Content
In Asia there is a whole galaxy of dark-skinned chickens with different levels of melanin. One of these breeds is the Xin-Xin-Dian meat and egg chickens. Their skin is more dark gray than black. But the eggs are exotic in color.
This breed is essentially a marriage of selection. Actually, the Chinese at that time wanted to develop a new breed of fighting roosters, and it turned out to be Xin-hsin-dian. True, it wasn’t called that then. The chicken resulting from an unsuccessful attempt to breed a fighting breed could be classified as meat and egg direction. But the Chinese have no compromises. The animal they breed must produce maximum production.
If angora rabbit, then a fur ball in which the rabbit itself is not visible. If the meat is silky chicken, then a rooster less than 5 kilograms is not a chicken. There were enough meat breeds of chickens in China, but there was nothing to make “hundred-year-old eggs” from. And it was decided to repurpose this “neither fish nor fowl” into the egg direction.
As a result of the breeding work of Shanghai scientists, a virtually new breed of chickens, Xin-Xin-Dian, was “born.” It came to Russia through Khabarovsk, thanks to the owner of the poultry farm N. Roshchin.
Description
Judging by the photo and description, Xin-Xin-Dian chickens are no different from ordinary laying hens. The only ones that stand out are the black birds.If you meet representatives of the breed of red and ginger colors on the street, it is unlikely that they can be distinguished from ordinary laying hens. The differences become clear if you collect the eggs of these chickens or pluck them.
The Hsin-hsin-dian egg has a pleasant green color. And the breed itself is famous as “the chickens that lay green eggs.”
Standard
The Chinese are not particularly concerned about the description of the standard for the Xin-Xin-Dian chicken breed, since the productivity of the bird is more important to them. But Russian clubs for Chinese chicken lovers do not like this state of affairs, and they create their own standards for all breeds in order to streamline the breeding of purebred Chinese chickens. There is such a standard for Xin-dian.
Xing-Xings have the typical appearance of an egg breed. Light body, light weight of birds, large combs of roosters. The head is medium in size with a large but neat leaf-shaped crest. Even in chickens the comb is clearly visible. The earrings, lobes, face and comb are bright red. Chickens may have a gray face and bluish earlobes. A distinctive feature of a good rooster is long earrings and a large comb. The eyes are orange-red. The beak is short with gray and light areas in red birds and dark gray in black ones.
The neck is of medium length. The small body is placed almost horizontally. The skeleton is light, trapezoidal. The back is straight. The wings are pressed tightly to the body and are of medium size. The tails of both sexes are set high and bushy. The top line forms a U shape in both roosters and hens. The braids of roosters are short and underdeveloped.
The chest is rounded. The belly of laying hens is well developed. The thighs and shins are small. The metatarsus is gray-yellow, unfeathered.
There are three color options in the breed:
- black;
- ginger;
- red.
The black chickens of the Xin-Xin-Dian breed look most impressive in the photo.
A sign will have to be hung on the red hen that it is not just an outbred village laying hen, but a rare exotic breed.
Productivity
Chinese Xin-Xin-Dian chickens have a small body weight: up to 2 kg for males, up to 1.5 kg for laying hens. Egg production is relatively low compared to industrial egg crosses. Pullets begin to lay eggs at 4-4.5 months and in the first year they lay up to 250 eggs with green shells. At the initial stage, the egg weighs 55 g. Later, the mass of the egg increases to 60 g.
Also, “old” hens lay darker eggs than pullets, although the diet and living conditions of the birds are the same for both groups.
It is completely unclear how to explain the difference in the color of eggs from young and old chickens. At the same time, the phenomenon when at the beginning of oviposition the color of the egg is more saturated, and towards the end it turns pale, has been known for a long time and is also found in Ameraucana chickens.
In Xin-dian, maximum productivity is observed in the second year of life. On the third, egg production decreases. Therefore, experts advise updating the herd every three years.
But, as already mentioned, the Chinese are little concerned about issues of breed. They need productivity. Therefore, under the name Xin-Xin-Dian, hybrids with another Chinese breed can be found. These crosses lay eggs with shells ranging from marsh to dark blue.
For egg production, crosses are more profitable, since egg production is higher and the egg itself is larger.
Advantages
The description says that Xin-Xin-Dian chickens have a very calm character and are highly disciplined. Apparently, it is a national Chinese trait.Compared to other similar breeds, they have a small stomach, which means they consume less food. Xin Dian are resistant to temperature changes and can withstand slight frosts, although during the cold winter they should be transferred to an insulated chicken coop.
Eggs are valued for their unusual shell color and the content of large amounts of lipids that remove cholesterol from the body. However, the latter is just a marketing ploy.
