Content
A very large industrial cross bred in Hungary chickens for meat and eggs was originally brought to Ukraine. There, because of the place of origin, the cross was nicknamed the “Hungarian Giant”. For its size, growth rate and feather color, this cross received the second name “Red Broiler”. Moreover, its original name is “Foxy Chick”, which was given to the cross by breeders for its color, similar in color to that of a fox.
A little later, Hungarian giant chickens came to Russia, where they retained all the Ukrainian nicknames. But chickens that truly met the stated requirements were raised only by enthusiasts who imported chickens or eggs directly from Hungary. Hungarian giants are very similar in appearance to other similar breeds, often differing from egg-laying ones Redbrough in size, and from Red Orlingtons in egg production.
In Ukraine and Russia this is usually called Hungarian cross "Foxy Chick";. But sometimes the same name is given to another Hungarian breed, “Magyar,” which is easily confused with “Foxy.”
Description of the Red Hungarian Giant breed: theory and practice
The description states that the Hungarian giant is a large, heavy chicken with short legs. The weight of an adult chicken can reach 4 kg, and a rooster 6.
Although those who raised chickens imported from Hungary, their roosters gained 5 kg per year. Chickens grow quickly, gaining almost 2 kg by two months. The slaughter yield of six-month-old Hungarian females was in the range of 2-2.5 kg. Roosters can grow into real giants with a slaughter yield of almost 4 kg at 7 months.
Egg characteristics are very high for the meat-egg breed: 300 pcs. in year. The eggs are large, weighing 65-70g.
The color of the Hungarian is red. May be interspersed with feathers of a different color.
It was a theory. The practice of growing real Foxy Chick crosses almost coincides with the theory, but there are some nuances.
What's in practice
In practice, the giants taken as hatching eggs from Hungary generally showed characteristics almost corresponding to those declared. The cross has some features:
- Hungarian giants have uneven development. The body of chickens is formed earlier than that of roosters. While the hen already looks like a full-fledged purebred giant, the rooster is more like some kind of long-legged teenager of the fighting breed.
- Giant hens often lay eggs with double yolks and have a tendency to “shed eggs”;
- There are several lines in the cross that differ in their characteristics.
The photo above shows an adult, sexually mature Hungarian Giant rooster. The photo below shows a young cockerel of the same cross.
“Double” eggs are popular with housewives who use them in cooking, but are not suitable for the incubator.Accordingly, if you want to breed this cross yourself, the percentage of eggs that can be laid for incubation is reduced. Taking into account a certain number of unfertilized eggs, the number of chicks that can be obtained from a Hungarian Giant chicken is very small.
The tendency to “shed eggs,” as practice has shown, is genetic in these chickens. Standard measures to eliminate this problem did not bring results, and the “guilty” chickens were slaughtered.
Representatives of the cross vary greatly in plumage color. There are birds with white or black tails. “White-tailed” chickens and roosters are more massive than their counterparts with black tails.
Breed "Magyar", the second version of the Hungarian giant
The breed was developed by crossing local Hungarian chickens with Orlington chickens. If the Foxy Chick is a rather rare cross, the Magyars are almost unknown outside of Hungary. These chickens come in a variety of colors, including variegated varieties. But the main color of the Magyar is red-brown, similar to the dark version of the foxy color.
Description of the Magyars
Chickens have dense, thick plumage, allowing them to easily endure weather troubles. Sexual dimorphism is present. Chickens appear larger than roosters due to their wider bodies. However, chickens weigh less than roosters.
The head is small, with a red crest, earrings and lobes. The comb is leaf-shaped. The beak is short and yellow. The neck is of medium length. The back and belly are wide. The chest is well muscled. The tail is bushy but short. The rooster has short, rounded braids. Metatarsus yellow, unfeathered.
Meat characteristics are good. But compared to Foxy Magyars, they are not a large breed. The weight of roosters is no more than 3 kg, chickens - 2.5. Chickens grow quickly.
The egg characteristics are also lower than those of the Red Hungarian Giant.The Magyar lays no more than 180 eggs per year, weighing 55 g. The shell is brown.
