Man has domesticated many species of birds for different purposes. For economic purposes - for the sake of feather, fluff, meat (the usual chicken, turkeys, ducks, geese, pheasants), for entertainment - talking parrots, miniature amadins, singing canaries.
Poultry and early hives, and productive, and prolific. In addition, their palatability is highly valued. Domestic birds are divided into heavy and light. For example, hens belonging to light breeds are able to rush after four months, to heavy ones - one and a half months later. Geese, ducks and turkeys will not mature before eight months. Egg chickens will give up to 300 eggs, turkeys - up to 100, ducks - up to 200, and geese - up to 80 per season. But the fecundity of chickens drops after a year, but in geese it, on the contrary, increases. Therefore, chickens usually contain no more than two years, and geese are left up to three, or even four years.
Hens related to meat (heavy) breeds: white plymutrok, white cornish, langash, dorking, brama, faverol; meat-and-egg: Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Sussex, Orpingtons, Wyandots, May Day, Poltava, Kuchinsky, Yurlovsky, and Libyan; to egg: leghorn white, white Russian, leggorn partridge, minor.
Peking duck is considered the most productive and hardy breed of ducks, followed by Ukrainian gray, clay white-breasted and black white-breasted.
The heaviest geese include Toulouse, gray Emden and Kholmogorsky. To the middle - Arzamas, Tula, Romance, Shadrinsky, Italian. The lightest (and the most egg-laying) - Chinese, Kuban, Gorky.
Breeding poultry in rural areas can be quite profitable. It is most convenient to buy already grown young stock on poultry farms (with a view and weight category, determine in advance). In the future, poultry are sorted (in the process of growing): some individuals will go for eggs and breeding, others for meat.
When selecting a bird for a tribe, pay attention first of all to the correspondence of species and weight indicators, to the general development, and the severity of the breed's characteristics. Special requirements are presented to males. They must be absolutely healthy and well developed. One male rooster is enough for 10 chickens, for 10 turkeys one turkey is enough, one drake for 5 ducks, one gander for 3 geese.
Many poultry are capable of incubation. But you need to consider pedigree, characteristic features. For example, leggorn chickens rarely incubate and not very well, but individuals of heavy breeds, on the contrary, are more prone to incubating. This ability is clearly manifested in many geese and ducks.
For a hen, a basket or drawer is prepared, the bottom is lined with hay. The place is selected dry, clean, separate (general house is not suitable). The number of eggs laid depends on the bird itself. For chickens it’s about 18, for a duck - about 15, for a goose - 10, for a turkey - no more than 20 eggs.
The brood hen is fed with ordinary dry food (it is better to put the feeder at the nest itself, as well as water). The first five days after hatching, the brood hen and the young growth are kept indoors, and the paddock starts from the sixth day. Usually a brood hen drives the chicks for up to a month, sometimes longer.
Young growth can be grown without a brood hen. But here the temperature regime is extremely important: the first five days for goslings with ducklings + 28 ° C (not more than + 30 ° C), for turkey poults + 35 ° C, for chickens + 36-37 ° C. After a week, you can lower the temperature (gradually ) to + 18 ° C. The daylight hours are prolonged by artificial lighting for up to 20 hours (young animals must see their feed). As it grows, the duration of the lighting time decreases and gradually (by the month) is brought under a normal daylight hours.
If you plan to get hens in the future, you need to start the withdrawal in March-April. In this case, the poultry will complete its growth by the fall, will be stronger and will endure the winter quite safely, starting to rush even before the onset of frost.
If poultry is raised for meat, young animals are acquired in early spring. Slaughter conditions are reached after three months.
The successful growth of any bird depends on providing the necessary amount of high-quality feed, access to clean water, good sanitary conditions, eliminating drafts and dampness, and adequate ventilation. To do this, create a separate block (house). Young animals are kept on the floor. The first time a square meter is enough for 15 chickens, 10 ducklings or goslings. As the poultry grows, it seats (or the area increases).