Redbro is a popular breed that has managed to gain popularity among many breeders. Birds have an attractive exterior, high productivity, the ability to acclimatize in any conditions. It is these qualities that farmers involved in breeding for the sake of profit value in them.
Origin of Redbrough
These are birds with centuries of history. They began to withdraw in the early 20th century. Birds differ in red plumage in adulthood, due to which they got their name. The goal of the scientists was to obtain individuals with high weight and excellent taste in meat. Obtaining attractive representatives is only an additional bonus received as a result of breeding work.
Birds were bred in England. During the selection, representatives of fighting Malays and Cornish were used. The hybrid was created by specialists from the Hubbard company, which is popular all over the world and has several branches in other countries.
Today, the hybrid has become popular and in demand among many poultry farmers. Some poultry farms favored Redbro chickens for growing on an industrial scale. By type of productivity, chicken is classified as meat-egg, it is considered universal.
Appearance and characteristics
Large birds are characterized by a large head, on which there is a foliate or leaf-shaped crest of a bright red color. The birds have bright earlobes. The full body is located on powerful legs. Chest slightly protruding forward. The wings are small, fit snugly to the body. The neck is thin and long, sometimes the birds resemble small ostriches.
Before the first molt, the animals look no different from ordinary chickens, which is often used by unscrupulous sellers, selling young calves to regular customers. Representatives have red plumage, sometimes turning into a red-brown shade.
A distinctive feature of birds is a calm nature. They are peaceful and rarely come into conflict. But at the same time, the breed is considered freedom-loving. Birds need spacious chicken coops and a place for walking. How to build a suitable chicken house yourself - read here.
The dense plumage contributes to the fact that the birds tolerate cold well, but it is undesirable that the chicken coop has a low temperature. Birds feel comfortable at 25 degrees Celsius. The rest is believed that the animal is unpretentious, due to which it is profitable and easy to breed.
Productivity
Often, Redbro is called a color broiler, because birds are prone to rapid weight gain. Already in two months, birds weigh about 2.5 kilograms. Chickens of this breed actually grow faster than ordinary meat and egg birds. Adult females grow up to 3 kilos, males - up to 4.5 kilograms.
The egg characteristics of the bird are especially pleasing - for a year the female gives up to 300 medium-sized eggs. The mass of one egg is 65-70 grams, the color of the shell is white or cream. The start of masonry begins at 5-6 months.
Content
Birds are kept in a regular house, placing the required number of perches, feeders and drinking bowls in it. Useful recommendations:
- Be sure to have a container with ash and sand in the house - chickens take dry baths in these components, which becomes an excellent protection for them from the appearance of parasites.
- Redbros are considered clean birds. For this reason, it is required to regularly clean the house - at least 1 time per week.
- Timely vaccination of the entire livestock is important. The farmer will also have to disinfect the room.
- The ceilings and walls of the house are bleached with lime and left for a day for ventilation. After that, hens are populated there.
The house should be spacious and bright. It is built so that the height is not more than 180 centimeters. On 10 square meters there are no more than 20 heads of birds. On the back wall of the chicken coop, it is required to equip perches, about 7 centimeters thick, otherwise the birds will be uncomfortable to sit on them.
A prerequisite is the equipment of nests for layers, clean and dry flooring, an aviary for birds - here they will walk, and eat pasture.
Varieties
There are several selection variants that are different by external data - M and C. Representatives of the C hybrid do not have plumage in the neck, for this reason they can hardly be called attractive.
Molt of birds
Like other broilers, red chickens are prone to annual molting, but they have this process faster and less painful. This is the only period of the year when laying hens retire, stopping to lay eggs. The rest of the time, egg production is practically not reduced.
This hybrid has good health and a high survival rate, but this can be a problem during molting. The farmer will have to arrange for the birds the most favorable conditions and excellent nutrition.
Regarding the life expectancy of birds, it does not make sense to contain them for more than 2-3 years. Poultry farmers usually send them to slaughter when the birds turn two years old - further maintenance does not justify itself in terms of profit.
Feeding and diet
Due to today's requirements for chicken, which must be obtained from poultry, Hubbard began producing crosses that can live like a village bird. Redbro crosses really do not need a special diet.
Chickens are fed according to the same system as regular chicks. In the early days, a diet rich in protein is introduced into the diet. After a few weeks, they are transferred to the diet of adult birds. The owner can decide for himself what to feed the animals. Redbros can be fed with both industrial feeds and with their own hand-made grain mixtures and wet mixers.
To feed one individual of the Redbro breed, the amount of feed is gradually increased depending on the age of the bird. In two weeks, babies are fed 100-150 grams of feed, in three weeks the volume is increased by 50 grams. At the age of 30 days, chicks are given at least 200 grams of feed, and six-month-old individuals eat portions of about 300-350 grams.
On free-range birds can independently produce greenery. In winter, you will need to introduce finely chopped vegetables and root vegetables into the diet.
Breeding and caring for chickens
Redbro chickens are highly breeding. But for this it is recommended to purchase one-day-old chickens from conscientious poultry farmers, the cost of which varies within 50 rubles per individual. It is also acceptable to use eggs for an incubator. If the farmer does not want to use laying hens for growing, it is better to place the eggs in the incubator. But for this it is important to follow certain rules so that the survival rate of the chicks is high:
- Choose eggs of the same size, they should be free from any defects, including pollution. Eggs are wiped with a rag previously moistened in potassium permanganate.
- It is advisable to place the eggs in the incubator in the evening to increase the likelihood of having babies not at night, but in the afternoon or in the evening.
