Zagorsk salmon chickens are a product of domestic selection of the last century; they feel great in the climate of central Russia. Birds are endowed with strong immunity, they do not need to be vaccinated, they are resistant to cold and picky in food, roosters are characterized by rare goodwill.
Breed origin
In the middle of the XNUMXth century, in the ancient city of Zagorsk, at the Institute of Poultry Breeding, scientists-breeders bred a very successful breed of chickens – the Zagorsk salmon. Later, the city was returned to its historical name – Sergiev Posad, and the original name – Zagorsky – was preserved behind the birds. The hens had a beautiful reddish-orange plumage, reminiscent of the color of salmon meat, which was also reflected in the name of the breed. Interestingly, the roosters are of a completely different color, they have black plumage with silver and white patches.
The 4 best breeds of that time participated in the creation of a new population:
- Russian white;
- New Hampshire;
- Yurlovskaya vociferous;
- Rhode Island.
It turned out the ideal breed of chickens. Even beginners who wanted to have meat and eggs, but did not really understand how to care for a bird, could cope with it. In 1959, the breed was officially registered and very quickly gained popularity. Today, Zagorsk salmon have spread to all corners of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. In some farms, the breed is completely preserved, in other places it can be found as a cross between local birds.
Description
As already noted, the Zagorsk breed is endowed with pronounced sexual dimorphism. A cockerel can be distinguished from a chicken even on the first day of their life.
Appearance
Adult roosters have nothing to do with salmon color. The black and white color of males corresponds to this breed. If they show calico or any other color, this indicates impurities that are present in a particular bird. Roosters are strong, muscular, with bright beautiful combs. But they cannot boast of long tails, as they have a short, sticking up, magnificent tail plumage.
In addition to the difference in color, hens differ from roosters in size and more modest appearance. The nest looks like this:
- the body is rather large, with an elongated body and well-developed muscle mass;
- broad chest protruding forward;
- the back is even, straight;
- small head with orange eyes;
- short thick tail;
- the comb and earrings are small but bright;
- the plumage is thick and dense.
Chickens are prone to obesity, so their diet should be controlled.
Character
The birds are very energetic, they can fly over a two-meter fence. And if they succeed, you can forget about the harvest in the beds – everything is raked by their powerful paws. But the nature of the Zagorsky peaceful and accommodating. Chickens easily perceive individuals of a different breed. Roosters even fight for a harem extremely rarely.
It is convenient to start such a breed for families with kids, since you can not be afraid for the aggressive behavior of roosters towards children. Hens are good hens, this feature is often used to lay eggs of other breeds.
Advantages and disadvantages
The Zagorsk salmon breed is one of the most successful products of Soviet breeders, it has almost no flaws. Of the advantages, the following can be noted:
- high productivity of eggs and meat;
- strong egg shell;
- the bird is frost-resistant, easily reacts to climatic changes;
- not selective in food, can eat any food;
- unpretentious in care and maintenance;
- has strong immunity;
- stress-resistant, accommodating, with a peaceful character;
- salmon are good hens.
The disadvantages include excessive mobility and curiosity of the bird. Because of these qualities, birds are difficult to keep in pens.
Productivity
The Zagorsk breed belongs to the meat-egg, early maturing, that is, meat and eggs can be obtained from a fairly young bird.
Meat productivity
A cockerel at 3 months weighs 2 kilograms, and when it becomes an adult – 3-3,7 kg. The weight of an adult chicken is 2,2-2,8 kg. If feed for broilers is introduced into the diet of chickens, they begin to gain their weight rapidly. Often, the rapid growth of poultry is used to create hybrids in order to obtain a broiler species. The meat of chickens of the Zagorsk breed is tasty, delicacy.
For slaughter, roosters or laying hens are most often used after the age of three, when their egg production decreases.
Egg productivity
Zagorsk chickens cannot compete with industrial conveyor crosses that produce 340 eggs per year. Although the performance of this breed (200-260 eggs per year), both for domestic and farm poultry, is very high. In terms of taste, they are much superior to industrial ones, and they begin to rush just as early – at 3,5-4 months.
The first eggs are light in weight, but pretty soon the weight of the eggs reaches 60-70 g, in some individuals – 80 g. This is the highest rate among poultry. The strength of the shell is also a positive quality. Such a product is stored longer and easier to transport.
Interestingly, the egg production of chickens is not affected by the change of roosters or the new environment. But too close corral can affect. An active bird loses the ability to move and begins to accumulate fat, which adversely affects its productivity.
Recommendations for selection
When purchasing one-day-old chickens of any breed, it is almost impossible to distinguish future layers from males. Often, according to sellers, you buy hens, and roosters grow up. If in doubt, it is the Zagorsk breed that should be taken – their chicks are distinguishable from the first day. Cockerels look like light yellow lumps, and hens stand out with dark spots on the back.
When buying chickens on the 4-5th day of their life, it is even more difficult to make a mistake, as their flight wings begin to break through, with a characteristic color for each sex (red in hens, black in males). At the age of three weeks, the birds are already fully feathered and it is impossible to confuse them.
The Zagorsk breed has a stable color. If sellers offer laying hens that are not salmon-colored, and roosters that are not black and white, then these are hybrids, crossbreeds, and, accordingly, their meat and egg productivity is unknown.
chick breeding
Laying hens from Zagorsk become good hens and cows, they conscientiously sit on their eggs and lead their babies. An incubator can be used if a large number of chickens are needed. Eggs are laid from hens that lay for more than 3 months, or after molting for 3-4 weeks. The mass of eggs intended for hatching should be 55-60 g. Zagorok has a good percentage of fertility and chick survival – more than 90%.
