Brown Nick hens are distinguished by their longevity, high productive qualities, and the strength of their eggshells. They do not eat much food and are not fastidious in food, so raising and raising such birds is a pleasure. An important rule is proper care, proper feeding of birds.
History of breed origin
For several years, the German company International has been raising and breeding birds that carry large eggs and produce tasty meat, which allows people to make good profits on this. In the last century, in the sixties, hens were bred when the dark shell of eggs became popular.
This breed of chickens was recorded in a book in 1965 in the subsection of laying hens with high productivity, not predisposed to dangerous chicken diseases and high chick survival. Today, Brown chickens are bred not only in Germany, but hatching eggs and young birds are distributed in several dozen European and American countries.
You can also meet on the territory of Russia at industrial enterprises chickens provided breed. Many of them cooperate with the German corporation International.
External signs and character
External signs of chickens are due to gender. As for the roosters, they can be distinguished by the following signs:
- Feathers are white in color, physique is large and massive. Compared to other egg hybrids, body composition in representatives of this breed is atypical.
- The body is dense, has the shape of a trapezoid with a clearly defined sternum.
- Head with a medium neck, crest with catkins saturated with red.
- The beak is not even, but slightly curved has a yellow color with a slightly grayish tint.
- The keel is of medium length, the skin itself is fair.
- The main leader can weigh 2.5 kg.
In layers, the appearance is completely different, the name was given to them thanks to the smoothed juicy feathers of brown-red color. There are white strokes on the tip of the tail, the same as those on the tips of the wings. The body is smaller than that of males, having the shape of a trapezoid, the tail of the laying hens is curly, and the wings are strongly pressed to the body. The crest is smaller in size than that of roosters (but the same standing), the color is the same red. Chicken can reach up to 2 kg of live weight, but they are not grown for meat, the Browns have one goal - this is year-round egg laying.
Hens have a humble, calm and modest character, so even an inexperienced owner can grow them. They are resistant, can easily withstand a sharp change in temperature and conditions of detention. Hens are not afraid of harsh sounds, roosters get along well with people and other male birds, and aggressiveness is also absent.
At poultry farms these birds are kept in small cages, and this is enough for them to live a wonderful life. If at home there is enough space for free walking, then this is good, because the birds will be active. But in this case, timely vaccination is necessary, because there is a high probability of contracting diseases.
Poultry productivity
According to experts of the German company, chickens, Brown nick have good characteristics. The survival rate of the chicks is high, puberty occurs at 21 weeks, the weight of the egg will increase over time.
Meat
Brown Nick’s domestic chickens are not kept for meat, because their weight does not exceed 2 kg of live weight, and the meat yield is very small. Of course, if there is a need to kill the bird, then its meat can be eaten, but it is better as a whole carcass baked in the oven.
Eggs
Incredibly, the Brown Nick laying hen is capable of delivering about 400 large eggshell eggs in 12 months. Young birds who are under 8 months of age bring half this number, namely 200-250 eggs per year.
Young growth brings an egg weighing 60 grams, when an adult chicken can give an egg, its weight reaches 70 grams. As many poultry farmers respond, chickens can bring good profits not only in large firms, but also in the household, while ensuring proper care, feeding and maintenance.
Egg productivity in relation to poultry years is presented in the table:
Laying Age | Chicken weight | The number of eggs for 12 months | Weight of one egg |
up to 13 months | 1.5-1.7 kg | 250 | 60 g |
up to 18 months | 1.7-2 kg | 365 | 60 g |
1,5 years | 2-2,5 | about 400 | 70 g |
Browns eggs have no fishy odor present in eggs of other breeds.
Puberty and egg production
German farmers and ordinary people highly value the Brown Nick bird because their egg laying is early, their annual rates are high. Breeders who tried to breed this breed can be proud, because the chickens came out early and with good egg production. For the first time, a chicken brings an egg at the age of five months, and egg laying lasts all year round even in extreme heat and severe frosts.