Owner reviews of Xin-Xin-Dian chickens are enthusiastic. Not only the peaceful behavior of the birds is admirable, but also the quality of the meat. According to poultry farmers, even the meat of 1.5-year-old roosters is soft and delicate in taste. Normally, even the meat of a one-year-old bird already becomes very tough and is only suitable for broth.
Breed Features
The owners of Xin-dian noticed that with the onset of cold weather, laying hens sharply reduce productivity. But chicken owners associate this phenomenon not only with air temperature, but also with the length of daylight hours. In winter, these factors are corrected by installing a heating device and additional lighting in the chicken coop.
In a room with a floor area of 6-12 m² and a ceiling height of 2 m, only two 100-watt light bulbs will be enough. With modern energy-saving lamps, which shine much brighter than old incandescent lamps, they consume 5 times less electricity, it will not even be very expensive. Daylight hours for Xin-dian should last 12-14 hours.
You won't be able to save money on heating. The room temperature must be at least 10°C. But not higher than 20°C. The optimal temperature range for Blue-Blue is 12-14°C when kept on the floor in a chicken coop and 15-18°C when kept in cages.
Content
Xin Dian are very active and love to fly. For a comfortable stay, they need a closed enclosure where they can “stretch their paws.”
Although chickens are quite resistant to weather adversities, they do not like extreme cold and dampness. It is better to immediately build a chicken coop for their residence that is insulated and with good ventilation. In the absence of ventilation, condensation collecting on the walls and ceiling will lead to mold contamination in the room. And the droppings that accumulate in the litter will kindly supply the mold with nutrients. As a result, the bird will develop aspergillosis.
The chickens are provided with bedding depending on the time of year. In the summer there is no point in making deep litter, but by winter the thickness of the gradually added litter should reach 35-40 cm. In the spring, with the onset of warm days, the litter is raked out and the cycle begins anew.
The number of birds in the chicken coop per m² should not exceed 6 birds. The Xin-Dian breed needs high roosts. Chickens prefer to sleep at heights.
The diet of the Xin-dian is the same as that of other egg-laying breeds. They also require minerals and vitamins. To replenish protein, a lot of which is lost from the chicken’s body to produce eggs, it is necessary to periodically give the laying hens minced meat or fish.
Breeding
Considering the annual production of eggs, one can guess that Xin-dian laying hens are not eager to be hens. Therefore, chickens are hatched in incubators. The safety of chicks in this breed is very high: 95-98%.
Hatched chicks are fed in the same way as chicks of other breeds. The temperature in the brooder should be maintained at 30°C for the first time. As fledging progresses, the temperature is gradually reduced to 20°C.
The photo shows the future black Xin-dian.During childhood, the color of chicks is different from that of adult birds.
Reviews
Conclusion
According to the description and photo, the Xin-Xin-Dian chicken breed is not particularly impressive. But those who take the risk of keeping one quickly come to the conclusion that these chickens are almost ideal for a personal backyard: they eat little, lay eggs well and do not fight at all. The latter is especially important in private households, where the owner often cannot monitor the behavior of chickens 24 hours a day.
What is the difference between Ukhei Ulyu and Xin Xin Dan written in Xin Xin's eggs are green, I read that Ukhei Ulyu is also green and what is the difference
Hello. Should the difference be between eggs or between chickens? Wuhei Yilu's eggs are smaller than those of Xin Xin Dian. If the question is about buying eggs for incubation, then you can only hope for the seller’s honesty, since the difference between the eggs is not very big. In young Xin Xin Dian, the egg is only 6-7 grams greater than the weight of the Wuhei Ilyu egg. But it's in the descriptions. In reality, different weight variations are possible.
If we are talking about the difference in breeds, then an outside observer who does not delve into chicken breeds will easily confuse Xin Xin Dian with ordinary chickens. Unless a dozen or two black Xin Xin Dian will convince people that this is some kind of breed.
You definitely can’t confuse Uhei Ilyu with Russian breeds. It is much easier to confuse them with Ayum Tsemani, who do not yet run around in every Russian village. Although Ukhey's crest and earrings are not purely black, like Tsemani's.
These breeds also differ in egg production. The Xin Dian was created as an egg breed and lays between 250 and 300 eggs per year, while the Wuhei Yilu barely reaches 180 eggs per year.
But when buying a hatching egg, you hardly need to fear that they will sell you Wuhei instead of Xin Dian. On the contrary, it’s easy. Wuhei Ilyu is a very rare breed. And it is not known which is rarer: Ukhey or Tsemani.
thanks, but it seems like the color of the ear egg is different from the xin xin egg