Xin Xin Dian is a productive Chinese chickens that lays blue-green diet eggs. The breed is positioned as egg-meat. Medium-sized early laying layers are characterized by high egg production and modest needs. Learn more about how interesting this breed is, how to breed and maintain it.
Historical information about the breed
The Xin Xin Dian breed owes its appearance to Chinese breeders from the Shanghai Institute of Poultry. Working to improve the Uheiluil breed, the Chinese bred new chickens.
Breeders wanted, by reducing the weight of the bird, to increase its egg productivity and ripening speed. As a result, new meat and egg chickens were created - meek in nature, productive and pretty little blackies. The first from Khabarovsk poultry breeder N. Roshchin brought them from China to Russia.
The long name of the breed - Xin Xin Dian, translates as "chicken laying green eggs."
Bird exterior
The breed is most often represented by black plumage. But there are also among the blackheads hens of red and red-brick shades. In appearance, these small birds correspond to the exterior of the egg breeds.
External features of the breed:
- The body is trapezoidal, with a light skeleton.
- The back is straight, the chest is round.
- The head is neat, a small, fledgling part is red.
- Scarlet earrings.
- The comb is well developed, leaf-shaped.
- The neck is wide, medium length.
- Legs are yellow-gray, short, straight, without plumage.
- The hips and lower legs are small.
- The wings are medium, tightly pressed to the hull.
- The tail is set high, lush.
It is difficult to distinguish individuals of red and red-brick color from laying hens of other breeds.
Characteristics
Compared to many other Chinese breeds, these chickens do not have any special external features distinguishing them from the “crowd”. It’s just good-quality chernushka laying hens with good performance indicators. We learn more about the nature and economic potential of this breed.
Character Xin Xin Dian
What is known from the character and abilities of Xin Xin Dian:
- They are active, mobile, and fly well - they can rise to a height of 2 m.
- Neat and disciplined - ideal laying hens and residents of the house. At night they sleep on roosts, eggs are laid only in nests, and are not scattered anywhere.
- Not aggressive, easily get along in the same territory with other bird species. Even roosters are not particularly pugnacious, only sometimes they can compete for primacy.
Puberty and egg production
As the Chinese breeders wanted, the Xin Xin Dian breed is very early maturing. Masonry starts at 4-4.5 months. But the bird by this time has not yet ripened, the peak of its egg laying ahead.
In the second year, chickens reach maximum egg production, and they carry larger eggs. In the third year, the number of laid eggs begins to decline. It is advantageous to slaughter three-year-old chickens for meat, completely updating the herd.
Productivity
Chickens Xin Xin Dian not only carry well, but also give meat with excellent flavoring characteristics. That is why our poultry farmers consider this breed as universal - egg and meat.
Productivity Indicators:
- The weight of eggs in the first year is 55 g, in the second year - 60 g.
- The number of eggs laid per year is 250.
- The weight of the laying hen is up to 1.5 kg, the rooster up to 2 kg.
- Chick survival is up to 98%.
Breed productive, but it is not important, for what value the Chinese Chernushkas. Their main feature is the unique composition of the eggs. They have many vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. The eggshell has an unusual color - from turquoise to blue. Old chickens lay darker eggs. The color of the chickens does not depend on the shade of the shell.
Regular eating of eggs of hens Xin Xin Dian normalizes hormonal levels, strengthens the immune system and restores the nervous system.
Poultry farmers often argue - Xin-Xin-Dien is a breed or cross. The question should be addressed to Chinese breeders. But the Chinese themselves are no longer concerned with the breed issue, but with productivity. Therefore, hybrids can also come under the above name.
Crosses carry eggs of blue and swamp color. If there are such in the clutch, it means that the breed is unclean - this is not Xin Xin Dian, but its cross between other Chinese chickens.
Instinct of incubation
In industrial poultry farming, incubation instinct is not paid much attention to - large incubators exist today for hatching eggs. Many modern incubators even better than chickens cope with the mission of hatching. But for small private farms, laying hens that can breed offspring are very convenient.
Hens Xin Xin Dian, unlike most Chinese breeds in this area, are excellent brood hens. In any case, 60-70% of all laying hens are able to breed chickens.
The larger the number of chickens on the farm, the more often farmers use incubators. Artificial incubation has its advantages - it is more reliable and more productive.
We recommend reading an article about the features of incubation of chicken eggs at home.
Shedding and egg laying breaks
Shedding is a period of plumage change lasting 1.5-2 months. The “summer” feather is replaced by a denser and thicker one in autumn. During molting, hens cease to rush, and all the forces of the body are aimed at recovery. During this period, birds are especially vulnerable to disease.
If the usual laying hens are created with ideal light and thermal conditions, they still take a break. Farmers claim that Chinese chickens do not stop laying eggs even during molting. Egg production only drops slightly. It is necessary to provide molting birds with full nutrition enriched with vitamins A, D, B1 and B3. It is also important to prevent overcooling of birds.
Advantages and disadvantages
The secret to success in the benefits of this breed:
- Birds have small stomachs - you can save on feed.
- Eggs Xin Xin Dian - a dietary product.
- High egg production.
- The expressed instinct of incubation.
- Unpretentiousness to feeds.
- High palatability of eggs and meat.
