Redbrough chickens description of adult chickens and chickens. Features of growing broilers at home ⋆ 👨‍🌾 Farmer-online ⋆

Redbro chickens belong to the universal meat and egg category and are perfect for both industrial cultivation and for keeping in a private household. The bird was most widespread in the USA and France, and such a popular breeding laboratory as Hubbard even brought out 3 of its crosses – JA57 KI, M, S, preserving its hereditary traits. The description of adult chickens and chickens leaves no doubt about the potential of redbro. They are able to carry up to 300 eggs per year, are distinguished by precocity and good character.

History of origin

Redbrough is a breed bred by mixing the blood of Malayan fighting cocks and British Cornish chickens. The result of their crossing made it possible to obtain a cross (that is, a hybrid whose descendants do not inherit the obtained characteristics directly), which has a lot of advantages. Today, redbros, most often classified as crosses, are widely popular in Russia, where their rapid growth and impressive weight gain are valued. The chickens received their massive physique from their fighting ancestors.

Description

The main part of Redbro chickens is grown in order to obtain tasty dietary meat. The broiler has almost no fat layer, which affects the structural features of its muscles. The bright plumage, the characteristic color of the birds acquire only after the first molt – this greatly complicates the recognition of the substitution at the stage of young.

Appearance

The breed of redbro chickens has an impressive appearance. Among the characteristic exterior features here are:

massive head;
well developed, thick legs;
pronounced metatarsus, covered with yellow skin;
tight-fitting plumage;
scarlet comb in the form of a pod or leaf, bright earlobes;
short, well-defined beak;
well-marked muscle pattern;
rich red plumage with a slight brown tint, black feathers are found in the tail of the rooster;
high set muscular neck;
a horizontal body, slightly inclined forward;
compact, tightly pressed wings to the body.

Having carefully studied the external data of adult representatives of the breed, chickens are also expected to have an impressive appearance. But before pubertal molting, they differ little from their counterparts in other species.

Character

The fighting characteristics of the sires used in the breeding of the redbro cross did not affect the communicative qualities of the offspring. These chickens are quite accommodating and easily find a common language with other inhabitants of the house. But redbro has its own characteristics. Birds prefer free movement, do not tolerate encroachments on their freedom. They are recommended for walking, they need a large chicken coop without cages.

Advantages and disadvantages

Among the obvious advantages characteristic of redbro chickens, the following features can be noted.

Excellent meat quality, good palatability combined with an optimal amount of protein. The product turns out to be dietary and really useful.
Larger egg laying compared to other broilers. The universal breed allows for the formation of both meat and egg stock.
High rate of weight gain. The intensive development of chickens is beneficial for farmers involved in the sale of meat.
Ease of adaptation to various conditions of detention.
Livestock survival is above average. When hatching by laying hens and in an incubator, the indicators are approximately the same.
Attractive appearance. Both roosters and hens look quite aesthetically pleasing, become a real decoration of the yard, have a short molting period.
Unpretentiousness in the choice of diet. There are no specific needs for expensive and rare feeds.
Frost resistance. Easily tolerate walks at -5 degrees, continuing to maintain their productivity.
Strong immune system. Birds, when properly maintained, are well protected from infections, livestock are vaccinated only in case of an epidemic.

Redbro has practically no drawbacks – the cross was derived based on the need to obtain a perfect livestock. But since without knowledge of the specifics of the phenotype it is quite difficult to separate thoroughbred hens from ordinary Russian laying hens, it is difficult to reliably estimate the volumes of purebred sires and young stock. This factor is often used by unscrupulous sellers, so you should be as careful as possible when buying.

Reproduction

As with other crosses, only first generation chicks from Cornish and Malayan fighting cocks have unique performance characteristics. It is extremely difficult to get such a livestock at home. But experienced poultry farmers continue the line, crossing the second generation of Redbro with Cornish and other meat breeds, and get satisfactory results.

Despite this feature, chickens have a well-developed incubation instinct; they can breed offspring even without using an incubator. As for productivity, it decreases in redbro after reaching one year of age, which also makes their long-term maintenance and self-breeding not very profitable. When growing young animals, the following requirements are recommended:

temperature regime + 30-32 degrees in the first days of life;
providing protection against drafts;
the formation of a diet with a high content of vitamins and minerals;
thorough and regular cleaning of the aviary and poultry house;
providing walking from the age of one month, broilers should limit mobility to accelerate weight gain;
selection of a menu with a total calorie content of about 3200 kcal per day.

