Content
Egg chicken breeds, bred specifically to produce eggs rather than meat, have been known since ancient times. Some of them were obtained by the “method of folk selection”. Such, for example, are Ushanka, bred in Ukraine and the southern regions of Russia. Its other names are “Russian Ushanka”, “Ukrainian Ushanka”, “South Russian Ushanka”. The exact origin of Ushanka is unknown.
In the 19th century, the Italian Leghorn breed, which has not lost its popularity to this day, also appeared through folk selection.
But the most interesting, from the point of view of antiquity and folk selection, is the Egyptian Fayumi breed, bred in Ancient Egypt. It is interesting not even because of its ancient origin, but because of its very appearance in this area and the contacts of mankind several thousand years ago.
Ancestor domestic chicken considered to be the banker's wild chicken, which still lives wild in Southeast Asia. In relation to Africa, even beyond India, in the areas of Burma, Thailand and Vietnam.
It is unlikely that the wild chicken was overcome by a desire to see the world and went to Egypt on its own. This means that it was brought there by people. Probably Fayumi is hiding something from us.
Fayumi chicken
A chicken with a pleasant variegated color is practically not found in Russia, although it is widespread in the countries of Western Asia and, since the times of the Roman Empire, managed to become the ancestor of several egg breeds in Italy and France.
Being adapted to a hot and dry climate, Fayumi would probably be suitable for breeding in the southern regions of Russia, although her eggs are small, like another result of folk selection - Ushanka.
The chicken is not very heavy. The weight of an adult rooster is 2 kg, a hen is a little more than 1.5.
Any egg-laying chickens do not have large muscle mass, since this bird has an interesting dependence: either high egg production and low body weight, or high weight and very low egg production. And this dependence is genetic. Therefore, even existing meat and egg chickens are simply somewhere between two extremes.
Another, already domestic product of folk selection: Ushanka, is also small-egged.
Chicken breed Ushanka
Sometimes Ushanka is called meat and egg. With a rooster weighing 2.8 kg, a hen weighing 2 kg and an egg production of 170 small eggs per year, the question of whether this breed belongs to the egg or meat-egg direction will probably have to be decided by the owner.
The weight of an egg rarely goes beyond 50 g. Ushanka, compared to other egg-laying hens, is late-ripening. Ushankas begin to lay eggs at six months, while the others start laying eggs at 4.5 – 5 months.
Most likely, the purpose of the breed began to change in people’s minds to “meat and egg” after the advent of industrial egg crosses with an egg production of 300 large eggs per year.But a cross is a cross, you cannot get the same productive offspring from it, and some crosses, in general, can only be obtained in laboratory conditions. The normal egg production of a chicken of the egg breed is 1 egg every two days. The exception is the Leghorn, but this breed was originally small-egged and with normal productivity. Increased productivity Leghorn was already after the hard work of breeders on the breed.
Ushanka got its name from the characteristic sideburns that cover the earlobes. A characteristic feature of the breed is the “beard” under the beak.
The main color is brown, black and, less commonly, white. Since almost no one is engaged in targeted breeding of Ushanka, and when crossed with outbred stock, Ushanka transmits its characteristics - “ears”, the color palette has already been somewhat expanded.
Ushanka is unpretentious and tolerates frost well, which is an important factor when breeding poultry on personal backyards, since the same productive crosses necessarily require high-quality feed and special conditions that will be difficult for a private owner to create in his own yard, especially in relatively cold regions.
Unfortunately, only a few enthusiasts are engaged in breeding Ushanka and it is already classified as endangered.
Leghorn chicken
Usually, when people talk about Leghorns, they think of just these white chickens, although there are also colored variants with the same name with the same name.
Brown Leghorn (aka brown leghorn, Italian partridge)
Golden Leghorn
Cuckoo-Partridge Leghorn
Spotted Leghorn
A characteristic feature of all Leghorns is the large comb of the hen falling to one side.
Leghorn was also bred in Italy using the method of folk selection and initially did not shine with special egg production. After targeted work with the breed by breeders from different countries, several lines were formed that today allow the creation of industrial crosses.
The modern Leghorn hen lays over 200 eggs per year. It begins to lay eggs at the age of 4.5 months. In the first year from the moment of puberty, the egg production of leghorns is not high and eggs weigh 55 - 58 g.
