Laying hens: breeds and their features

Distinctive features of chicken eggs can be called a small weight, thick plumage and a well-developed comb and earrings. The contours of the body of most of these birds resemble a triangle, the apex pointing to the head, and the base to the tail. In households you can meet both purebred hens and hybrid ones. The latter have the highest egg production - up to 300 pieces per year. This is the most cost - effective laying hen. Leghorn and Minorca breeds practically do not lag behind them. A distinctive feature of hybrids is that their offspring never inherit their qualities.

Leggorns are considered the most common breed of egg hens in the world. They stand out for endurance and early maturity. The weight of the chicken can reach up to 2 kg, the female - up to 2.7 kg. Eggplant of this breed is 220-250 eggs per year. These are very mobile and adapt well to the different climatic conditions of the laying hen. The breeds of egg-laying hens are generally distinguished by their stamina and unpretentiousness. The color of the plumage of leggorns can vary. Most often there are white birds, but in some farms you can see black, pale yellow, partridge, etc.

Minorki - laying hens, the photos of which you can see on the right (chicken), and below (cockerel), have been selected specifically to receive eggs of large size. They are both black, and yellow, and white. One hen can carry up to 180 eggs per year, and their weight reaches 70 g. A distinctive feature of minors is white lobes and bright red comb.

Laying hens, whose breeds are classified as egg-bearing, reach puberty quite quickly. They start to swing already in 4-5 months. At ten months of age, this process reaches its peak. Further, the egg production gradually begins to decrease. Four-five-year-old chicken is already considered unprofitable, and they are slaughtered for meat.

The age of laying hens is of no small importance, therefore, when purchasing birds for their farm, it is necessary to pay attention to this factor. In addition, it is best not to buy a purebred bird, but hybrids. Although they have to be bought every time, since it is impossible to obtain appropriate offspring from them, they are considered more profitable and beneficial in terms of breeding for egg production.

Of all the derived crosses (the so-called hybrid hens), one can distinguish Loman Brown. Chicks of this breed can carry up to 310 eggs per year. In addition, the youngest cross has extraordinary endurance and resistance to all sorts of diseases. The yield can reach 98%. The plumage of chickens cross-country has one distinctive feature - at the week-old the males are white, and the chickens are fawn.

At present, many chickens are attracted by this bird - laying hens. Species that have been eliminated for egg production are unusually popular. Most of this is due to the unpretentiousness and endurance of these chickens. In most cases, caring for them takes much less time and effort than a meat-bird.