Features of the content

The specifics of growing broilers at home do not require significant efforts from poultry farmers. It is only important to remember that representatives of the redbro breed need a spacious chicken coop with a full-fledged free-range aviary. There is no need to create perches inside – because of the short wings, the birds cannot plan, fly, but they may well be injured when falling from a height. Inside the chicken shed, a warm space with thick bedding is provided to eliminate drafts, as well as sufficient ventilation to maintain optimal humidity levels. The minimum temperature in the room, even in severe frosts, should not drop to +6 degrees. Nests are built inside for laying and incubating eggs.

Diet

A properly formulated diet is the basis for good growth and development of redbro. The volume of feed depends solely on the conditions of detention. With a free-range (cellular) lifestyle, broilers should receive food 3 times a day. Birds that have access to free movement are fed twice a day, without adding significant amounts of vitamins. They get all the necessary nutritious creatures from pasture.

For birds living in a chicken coop all the time, for the prevention of beriberi, it is recommended to include herbal and coniferous flour, baker’s yeast in the diet. 4-5 times a week it is worth giving redbro broilers warm mash in meat or fish broth. It is important that the diet is varied, this directly affects the indicators of body weight gain and egg production. It is useful to include berries and fruits, tops of root crops in the diet.

Hygiene

Redbro chickens are quite demanding to ensure their hygiene needs. Pets need to change the top of the bedding weekly, and the entire flooring once a season. Simultaneously with a large cleaning in the spring, a complete whitewashing of the poultry house with slaked lime is carried out. Birds fight skin parasites themselves with the help of ash-sand baths. Be sure to install 1 container for 2-5 birds. Once a quarter, external treatment of skin parasites is performed for preventive purposes, and deworming is also performed.

Necessary inventory

Keeping redbro chickens requires the purchase of feeders and drinkers that are deep and voluminous enough to ensure bird saturation. In addition, you will need to purchase cages if you plan to grow poultry for meat purposes.

Productivity

As for productivity, here representatives of the breed, depending on their affiliation, demonstrate egg production from 180 to 300 eggs per year, with each weighing up to 70 g. Chickens reach sexual maturity by 5 months. At the same time, the bulk of the body is gaining – its maximum values are 3,5 kg for females and 4,5 kg for males.

Diseases, their prevention and treatment

Diseases characteristic of redbro broiler chickens are mainly associated with a violation of the conditions of their detention, infectious or parasitic infection.

Among the most common problems are helminthiasis – helminthic infestations that require the bird to take special preparations. You should be wary if pets refuse to eat, and their stools become liquid and unusually frequent.
Another problem is the damage to the skin of chickens with periodine. They get rid of them with the help of the drug “Insectol” or the like. If the treatment is not started on time, the problem of bird baldness may arise.
Among the infections dangerous for redbro, one can single out typhoid fever (pullorosis), which manifests itself in the form of loss of appetite, diarrhea, and the appearance of foam in the litter. With the defeat of young animals, the lack of treatment leads to significant losses of livestock. The chicks huddle together, tuck their paws. During the epidemic, no more than 30% of the birds survive, specific treatment includes the use of antibiotics.
Pasteurellosis is a disease characteristic of young animals. The source of danger is contact with rodents or transmission of infection from other inhabitants of the poultry yard. The infection manifests itself as a blue crest, apathy, loss of appetite, and intense thirst. Therapy is carried out with the use of antibiotics.
Insufficient care of the bird leads to the development of various diseases. Most often, beriberi is detected, accompanied by loss of feathers, lethargy, and a slowdown in body weight gain. With the improvement of the quality of the diet, the symptoms disappear.
Violation of the temperature regime inside the poultry house can be manifested by signs of bronchopneumonia. Birds demonstrate labored breathing, mucus accumulates in the beak, appetite disappears. Treatment is carried out by the introduction of antibiotics of the penicillin group.

Tips for choosing

When choosing young stock, it is recommended to carefully check its origin, and the best recommendation is to have a large stock of redbro from the seller. You should not purchase daily specimens – the survival rate may be low. Monthly chicks are already adapted to living in a common poultry house, from them you can easily understand how healthy the offspring is, whether they feel good.

It is worth paying attention to the presence of all the main breed characteristics. Excessively large wings or short limbs are a reason to doubt the purity of the origin of the acquired livestock.

Reviews

The owners of chickens and adult birds of the Redbro breed agree on one thing: when buying high-quality breeding material, you can get really impressive offspring. True, the initial appearance may be bewildering to an experienced poultry farmer. Young redbro look more like ostriches, and their excessively short wings make them truly unusual. Powerful legs make the fast-growing chicks look like football players, and the chicks easily make a mess once they are free.

According to the owners, broiler meat also differs – it is characterized by increased muscularity, there is a pronounced fibrous tissue, and in terms of taste, the bird of the redbro breed surpasses many others. But you need to remember that when buying eggs or young animals, you should contact trusted sources – poultry farms, well-known nurseries. The most common red chickens are often purchased from random sellers under the guise of expensive redbros.