The weight of a Leghorn rooster is about 2.5 kg, and that of a chicken is from 1.5 to 2 kg.
The large-scale import of leghorns, which easily adapt to various conditions, to the Soviet Union was carried out in the second half of the 20th century during the transfer of Soviet poultry farming to an industrial basis.
Today, Leghorn is the basis for the creation of industrial egg crosses with an egg production of 300 eggs per year. Due to the fact that this breed was exported to many countries, despite its purebredness, the Leghorn lines have already diverged far enough to make it possible to create purebred industrial crosses of two or more lines. Due to the heterosis effect, the productivity of even purebred Leghorns increases from 200 to 300 eggs per year.
The lifespan of commercial leghorn laying hens is 1 year. After a year, the productivity of industrial poultry decreases and it is slaughtered.
The Russian breed was developed on the basis of the Leghorn.
Russian white
Bred by crossing Leghorn roosters from different lines with local outbred hens.
Laying hens inherited the breed trait of a hanging comb from the Leghorn. The advantages of the breed include its unpretentiousness to living conditions, the disadvantages are small eggs and the lack of brooding instinct, also inherited from Leghorns.
Russian White eggs weigh 55 g.In the first year, hens lay about 215 eggs. In selected lines, egg production in the first year can reach 244 eggs, then egg production decreases by an average of 15% per year, although an individual egg increases in size up to 60 g. For this reason, after the first year of life, laying hens are slaughtered.
Russian white chickens have been selected for resistance to cold weather, leukemia, and carcinoma and are of interest to the pharmaceutical industry that produces medical drugs.
This breed of chickens is bred on non-specialized and private farms.
For amateur chicken keepers, the Andalusian blue chicken bred in Spain will look very original in their yard.
Andalusian blue
The unusual coloring attracts attention, but the Andalusian Blue is quite rare and breeders are trying to get at least a few chickens of this breed. It doesn't work out for everyone.
Although the breed belongs to the egg breed, it is not industrial. Young hens begin to lay eggs at 5 months, producing eggs weighing 60 g. The egg production of this breed is 180 eggs per year. Chickens can also provide meat. The weight of the chicken is 2 - 2.5 kg, the rooster - 2.5 - 3 kg.
Theoretically, Andalusian blues can incubate eggs, but their brooding instinct is poorly developed. To obtain offspring, it is better to use an incubator or a chicken of a different breed.
When two blue chickens are crossed, the color of the offspring is split into 50% blue, 25% black, 25% white. And, according to all the laws of genetics, there should be 12.5% of eggs containing the lethal blue gene in a homozygous state, from which no one will hatch.
Chickens of black and white color cannot be exhibited as purebred, but there is no point in culling them from breeding.When crossed with a blue chicken, the gene for blue color is added to the genome of chickens of these colors and the offspring turns out to be blue.
Gaining more and more popularity in Russia Araucana chickens, whose homeland is South America.
Araucana
Breed feature of Araucan is the absence of a tail and an egg with a greenish-blue shell.
The weight of an Araucan rooster is 2 kg, and that of a hen is 1.8 kg. These chickens lay 160 eggs per year, weighing 57 g. Araucan has no brooding instinct.
Interestingly, if you cross an Araucana with hens that lay brown eggs, the offspring will lay an olive-green egg, and when crossed with white-egg hens, you can get bluish eggs.
Mini egg breeds
As a result of the mutation, mini egg chickens of the following breeds arose: dwarf Rhode Island or P-11 and dwarf leghorn or B-33.
These are not crosses, but specifically breeds with the dwarfism gene. Moreover, their body weight is the same as that of large chickens. They appear small solely due to their short legs. Dwarfs do not require much space, and they lay the same eggs as tall chickens. The weight of eggs from dwarf chickens is 60 g. Egg production is 180 - 230 eggs per year.
The homeland of these dwarfs is Russia. But today these breeds are marching victoriously around the world.
Rhode Island dwarf
Leghorn dwarf
Conclusion
In addition to these, there are, of course, a lot of other egg breeds. Laying hens can be selected to suit every taste, not only by egg weight, egg production, color and size, but even by egg color. There are chickens that lay eggs of chocolate, black, blue, and green colors.You can also engage in amateur selection, trying to cross breeds with different eggshell colors to get your original egg.