Advantages and disadvantages of both breeds
These two Hungarian giants have different productive characteristics, but are otherwise very similar:
- both breeds gain weight quickly;
- do not suffer from a tendency to obesity;
- quite resistant to climatic disturbances.
The disadvantages of these chickens directly indicate their industrial purpose:
- demand for feed. With the diet of ordinary village chickens, the development of young animals stops;
- high consumption of feed.
Pitfalls when buying a breed
In Russian conditions we are talking about the red giant (foxy chick). The Magyars brought themselves a few chicken breeders. Those who took care of the independent delivery of a productive flock of foxy chicks from Hungary, or used the services of proven and reliable intermediaries, were satisfied with the birds.
But now many advertisements offer chickens of this breed for sale.
With independent breeding, the offspring undergo arbitrary splitting according to parental characteristics and the result is a bird that has not retained either the properties of the Hungarian Giant itself or the properties of the parent breeds of this cross.
Problems faced by buyers of giants from the ad:
- a large number of chickens with underdeveloped genitals. There are especially many kuraks;
- severe underweight. The chickens are half the size expected;
- cessation of development after the transition from the starting industrial feed for chickens to the diet of ordinary village chickens.
The Red Giant is positioned as a breed well suited for private keeping in the countryside. Since in this case the chickens were sold under the brand name of the Hungarian Giant, but what was actually sold is unknown, it is impossible to say whose fault it is in this case. Perhaps the disruption of the development of the reproductive organs is a genetic problem for Hungarian women, or maybe it is the consequences of splitting according to the genotype.
A stop in development when switching to another feed may be due to the need of industrial crosses for industrial feed. But it could also be due to the same splitting.
A chicken may not grow well due to some disease, or perhaps because it is an unsuccessful second-generation hybrid.
Positive review of the Hungarian Giant on video:
Reviews of poultry farmers who have tried to breed the Hungarian Giant cross
Conclusion
The Hungarian Giant breed of chickens is a very good breed for private backyards, but only on the condition that it is the first generation of a cross and it was purchased from a bona fide producer or it is a “Magyar” breed. In fact, a real Hungarian giant must be brought from the producing country - Hungary. For this reason, the breed is unlikely to become widespread in other countries. Especially considering the confusion in the names and appearance of birds. It’s easier to buy already proven breeds.
So it’s still possible to get chicks from these chickens in a home incubator, but I haven’t found the answer anywhere. Some say that it is possible, others absolutely not, so is it still yes or no?
Hello. Depends what you mean by “getting chicks from these chickens.” If you just need to get chickens, no matter what qualities, then you can. True, there are a couple of “buts”:
• the egg must have one yolk;
• The egg must be fertilized.
Hungarian giants often lay eggs with two yolks, which means that such eggs are minus from the total number. The total number of eggs from the Hungarian giant is large, but, in addition to those with a double yolk, you will have to remove those with a weak shell or only one membrane.
Large birds often have problems with fertilization due to the size of the male. He does not stay on the female.After a week of incubation, we remove unfertilized eggs from the remaining eggs.
Developmental problems in the surviving chicks mean that a significant number of embryos also die. Minus the dead embryos.
The hatched chicks will be anything but Hungarian giants, as the laws of genetics come into play here. The same two Mendelian laws that are taught in school. But at school, Mendel's second law is studied on Drosophila flies, which have only 4 pairs of chromosomes. There it is easy to calculate which signs can mix with each other.
A chicken has 39 pairs of chromosomes. One and a half times more than in humans. The number of gene combinations becomes enormous. It is impossible to calculate which chicken will inherit which traits. And they definitely won’t be purebred.
Therefore, if you just want to hatch at least some chickens from the eggs laid by the Hungarian giant, this is possible. You just need to select a full-fledged rooster and full-fledged chickens. Or take a rooster of a different breed.
If you need exactly home-grown Hungarian giants, the same as those from the manufacturer, then “categorically no.” It is impossible to obtain Hungarian Giant chicks from a Hungarian Giant F1 rooster and hen.