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The undeservedly forgotten Adler silver breed of chickens was bred at the Adler poultry farm. Hence the name of the breed – Adler. Work on breeding the breed was carried out from 1950 to 1960. The following breeds were used in breeding: Yurlovskaya Volosistaya, Pervomaiskaya, White Plymouth Rock, Russian White, New Hampshire. The breeding did not follow the principle of “mixing everything and seeing what happened.” Breeds were added sequentially. In the intervals between the infusion of a new breed, hybrids were propagated “inside”. The goal of the breeders was to obtain high-quality meat and high egg production of a new breed of chicken.
The base breeds were the domestic Pervomaiskaya and Russian White. Later, the blood of the Yurlovskys was poured into them, White Plymouth Rocks and New Hampshire. The new breed has long been in demand on industrial poultry farms of Soviet collective and state farms. The Adler breed of chickens lost their position only after the advent of specialized industrial hybrids, moving into the category of chickens for private backyards.
Scheme for breeding the Adler breed of chickens:
- Pervomayskaya x Moscow white = F1 hybrid;
- Breeding crosses in yourself: F2 hybrid;
- F2 hen x New Hampshire rooster = F3 hybrid. Chickens were selected for high vitality and egg production;
- Breeding crossbreeds in yourself: F4 hybrid and selection for uniformity and meat precocity;
- F4 hens x white Plymouth rock roosters = F5 hybrid;
- Breeding F5 hybrids in yourself with selection for the desired qualities: F6 hybrid;
- Further selection of F6 for the desired qualities and crossing of some F6 hens with Yurlov roosters to obtain F7 hybrids;
- Breeding F7 in yourself.
Review from the owner of Adler silver chickens.
Description and photo of the Silver Adler chicken breed
Adler breed of chickens, photo of a purebred rooster.
Adler silver chickens are one of the best domestic breeds for meat and eggs. The description of the Adler silver breed of chickens indicates that in appearance these birds are similar to Sussex breed.
The head of the Adler Silver is small with a leaf-shaped crest of medium size in roosters and quite large in hens. The lobes are whitish. The faces and earrings are red. The beak is yellow. The eyes are red-orange.
The neck is of medium size, the mane of roosters is poorly developed. The body is medium-sized, horizontally placed. The back and lower back are straight. The chest is wide and fleshy. The belly is full. The long wings are pressed so tightly to the body that they are almost invisible. The tail is small, rounded. Roosters' braids are not long. Legs of medium length. Metatarsus yellow.
This distinguishes Sussex chickens from the Silver Adler chicken breed.
In the photo below, the Adler silver hen on the right is in the background, the white and pink drumstick of the Sussex breed is clearly visible on the left in the background.
Colombian color: with completely white plumage, chickens have black necks and tails. The feathers on the neck are black with a white edge. The tail has black tail feathers.The outer cover feather is black with a white border. Roosters have black braids. The reverse side of the flight feathers on the wings is black, but this is not visible when folded.
Photo of an Adler silver rooster with spread wings.
Vices unacceptable for purebred Adler dogs:
- long braids in the ponytail:
- long thin neck;
- a comb that is too large and hangs to one side;
- a long tail;
- high stance of the body.
Sometimes Adler breed chickens can produce offspring with feathered metatarsals. This is the heritage of the parent breeds. Such chickens are purebred, but are discarded from breeding.
Photo of Adler silver chicken.
The productive characteristics of Adler silver chickens are very good for meat and eggs. Roosters weigh 3.5 - 4 kg, chickens 3 - 3.5 kg. The egg production of Adler silver laying hens is 170 – 190 eggs per year. Some are capable of laying up to 200 eggs. Compared to industrial egg crosses, the eggs of Adlerok are today considered to be of medium size, although their weight is 58 - 59 g.
Pros and cons of the breed
According to reviews, Adler silver chickens have a very docile character and quickly become attached to their owner. They get sick little and are resistant to adverse weather conditions. Unpretentious to feed and living conditions. The egg production of Adler chickens does not decrease even in hot weather, provided there is shelter from the sun's rays.