- The humidity level in the incubator should not be less than 75%, and a temperature of +39 degrees are indicators of the egg content in the first 11 days.
- The next 7 days in the incubator, the air temperature should be +38.5 degrees, humidity - up to 50%.
- The rest of the three days, the eggs in the incubator are at a temperature of up to 37.5 degrees.
At the last stage, it is imperative to open all the ventilation ducts in the room, which will ensure good ventilation.
The color of the born chickens is light brown, their weight is about 40 grams. They are able to quickly gain mass. In just 1 month they add about 1 kilo in weight. Hatched chicks are not yet too susceptible to external conditions, which is why the farmer needs to create comfortable conditions for them. In order for the birds to grow stronger and adapt rather, observe the following recommendations:
- At first, keep the babies in a box on the bottom of which a warm litter is laid. On the first day, the temperature should be 30-32 degrees. Then it is weekly reduced by 2 degrees. By the 30th day from birth, the chicks are required to be kept at a temperature of 18 degrees.
- A prerequisite for chicks in the first two days is round-the-clock lighting. Further, they will have enough lighting for 13-14 hours.
- Babies are fed the same way as broiler chicks.
It is unacceptable to start feeding chickens with solid food too quickly - this can cause digestive problems.
Disease, treatment and prevention
The strengths of the breed include its strong immunity and increased resistance to various diseases. Among the main distinguish such diseases:
Disease | Symptoms | Treatment / Prevention |
Typhoid fever | A dangerous disease in which birds have a digestive disorder. Usually, chickens refuse to eat, they have loose stools, and their body temperature rises. The birds look weak. If you do not isolate a sick individual in time, there is a risk of infection of the remaining birds in the chicken coop - this disease is transmitted by airborne droplets. | Antibiotics are used for treatment. |
Coccidiosis | Disease transmitted through parasites in direct contact. The bird suffers from diarrhea, it shows apathy, the body temperature rises. | To combat parasites, special medications are used - they are prescribed by the veterinarian. The medicine is given to birds with food or drink. |
Pasteurellosis | Very often, Redbro chickens are affected by this disease. To understand that the bird is infected, the farmer can reduce activity, increase body temperature, change the color of the scallop and ears, the appearance of mucous discharge from the sinuses. | They treat birds with sulfanilamide preparations. Together with the treatment, the house is necessarily treated. |
Salmonellosis | In case of untimely vaccination, the disease can destroy the entire population. When infected, the birds become weak, refuse to eat, stop growing, they have loose stools and swelling in the eye area. | To combat the disease, a solution of furazolidone is used - it is added to water. Continue to solder the birds for 10 days. |
Pros and Cons of Redbrough
There are many advantages to the Redbro breed, which is why farmers who choose the breed for breeding are especially appreciated.
The following animal qualities are distinguished:
- Precocity. Already at 5 months the birds reach puberty and begin to work actively. Often they give up to 300 medium-sized eggs per year. But some poultry farmers noticed that the white broiler chicks grow much faster than Redbro. But at the same time, red birds consume less feed.
- Good adaptability to any conditions. Birds of this breed are able to acclimatize anywhere. The only difference between a chicken walking free - its meat is much tastier than that of a bird kept in a confined space.
- Unpretentiousness in food. Birds can tolerate local feed well. For this reason, the breed is considered light and easy to breed.
- Resistance to frost. At a temperature of -5 degrees, birds can walk along the street without any harm to their productivity.
- Quick molt. The process of molting in Redbro birds is faster and less painful than in representatives of other breeds.
- Stamina and good health. Redbros very rarely suffer from colds, they do not need a lot of vaccinations.
- Great character. Representatives of this breed have a calm temperament, due to which they are kept with birds of other breeds. Individuals do not show aggression either to animals or to their master.
There are no significant shortcomings in the breed. The only negative quality is that outwardly they look like ordinary poultry, which is why unscrupulous sellers often deceive buyers.
Breed Reviews
On the expanses of the Network about the Redbro breed there are a variety of reviews. Some speak positively about birds, while others are indignant that they are not so unpretentious.
Anna, 47 years old, a housewife.Once I saw red chickens in the ad, it was written that this was a Redbro breed. I'm not sure that the seller is conscientious, because when my chickens grew up, I did not notice their high egg production, as indicated in the description. Yes, and they did not grow well enough, but the seller assured that individuals were quickly gaining mass. Perhaps I was deceived, but if not, then this breed is not so good.
Alexander, 41 years old, farmer.My wife and I were very lucky to get real Redbro meat crosses. Already in a month and a half, the chickens could not but rejoice with their "huge" sizes. They actually have small wings, from my own experience I can say that they are much smaller than other breeds. But at the same time the birds have powerful legs. They are very mobile and active - even managed to roll a plastic pipe for water. Very interesting crosses. The palatability is excellent, much better than the Cobb crosses we've been breeding before.
Valentine, 34 years old, breeder.I have never had to deal with such a bird before. I confirm that Redbro is an upscale cross. The poultry meat is simply unusually tender, at the same time juicy and fibrous. And this despite the fact that he has small streaks. And the taste of eggs is also particularly pleasing. Layers give about 250 eggshells in a year. I keep birds in a regular chicken coop. These are peaceful animals, and there are no problems with them.
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Redbro chickens are birds that are raised for the sake of getting eggs and tasty, dietary meat. Animals are famous for their unpretentiousness, ease of breeding, calm temperament. Farmers appreciate the breed for their instant weight gain - this ensures greater profit.
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Ukraine. City: Kryvyi Rih
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