The chicken is a domesticated bird that originates from the banking wild chickens that inhabit the territory of Southeast Asia. It is one of the most common types of birds domesticated by man. The reason for the popularity lies in the high coefficient of useful productivity. Eggs, meat, feathers and down are obtained from chickens. They are unpretentious in care and not too picky in feed.
Modern breeding methods have made it possible to derive many names of breeds of chickens. Depending on belonging to a particular variety, chickens may have a set of individual characteristics that meet the target requirements. The well-known breed of this bird is the Oryol variety.
Breed history
This breed of chickens was artificially bred decades ago. The name of the breed branch originates from the name of Count Orlov, who, according to some assumptions, contributed to its development. According to historical sources, Oryol chickens were bred not for agricultural breeding, but for participation in cockfights, which became popular in the second half of the XNUMXth century.
The gene set of this breed has retained its stability when crossing the Malay variety of chickens with the Russian eared breed. Breeders of the XNUMXth century received a bird with a set of anatomical characteristics necessary for participation in competitions, while retaining a certain percentage of productivity.
Oryol chickens have a small stature, a strong build, powerful paws, thick plumage covering the main part of the body surface. – these are the characteristics that put the breed in a number of ideal participants in cockfights. At the same time, they are known for good year-round egg production and resistance to adverse conditions that characterized agriculture in Russia.
At the beginning of the XNUMXth century, during the period of two world wars, the breed was practically eradicated. It owes its current existence to representatives of the breed that have survived in some European countries. After the seventies of the last century, several breeding individuals were brought to the territory of the Soviet Union, which laid the foundation for the modern population of Oryol birds.
Characterization
Modern Oryol chickens (another name is “calico”) have a set of individual characteristics that distinguish them from others.
Appearance
The primary signs of difference are the parameters of appearance.
Calico chickens have:
- pronounced width of the chest;
- growth of average size, proportional to the width of the body;
- wide frontal part of the head;
- short bumpy crest;
- short beak curved down;
- eyes set deep under the brow ridges;
- plumage covering most of the facial region of the head.
The nature of the growth of the neck plumage determines the appearance of a scruff or a certain hunchback in the area where the neck adjoins the head. Feathers located on the front side of the neck protrude noticeably, and in the area where the neck is attached to the body, they fit snugly on the body. Due to this, the visual effect is created that the neck of the chicken is thinner at the base, and its upper part is thicker.
The chest slightly protrudes forward. Has a rounded shape. The tail unit is smoothly curved upwards. Its outer part looks like a fan. The legs are large and strong. The presence of a sufficient amount of muscle mass provides high stability and strength. The non-feathered part of the legs is covered with dense yellow scales.
Feather mass is dense and thick. There is a down layer. Color characteristics vary from gray-white to brown-white color combination. The neck part of the plumage is marked by a uniform combination of longitudinal strokes of color. On the sides and wings, a concentration of a darker shade predominates. The tail is lighter.
Color characteristics may vary depending on the breed line and the presence of mixing factors with other varieties of chickens.
Productivity
The Oryol breed of chickens cannot be attributed to a variety with increased egg production. A hen mature for oviposition can lay between 140 and 180 eggs per year at its best. This factor suggests that she cannot rush every day. In addition, the period of physical maturation and the onset of readiness for laying eggs in these birds occurs only after the age of eight months, which does not have the best effect on the composition of the useful characteristics of this breed.
Advantages and disadvantages
Like any breed, Oryol chickens have pros and cons. Let’s look at their positive characteristics first.
- These chickens are extremely unpretentious. They easily tolerate non-standard minus temperatures, as well as its increased performance. The physiology of birds combines characteristics that make them hardy and resistant to various types of physical impact, and even some diseases.
- Individuals of this breed are able to gain weight above average. This puts them on a par with breeds bred for meat products, such as the broiler. The meat of Oryol chickens, like eggs, has a pronounced taste, which is very much appreciated by breeders.
- Extraordinary appearance opens the breed the opportunity to participate in various exhibitions and competitions.
This factor attracts amateur collectors to Oryol chickens.
There are also disadvantages to “chintz” chickens.
- Average productivity indicators do not allow breeding this breed on an industrial scale. The low egg-laying rate, as well as the late maturation of individuals, leads to the fact that the costs associated with the maintenance of birds overlap the income received from their breeding.
- The presence of a high rate of meat mass could be a decisive factor in planning the breeding of these chickens on an agricultural scale. However, the Oryol breed gains average and maximum weight only after a year of keeping, which is not acceptable from the point of view of benefits.