The feed laying affects the quality indicators of chickens, therefore, before collecting eggs for the incubator, chickens are provided with an active nutritious diet with the addition of vitamins and minerals.
One-day-old chickens hatched in an incubator are placed in a brooder, where they organize a temperature of 35 degrees and constant lighting. After a week, the air can be warmed up to 28 degrees. First, paper is laid out for babies instead of bedding, and a little later – sawdust or straw. In warm weather, a box with chickens is taken out into the street, starting from the age of three days. A place for them should be chosen without drafts. After a week, babies can be released onto fresh, but dry grass.
The first days of life, babies should eat starter feed, which provides everything necessary for the growth of chickens. As additives, they are given chopped greens, eggs, cottage cheese. Gradually introduce chopped vegetables, meat and bone meal, ground grain. At one and a half months, whole grains are already included in the diet of young animals, and at two months they eat like adult birds.
Content
Zagorsk salmon chickens are unpretentious, they will survive in the most difficult conditions. But for the poultry farmer, not only vitality is important, but also the productivity of the bird, which directly depends on its content. A large number of eggs and high-quality meat can be obtained from well-groomed and well-fed chickens.
chicken coop, walking
In central Russia and in the south of the country, the poultry house can not be heated, but it is necessary to insulate it if the chickens winter in it. There are other requirements for a chicken coop.
- For the construction of a poultry house, a calm, calm place is chosen, as the bird is afraid of harsh noise. The far end of the back yard works best.
- The temperature regime in the poultry house at different times of the year should not fall to minus 10 and rise above 25 degrees. In extreme heat, chickens lay poorly.
- The room is equipped with good ventilation. Once a day, it is necessary to ventilate in order to remove gases accumulating from the litter. But at the same time, there should be no gaps in the chicken coop, since any bird is afraid of drafts.
- An important condition for keeping is to maintain dryness in the house. Dampness leads to the accumulation of bacteria and the appearance of parasites, which, if poorly cared for, can overcome even the most hardy bird. From dampness in the cool season, chickens suffer from joint diseases.
- In large poultry houses, to enhance egg production, the room is equipped with lamps of warm yellow light, they are protected by shades. The wiring should be in a place inaccessible to chickens. Windows with bars on the inside can provide an additional source of daylight.
- The chicken coop should have enough perches and places to perch.
- Feeders, drinkers and any other equipment should be periodically washed and disinfected. Manganese, chlorhexidine, hydrogen peroxide are used for processing.
- Next to the feeders, you need to install containers with pebbles, gravel, shell rock, which the bird uses for digestion.
- Basins or boxes with sand and ash are also installed for chickens – these are the so-called baths, where birds can clean feathers from parasites.
- Sawdust, peat or straw are chosen as bedding, which are changed as needed. These fillers make the floor warm and protect it from moisture. Once a year, in the spring, the house is completely cleaned, dried and covered with lime.
Near the chicken coop there should be a paddock for birds – the Zagorsk breed needs it. Chickens are too active, and when they stop moving, they swim in fat, stop rushing. If the corral is hastily arranged, the chickens will always find an opportunity to leave it. For this breed, the walls must be at least 2 meters. You can make a canopy out of polycarbonate by connecting it to walls made of chain-link mesh.
Feeding
Zagorsk salmon can eat whatever the owners offer, but egg production and meat quality still depend on proper nutrition. If the bird is fed whole grains, it should make up 2/3 of the total diet, the rest can be added with chopped grass, vegetables and food waste.
It is convenient to use ready-made balanced feed, saturated with vitamins and microelements. Before buying, you should study their composition and purpose: for chickens, for egg-laying or meat chickens. If the bird lacks muscle mass, they take protein feed, and vitamin feed to improve immunity.
Diseases, their prevention and treatment
Zagorsk chickens are very hardy, have strong immunity, but negligent owners can still bring them to death by lack of proper care. In fact, this breed does not even need vaccinations. They are vaccinated only in an unfavorable period, if diseases and death of birds begin in the area. With too poor care, chickens can suffer from the following types of diseases.
- Infectious. The deterioration of health with the same symptoms in several individuals at once indicates that the disease is infectious. Pathogens can enter the chicken coop with food, water, contaminated household items, or through the air. The veterinarian should identify strains of viruses or bacteria. Antibiotics prescribed in such cases and improved sanitation usually solve the problem.
- Non-infectious. These include traumatic moments, severe hypothermia, or, conversely, the greenhouse effect in the chicken coop. The causes of such diseases are eliminated by improving the conditions of keeping the flock.
- Parasitic. Birds have internal and external parasites. Internal – affect the digestive system, external – the skin, feather, fluff. The veterinarian prescribes injections, tablets, disinfection of the bird and chicken coop.
Whatever the bird is sick with, it should be immediately removed and isolated from the rest of the population, and then the cause of the disease should be found out.
Reviews
Judging by the reviews, complaints about this breed are only for excessive mobility.
- Valery: “The Zagorskies are my wife’s favorite chickens, everything suits her, delicious meat and eggs, and I’m tired of patching holes in the fence, if you miss it, all the birds are in the garden. It is advised to make a closed chicken coop, but the wife is against it. He says that delicious eggs will only be in the fresh air.
- Olga: “They rush very well, especially in summer. 10 hens bring 7-9 eggs daily. In winter, everything depends on the created conditions.
The Zagorsk breed of chickens is convenient for both beginner poultry farmers and experienced farmers.
Characteristics of chickens of the Zagorsk salmon breed in the video below.