Maternal instinct
Unfortunately, the maternal instinct of these chickens is almost absent. In order for Brown Nick to become a good mother, she needs to hatch offspring for many days. But they don’t have enough time for this, because they often rush twice a day. For this reason, chickens hatch by incubating eggs.
Maintenance and care
Proper care and maintenance is a guarantee of good productive qualities. Expert advice will help maintain fertility and boost the immune system.
Feathered birds of this breed can live peacefully in any conditions, even a small cage is enough for them. If it is possible to relocate them to a spacious room, then this will be better. The main condition is dryness, warmth and comfort. Air temperature should be not less than 21 and not more than 26 degrees. The cold can negatively affect the performance of the bird, even in winter it is necessary to monitor the temperature, which should not be less than 5 degrees. During frosts it is not possible to let the chickens go for a walk, as the crest may freeze, and they may catch a cold.
As for chickens, they need a different temperature regime - 35 degrees heat. Three days after birth, they need lighting around the clock. Before hatching, the poultry house, where the chickens will live, should be warmed up, in the summer enough days, and in winter - two. The place should be separated by a cardboard partition, and in a month and a half they can be relocated to adult hens.
By 17 chickens, it is enough to hook one male individual, this will ensure the correct masonry and order. Chickens can be carried without a rooster, but it is necessary for the calm of chickens and for the selection of high-quality reproductive material.
The creation of light in the chicken coop is a mandatory role in the maintenance of laying hens, both in winter and in summer, birds need lighting 16-18 hours a day. The table below shows the lighting hours depending on the age of the bird:
Laying Age | Lighting Intensity in Watts | Lighting duration |
First 2 days | 10 | all day long |
3 to 21 days | 10 | 15-17 hours |
Before the first oviposition | 5-8 | 8-9 hours |
Mature individuals | 5-8 | 15 hours |
When chickens are actively laying eggs, the light mode increases by a couple of hours. The moisture of the room should be a maximum of 70%. It is unacceptable to create drafts, but birds feel bad in a stuffy room.
An important point is the inaccessibility of rodents and other pests to chickens, which can become carriers of infections. Sawdust, which systematically changes to fresh, can serve as litter.
The owner of the hens Brown Nick shows his offspring, their appearance, tells where they live, how to insulate the premises for birds:
Breed feeding
Although chickens are not picky about food, it’s better to organize a proper, rational and balanced diet. Feeding chickens and older chickens is different, experts cited the example of proper feeding of babies and adult chickens.
Adult hens
The advantage of these birds is that they are omnivorous, so they can be offered any food, waste, grass, etc., and they will eat everything. With pleasure they eat mixers, vegetable mixes, meat waste and grass.
Wet mixers
A stirrer can be prepared as with boiled water, skim milk or broth, adding products with a high content of minerals and vitamins (vegetables, grass flour, fruits). The next morning, it is recommended to offer a wet mash with mixed feed, carrots or beets. Also needed vitamin complexes.
Vegetables
Since the birds are active, vegetables and herbs should be added to their diet, because they contain a large amount of minerals and vitamins. You can offer nettles, beets, carrots and tops from any plant. It is necessary to add various mineral supplements, vitamin complexes to the diet, because a deficiency can lead to diseases and a decrease in egg production.
Waste
Both vitamins and trace elements are important for chickens, in the first place is calcium and protein. The lack of these elements can provoke diseases and reduce the quality of the product. Calcium can be obtained by consuming fish and meat waste, dairy and sour-milk products. You can pamper the birds with worms, maggots. For 1 adult bird, bring 100 g of feed per day.
An approximate diet of the day of the Brown Nick chicken grown at home:
- dry or sprouted wheat, oats, barley;
- vegetable mixers or based on compound feed;
- sunflower seeds;
- greens and grass;
- vitamin complexes.
Read about the proper feeding of laying hens in our next article.
Chickens
Weekly chickens are allowed to eat small cereals cooked in porridge:
- semolina;
- corn;
- barley.
It is better for small chicks to purchase special compound feeds, daily chickens need to be offered food every couple of hours. After the third week, they add cottage cheese to the area, since it contains a lot of calcium, which should be mixed with cereals. Feeding should occur 5 times a day.