Tips for choosing
In order to choose a bird with purebred characteristics, it is necessary to pay attention to the individual characteristics inherent in this breed.
The Oryol breed can be identified by the characteristic skeletal structure. It is well developed, massive and strong. Legs of medium length, muscular, powerful. The scruff and thin base of the neck are pronounced. The comb is short, dense. It looks like a longitudinally dissected slice of mandarin.
In the above breed characteristics, deviations from the standard are allowed, not exceeding the ten percent range. The presence of deviations, the volume of which exceeds 10% of the total list of breed parameters, will not allow breeding the population without a subsequent increase in the percentage of inconsistencies.
Reproduction
In order to breed the Oryol breed of chickens at home, it is necessary to thoroughly study the description by which you can distinguish a bird that is a purebred individual.
The first step towards achieving this goal is to make the right choice of primary individuals that will participate in reproduction. The quality characteristics of the offspring will depend on how much they correspond to the parameters characteristic of the breed.
First, one rooster and several hens are purchased. The greater the number of the latter, the higher the probability of obtaining a sufficient number of healthy chickens. The age of the ancestral hens should vary from 8 to 15 months. This requirement is due to the fact that puberty is achieved by chickens at about the age of one year.
If you acquire individuals much younger, then you will have to keep them on provision for some time, without the possibility of breeding. If you acquire individuals much older, then there will be a likelihood of a decrease in the ability to reproduce due to age-related changes.
Content
The characteristics of the “calico” breed of chickens suggest a simplified content. These birds are undemanding to conditions of increased comfort, however, the development and quality characteristics of each individual are proportional to the quality of the conditions in which they are kept. The better equipped the utility room, where chickens spend most of their lives, the healthier they will be, which directly affects egg production and weight gain.
Care
In order for hens to lay regularly and gain weight consistently, it is necessary to ensure an uninterrupted supply of feed and sufficient space for walking.
To maintain health at an acceptable level, chickens need to constantly move. The natural instincts of these birds require the availability of opportunities for conditionally independent food production. Having freedom of movement in the allotted area, chickens are in constant search. They rake the ground with their strong paws, looking for insects, bugs, worms and other insects. Thanks to this, they receive an additional amount of essential trace elements and amino acids.
The waste products of chickens have specific properties. Chicken feces emit caustic sulfur fumes that can adversely affect the condition of birds. In order to avoid the negative consequences of such influence, it is necessary to regularly clean the room in which the chickens spend the night.
Fecal masses are removed from the floor, as well as from the structural elements of the perch.
Diet
The Oryol breed is undemanding to the composition of the feed. Its representatives feed on various types of crops, including corn, combined feeds and any other plant foods.
It is allowed to introduce special nutritional supplements of natural origin into the diet, stimulating the growth and strengthening of the skeleton.
One of the most common additives is meat and bone meal.
Diseases, their prevention and treatment
In order for chickens to rush all year round, it is necessary to carry out disease prevention and procedures for the destruction of parasites. The main chicken disease is a tick that settles on the legs under the scales. As a result of its harmful action, volumetric exfoliation of the skin and inflammation occur. Since the paws are the main tool for the interaction of chickens with the environment, the course of this disease is an extremely painful process.
As a therapeutic and preventive measure aimed at eliminating the tick and preventing its appearance, procedures are carried out associated with the use of creolin solution. Creolin is diluted with warm water. The ratio of liquids determines the concentration of the solution and depends on the degree of development of the disease. The paws of chickens are immersed in the creolin mixture so that the affected areas are completely hidden under its surface. A similar procedure is carried out every day for a week.
Another disease that chickens are susceptible to is the presence of lice. The uncontrolled development of the population of these parasites can lead to poor egg production, weight loss, and even death of the bird. An effective means of combating chicken lice is ash. This combustion product spills out on the walking area.
Chickens, driven by a natural instinct, “bath” in the ashes, destroying harmful parasites.
Reviews
The bulk of the reviews about the Oryol breed of chickens belong to breeders who breed it for collection purposes. These people note the presence of many characteristics inherent in the variety, and allowing chicken owners to successfully participate in exhibitions and competitions, as well as to carry out economic breeding of the breed at an average level of productivity.
The only negative points are the late maturation of chickens and not too high egg production, which is also noted by bird owners.
You can learn about the nuances of keeping Oryol chickens by watching the video below.
