For the role of the creators of the already legendary egg Today, two countries and two companies are vying for the Dekalb chicken cross: the USA and the Dekalb Poultry Research company, and the Netherlands and the Easy company. When comparing the name of the cross and the names of the companies, the version that the Dekalb chicken breed was created in the USA seems more likely. Ambition is not alien to breeders and company owners, so naming a new cross in honor of their company is a logical and justified move.
The Dekalb White chicken breed was developed back in the 19th century and has not lost its relevance to this day. By the way, the word White – “white” in the name of the cross once again confirms the origin of the breed from an English-speaking country.
Even at the beginning of the presentation of the breed to the general public, the Dekalb breed was declared the “queen of chickens” as a marketing ploy. Although it was just a publicity stunt, Dekalb White chickens lived up to their name. Their productive characteristics turned out to be better than those of any other breed that existed in those years.
Time passed, breeders developed new breeds, but Dekalb White chickens did not give up their positions. Today, selection work continues on them. Poultry farmers strive to improve egg production rates. It is impossible to force a Dekalb laying hen or any other to lay more than 1 egg per day, so the emphasis is on increasing the period of egg production.Breeders strive to increase the production life of Dekalb laying hens from 80 actual weeks to 100. That is, to increase the productive life of Dekalb hens by 5 months.
There is also a second line of the Dekalb breed with the prefix “brown”. The productive characteristics of both lines are similar, the chickens differ only in the color of their plumage. But farmers today prefer to breed the white version.
Description
Externally, the Dekalb White chicken breed is unremarkable. According to the description, the Dekalb chicken breed can easily be confused with other egg-laying crosses and breeds that have a similar color scheme:
- Hisex;
- Leghorn.
However, to distinguish these crosses “live” you also need to have considerable experience. Beginners in poultry farming are not immune to mistakes.
In the video it is noticeable that the only thing that can be distinguished from Leghorn is the rooster, which has a very fleshy and low comb.
The description of the Dekalb chicken breed states that they have a medium-sized body with light bones. The head is small, with a large leaf-shaped crest that slopes to the side. Earrings and comb are deep red. The earlobes and face are pink. The neck is long, covered with well-developed feathers. The eyes are orange-red. The beak is short and yellow. The body is placed almost vertically. The back is straight. The tail is narrow, but well developed.
The wings are long, tightly pressed to the body. The chest is slightly protruded. The abdomen is well developed. The legs are long, with underdeveloped muscles. The metatarsus is long and yellow. Four fingers. The foot is also yellow.
In the Dekalb breed, the plumage can be white or brown.
The weight of chickens is 1.5-1.7 kg, roosters no more than 2 kg. Just by weight you can determine the direction of the rock. Like any laying hen, Dekalb cannot weigh much.
Productive characteristics
Judging by the description, Dekalb chickens are well consolidated in the number and size of eggs. Their egg production period begins at 4 months, peaking at the age of 10 months. The eggs adjust in size very quickly. According to reviews, Dekalb chickens bring up to 350 pieces per year. eggs weighing up to 71 grams. The color of the shell varies depending on the line in the breed. White chickens produce eggs with a white shell. Browns carry a brown product.
Content
The chickens were created as an industrial egg cross. This means keeping poultry farms in confined spaces. Therefore, you can often see photos of Dekalb chickens in cage conditions. But these chickens also do well in free-range conditions.
At setting up a chicken coop The floor area is calculated based on the norm of 5 heads per 1 sq. m. For wintering, the walls of the poultry house are insulated. Perches are made indoors. Depending on the number of chickens planned, roosts can be built on several floors.
If the region experiences cold winters, to save on heating the chicken coop before wintering, the chickens are given deep bedding made of sawdust. By rotting in sawdust, bird droppings will generate heat. But we must remember that, along with heat, decomposing excrement releases ammonia.
To rid birds of parasites, outbreaks of infection of which are observed when chickens are kept crowded indoors, baths with ash and sand are placed in the chicken coop. Ash kills feather eaters, sand makes it easier to remove parasites from the chicken's body. The contents of the baths must be changed as often as possible.To disinfest the chicken coop from bedbugs and ticks, before letting the birds into the room, the walls are treated with insecticidal preparations.
To obtain production in winter, chickens are artificially lengthened daylight hours using fluorescent lamps.
Breeding
The description of Dekalb White chickens clearly indicates that this is an industrial egg breed. This means that one cannot expect a developed incubation instinct from them. Browns also do not strive to become mother hens. When breeding these chickens at home, the poultry farmer will in any case have to use an incubator.
First of all, you need to decide whether Dekalb chickens are a breed or a cross. In the second case, independent breeding of offspring from the herd available on the farm will be impossible.
Unfortunately, Dekalb cross. Chick hatching rate is from 75 to 80%. And the survival rate is almost 100 percent. The hatching egg will have to be purchased from the manufacturer. The second option is to buy ready-made chickens from those poultry farmers who incubate on an industrial scale.
At first, Dekalb White chickens need a brooder as in the photo.
Chickens need high air temperatures, and the slatted floor will ensure hygiene. Like any artificial breed, Dekalb are very susceptible to diseases in the first months of life.
It is better to start feeding chickens as representatives of an artificial breed immediately with ready-made feed for young animals from 0 days.
Feeding
In the future, if you really want to get eggs from Dekalb chickens as in the photo with the weight and quantity indicated in the description, laying hens also need to be fed with professional feed.There are types of feed that stimulate egg laying. Usually, it is thanks to such feeds that poultry begins to lay eggs at a very young age.
Complaints and reviews that Dekalb White chicken products do not correspond to the description and photo are often associated with a violation of the feeding regime. For industrial crosses and breeds, it is absolutely not suitable to feed them in the old fashioned way with homemade compound feed, or even whole grains. Wet mash is only suitable as a treat to supplement the main diet.
But the mash quickly turns sour, causing intestinal diseases in chickens. In addition, when making food yourself, it is almost impossible to correctly balance all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Many of these elements are added separately to feed in factories. They are not found in grain.
Reviews
To be honest, I still don’t understand how Dekalb differs in appearance from the same Hisex or Lomancha. Although I have been keeping this breed for four years now. When purchasing Dekalb eggs or chickens, you have to rely on the honesty of the manufacturer.Therefore, I always take only from large specialized farms, which have little reason to deceive. But when the hens grow up and begin to lay eggs, the difference quickly becomes noticeable. Dekalbs actually lay eggs of almost the same weight and are able to “work” for almost two years. In this regard, they are significantly more profitable than other egg crosses.
Conclusion
The Dekalb breed is significantly superior in its productive characteristics to other industrial egg crosses. Why it was practically unknown in the Union before is unclear. Unless it can be attributed to the Cold War, trade secrets and the reluctance of the United States to sell the latest technologies to the USSR. Today, Dekalb chickens have appeared in Russia and are gaining increasing popularity among poultry farmers.
We need information about the light regime for Dekalb white and feeding in grams per bird per head per day.