red white-tailed).
- Universal meat-egg chickens with good egg laying and good tasty meat (Rhode Island, Poltava, New Hampshire, Moscow black breed of chickens (photo in the text)).
- Fighting: bred for cockfights, fairly massive birds (Indian black, kulangs, Malay, Moscow fighting).
- Decorative, the distinctive features of which are size, color of plumage, loud singing, feather length, etc. (Yurlovskaya vocal, paduan, dwarf wyandotte, sebrite).
According to breeding selection, chickens are classified into:
- Asian
- European
- Mediterranean
Breeding history
The Moscow black breed of chickens was eaten away by breeders of the Brattsevskaya poultry farm in close collaboration with scientists from TSAA, the department of poultry farming.
Long-term work with the source breeds of brown leggorn, New Hampshire and Yurlovsky vocalists was carried out taking into account the desired type of bird - universal, suitable for industrial and domestic breeding. They were not chosen by chance:
- leggorn - the most egg-laying;
- New Hampshire - They are distinguished by large size and increased productivity;
- yurlovskie vocal - stand out for their high resilience.
From the obtained hybrids, the most viable, productive and precocious were selected. Then continued breeding "in itself."
In 1980, the Moscow black breed of chickens was officially registered. Work on improving the poultry continues to this day. Breeders are working on breeding new lines, consolidating and developing the necessary qualities.
Farmers and summer residents were interested in the Moscow black breed of chickens. The feedback from the first owners of the birds was only positive, which served as an impetus for the wide distribution of the Moscow black breed of chickens.
Description
What does the Moscow black breed of hens look like? Description:
- body - has an elongated shape and well-developed muscles.
- plumage - dense, black, with a splash of copper-golden color, roosters shoulders, mane, lower back can be a bright golden color;
- the head is wide;
- back - broad, long, straight;
- neck - medium;
- the chest is convex, wide;
- crest - small, leaf-shaped, erect, red;
- beak - curved, medium length, black color;
- eyes are orange;
- earlobes - can be white or red;
- tail - low set, well developed;
- wings are of moderate length;
- legs are of medium length; legs color of hens is darker than that of roosters.
Productivity
To determine the economic value of poultry, indicators common to all breeds have been developed and applied.
The Moscow black breed of chickens is no exception. Its characteristics are as follows:
- live weight of chicken - 2.5, rooster - 3.5 kg;
- egg production - 220 eggs, maximum up to 280 pieces;
- feed costs - maximum 2 kg per 10 eggs;
- egg mass (maximum) - 60 grams;
- oviposition begins at the age of 160 days;
- fertilization of laid eggs - 90%;
- yield of chickens - 92%;
- chickens are usually dark in color.
Content
In household plots, keeping a small number of birds does not cause serious problems. The Moscow black breed of hens, due to its balance, does not need fences. The calm, unobtrusive nature of chickens allows them to be kept in large areas without any fear. Although the bird adjusts well to its cellular content, a spacious chicken coop is preferable.
Dense plumage will save from the cold, but for a comfortable stay in the chicken coop should be warm. The floor of the house is covered with straw. In the summer, a 20 cm layer of sand is poured, adding any vegetable husk or dry leaves to it. Over time, the accumulated litter will serve as an additional source of heat.
Feeding Features
It is no secret that, along with the conditions of detention, an important factor in the productivity of chickens is the diet. Properly balanced in all respects, it will provide the chicken body with the necessary substances.
The universality of the breed implies some features of poultry feeding. Representatives of hybrid lines consume more feed than “clean” layers, but less than meat. Moreover, the amount of feed can regulate the reproduction of the bird and its productivity, reducing or increasing it.
A thinned shell or its absence on the egg suggests that there is a lack of vitamins D and A in the diet of the bird. The marbled pattern of the shell indicates an insufficient amount of minerals.
Although the main diet of chickens consists of hay flour, compound feed and grain (millet, oats, barley, corn), you should definitely add fruits, vegetables, greens. Excess boiled potatoes can cause obesity in the internal organs - the stomach and liver. In the summer, freshly mowed grass is perfect as a green supplement.
It is highly recommended to provide poultry with animal protein feed. If the hens do not have grazing, then dry larvae or pieces of meat are introduced into the diet.
An important factor in the proper maintenance of any bird is the constant free access to clean water. For complete digestion of food, chickens need small calcareous stones.
Breed benefits
Not in vain amateur poultry farmers and farmers prefer Moscow black to all breeds of hens. A number of distinctive advantages provides a steady demand for this particular bird:
- Hens have a calm, unobtrusive disposition. He inherited from the ancestors of meat breeds. This allows you to provide the bird with a large range without fencing.
- They are highly resistant to stress. This distinguishing feature contributes to their widespread use in industrial poultry farming. Hens calmly endure a change in conditions.
- The endurance of chickens allows them to reduce their egg production in the event of a deterioration in the diet, and when they resume good nutrition, they can quickly reach a high level of egg laying.
- Disease resistance. This characteristic is important both on an industrial scale for poultry breeding, and in a small farm. The viability of the bird makes its breeding justified and cost-effective.
- For chickens meat-egg direction characterized by high rates of egg production. Egg breeds produce eggs weighing up to 75 grams in an amount of up to 300 eggs per year, 280 black eggs can be laid per year by the Moscow black breed of hens, egg weight up to 60 grams.
- Not picky about the conditions of feeding and keeping. The dense plumage makes it easy to tolerate the harsh time of the year, the bird adapts very well in unheated chicken coops. Of course, very adverse weather conditions will affect the performance of chickens.
- The meat has good taste. There is no doubt the influence of meat ancestors who took part in the breeding of Moscow black hens.
Disadvantages of the breed
The Moscow black breed of chickens, with all its advantages, has a number of problem points:
- poorly developed instinct of incubation;
- at the age of 8 months puberty sets in, only then can eggs be taken for incubation;
- when overfeeding, birds are prone to obesity.
But these shortcomings do not affect the popularity of poultry; most homeowner owners choose this particular breed of chickens for keeping.
The Moscow black breed has proven itself as an egg and meat breed; its resistance to climatic conditions makes it possible to breed these chickens almost everywhere.
The most suitable bird for household plots is the Moscow black breed of chickens. Owner reviews give a brief and succinct description of the breed: the birds are carried well, the meat is tasty, the disposition is calm, and unpretentious in content.