To obtain eggs, Adleroks can be kept for 3–4 years, in contrast to industrial crosses. The age when silver Adler chickens begin to lay eggs is 6 – 6.5 months. It is late for egg crosses on poultry farms, but it is beneficial if the birds can be kept for several years instead of a year.
A disadvantage is considered to be a poor brooding instinct, forcing owners to use an incubator.
Breeding Adlerok
Since the brooding instinct was lost during the formation of the breed, the eggs will have to be incubated. For incubation, it is better to select a medium-sized egg, without shell defects. A good solution would be to illuminate the egg with an ovoscope.
If a hen lays an egg on the pavement, it may crack slightly at the sharp end. Such eggs are not suitable for incubation.
Specimens selected for incubation are pre-disinfected. There is an opinion that you can do without it. But wise farmers say: “You can hatch chickens a couple of times without disinfecting the eggs, but then you have to throw away the incubator.”
Incubation is similar to any other breed of chicken. Adlers have a high fertility rate and a 95 percent chick yield. The hatched chicks are all yellow.
Safety of chickens is 98%.
When breeding laying hens, you need to take into account that an early hatched chick will mature ahead of schedule. Spring chickens can begin laying eggs as early as 5 months. But such early egg laying leads to a shortening of the bird’s lifespan. The optimal time for hatching chickens - future laying hens: late May - June.
Description of keeping Adler silver chickens with photos
Despite the unpretentiousness of Adlers, they need shelter from bad weather. Good fliers, these birds need perches for psychological comfort. A chicken, if it can, always flies up into a tree at night.Of course, at home, Adlers do not need perches 5 m high, but it is advisable to at least provide them with low poles. The photo shows such perches in the enclosure where the Adlers are kept.
The second option for keeping chicken livestock is floor-based. This option is well suited for farms with a significant number of livestock. When keeping the chicken on the floor, it is necessary to monitor the humidity level in the chicken coop. All chickens do not tolerate high humidity well. Even with low humidity and deep litter, it is important to keep an eye on your chickens' toes.
Such balls block the blood flow in the fingers and prevent the claws from developing normally. In advanced cases, the phalanx of the finger may die. Therefore, deep litter must be turned daily. And check the birds periodically.
Floor keeping of young chickens of the Adler silver breed in the photo.
Adlerkas are well suited for keeping in small and medium-sized farms. Floor keeping is also more convenient there, although Adlers can live well in cages. Due to their unpretentiousness, these chickens are beneficial specifically for small farms.
Adler silver breed of chickens. Farm photo.
Today, Adler dogs are bred in the Krasnodar and Stavropol territories, as well as in Azerbaijan. After a period of decline, the number of Adlers began to grow again. If in 1975 there were 110 thousand heads, today the number has exceeded 2.5 million. Adlers are popular throughout the post-Soviet space, thanks to their docile nature and good productivity.
Diet
Being a “Soviet-made” bird, Adlers are not picky about feed, but require a high protein content. This type of feeding was the norm in the USSR, where meat and bone meal was even added to the feed of herbivorous livestock. With a lack of calcium and protein, Adlers lay small (40 g) eggs, which often causes dissatisfaction among farmers. You can increase eggs to normal by balancing your diet in minerals, trace elements and protein. Chickens without protein are stunted.
Many people advise adding small boiled fish and porridge in fish broth to bird feed. But we must take into account that in this case, the meat of a slaughtered chicken may smell like fish. A solution to the problem can be feeding birds with vitamin and mineral premixes and dairy products.
Adler silver, results.
Reviews of the Adler silver breed of chickens
Conclusion
The description of the Adler chicken breed on websites is often very different from reality. This may be due to the Adlers losing the purity of the breed, since Sussex chickens are often sold under their guise, but few people look at their paws. And it’s not difficult to convince an inexperienced buyer that white feet are normal for a chicken and “will turn yellow later.” The Columbian color is also not uncommon among other breeds. As a result, negative reviews appear about the shortcomings of Adler silver chickens, and in the photo they are not Adler chickens at all.
Purebred Adlers, purchased from a conscientious breeder, delight their owners with longevity and fairly large eggs.