When the kids turn one month old, they can already be given solid food, including flattened corn. One and a half month old birds are gradually transferred to the same feeding as in adult birds. It is necessary to feed three times a day.
For breakfast, chicks can be offered a mash of carrots, beets, compound feed, bone meal and vitamin impurities.
Breeding and rearing poultry
It is possible to grow these layers in any way, both outdoor and cellular. For the high survival rate of young animals, it is necessary to carefully disinfect a new place of detention. If it was decided to buy kids in the cold season, then 3 days before the purchase, you should turn on the heating of the room, but if this happens in the summer, then it takes a day to warm up the chicken coop.
In addition, it is important to observe the proportions of individuals per 1 square. m. If the hens are kept outdoor, then 13 birds per 1 square meter will be enough, later the ratio should be reduced - 7 birds per 1 square meter.
As for the content in the cages, 1.40 square meters will be enough for one bird, 2.90 square meters for an adult. If there is not enough space, then overheating will occur, and the chickens can get sick.
Advantages and disadvantages
As already known, Brown Nick chickens are a highly productive breed, in which experts notice a number of advantages:
- calm and peaceful character;
- high egg productivity - 400 pieces in 12 months;
- high chick survival - almost 100%;
- can be contained both in small cells and in spacious floor sheds;
- there is no fish unpleasant smell of eggs;
- strong brown shell;
- unpretentiousness in feeding.
Among the shortcomings of this breed, only a low maternal instinct is noted, therefore, for the high survival rate of young animals, an incubator is required.
Shedding and a break in egg laying
A huge plus of this breed is that even in the most difficult period of their life, they do not stop laying eggs. In the winter months, molting occurs, this period lasts a long time. In order for this stage to be completed faster, it is necessary to reduce the light time, and if necessary, it is allowed to stimulate molting with medications.
Livestock Replacement
The best life span of one chicken population is 3 years, it is at this time that productivity is at a high level. After 3 years, the indicators drop markedly and the chickens give few eggs or even stop flying. Therefore, the replacement of livestock is best done at the age of three.
Disease and Vaccination
Vaccinate birds must be in order to avoid infection from other animals. During the consultation, the veterinarian will tell you what vaccine to use, when to do it. An approximate bird vaccination plan is provided below:
Bird age | The name of the diseases for which vaccination is done |
Newborn | Marek's disease |
2 to 4 weeks | Infectious bursitis, Newcastle disease, infectious bronchitis |
2-3 months | Smallpox, avian encephalomyelitis, infectious bronchitis, Newcastle disease |
Brown Nick chickens are very viable, because the survival rate is 96-97%. But common diseases can attack laying hens:
- avitaminosis;
- rickets;
- bird flu;
- pathology of the oviduct.
To prevent these pathologies, it is enough to observe the light regime, rational nutrition and timely vaccination of chickens. In addition, cleanliness in the chicken coop itself is very important.
Livestock health must be constantly monitored, a healthy bird will look active, feather and fluff will shine, feather will be clean, nose will be dry, nostrils and eyes without suppuration and crusts.
Find out more about chicken diseases and how to treat them here.
Reviews
The following are reviews of private farmers.
Anastasia, Voronezh. Last year I bought 50 goals Brown Nick - of which 30 hens and 20 males. This breed came to my mind, because all the chickens survived, which rarely happens when buying a livestock. The scamper began at the age of five months, at first the eggs were small, then they became large with a dense shell. Past hens did not rush in winter, and Brown Nick rushed even in winter.
Peter, 35 years old. I have been holding chickens Brown Nick for 5 years, during that time I changed the livestock 1 time. I will say that they really do very well, 1 or 2 times a day, large eggs with a dense shell. I had little space, so they were sitting in small cages, and this did not prevent them from being active and giving high productivity.
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Brown Nick chickens are highly productive, because they are able to bring about 400 eggs annually. They have no breaks in egg laying, even in winter. The survival rate of the chicks is almost 100%, they do not consume much food, therefore it is beneficial to keep this breed both on large poultry farms and in households.
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