- Stable egg production even during molting.
- Undemanding to care.
- High survival rate of young animals.
- Precocity. The bird is gaining weight quickly. For 2 months, the bird gains 800 g.
- Soon begin to rush.
- Balanced character and accuracy.
The disadvantages of the breed:
- Not good adaptability.
- Affected by parasites.
- The period of high egg production ends relatively quickly.
- They tolerate low temperatures and dampness.
The Xin Xin Dian breed appeared on the Russian market quite recently, but in a few years managed to become popular.
How to care for the breed?
The maintenance of Chinese layers does not require a special approach, the main thing is that they are not supercooled and kept clean. We will learn how to organize the life of Xin Xin Dian, so that they show maximum productivity.
Walking
Choosing places for the chicken coop and walking, you need to find a quiet place - laying hens do not like extraneous noise.
Chickens are recommended daily walks in the fresh air. So that the birds do not fly away, the walk is enclosed by a fence of more than 2 m in height. The fence can be made lower, but then the walking area should be covered with a mesh canopy.
Density
The breed Xin Xin Dian is small in size, therefore, per 1 square. m can accommodate up to 6 individuals. When installing roosts proceed from the calculation - 40 cm perch per hen.
Lighting
The daylight range is from 12 to 14 hours. It is not recommended to go beyond these parameters. It is especially important to maintain normal daylight hours in winter so that egg production does not decrease. If the day drags above normal, the chickens will run dry and quickly age.
Temperature and humidity
The optimum temperature for layers of this breed is + 12- + 14 ° С. So that the egg production does not decrease, it is necessary to maintain the temperature in the range from + 10 ° С to + 20 ° С.
The breed does not tolerate adverse weather conditions, likes heat and dryness. Walking Chinese layers in extreme cold is not recommended. Humidity is set for the house - 70%. The chicken coop should be regularly ventilated. Drafts are not allowed.
Litter
Litter of peat, sawdust or straw is poured on the chicken coop floor. Clean and dry litter is not only hygiene, but also warm. In cold weather, it helps maintain the desired temperature in the house. The permissible temperature for Chinese layers is + 5- + 7 ° C.
Bathhouse
To prevent parasites, containers with ash and sand are installed in the house. Rummaging in sand or ash, birds clean off parasites lurking in feathers. You can pour both materials into separate containers, or you can mix them.
Feeding troughs and drinking bowls
For chickens make feeders of the following types:
- Tray. They have sides that prevent the spread of feed. Such feeders are good for chickens.
- In the form of a gutter. There is a grill or pinwheel. The gutter is divided into sections - for different feeds.
- Hopper. A closed structure from which chickens cannot spread food. Used for grain.
For each type of feed, it is recommended to make feeders from a certain material:
- wood - dry food;
- plastic - universal, for any food;
- metal - for wet food;
- rods - green feed and hay.
How to make a feeder on your own is described in more detail here.
Feeding basics
To get the maximum egg production from laying hens, you need to properly organize their diet. One chicken should receive 120 g of food daily.
Daily
Chickens Xin Xin Dian are productive laying hens whose egg production directly depends on the quality of the feed. The diet of Chinese chickens should contain all the substances necessary for the functioning of the body and the formation of eggs.
Chickens can be fed with purchased feed or cook them yourself. In a year, one layer eats 40 kg of feed and 14 kg of grass. To increase egg laying of laying hens, homemade feed is prepared for them.
The composition and norms of the ingredients in home feed:
Feed ingredients | Weight g |
Corn | 450 |
Peas | 20 |
Fish meal | 50 |
Wheat | 120 |
Grass flour | 30 |
Barley | 70 |
Fodder yeast | 40 |
Sunflower meal | 70 |
a piece of chalk | 70 |
Meat and bone meal | 60 |
Vitamins | 10 |
Salt | 3 |
Composition and sources of nutrients for high egg production:
Battery | Role in the body | Where to get it? |
Squirrels | Participate in the creation of cells and the formation of eggs | Earthworms, meat and bone meal, legumes, soybeans, canola. |
Fats | Create an energy reserve and participate in the formation of eggs | Corn and oats |
Carbohydrates | The functioning of the internal organs | Feed with starch and fiber - beets, pumpkin, potatoes |
Vitamins and Minerals | Responsible for immunity and affect productivity. | Layers especially need vitamins of groups B, D and A. They can be obtained from fish oil and cod liver. In the feed you can enter "Omega 3" - 1 tbsp. l per 3 kg of feed (once a week). Every day they give fish and meat and bone meal - 10 g per individual. |
Calcium | Shell formation | For the absorption of calcium, phosphorus is needed - it is contained in crushed coal, shell rock, ash. |
It is recommended that birds give wood ash - 3-4 times a week. Before giving the bird ash, it is kept for a month in the fresh air.
To increase egg production
Feeding rules for laying hens:
- Feeding - in the early morning and late evening, at the same time.
- 50% of the grain diet is corn. The remaining 50% is a mixture of wheat, oats and other cereals.
- Wet mixes of boiled potatoes, ground grain and eggshell are recommended.
- At night, the bird is given whole grain - oats and barley are alternated.
- 40% of the total feed - vegetables, herbs, fruits. In summer, chickens can graze on a walk, receiving green food there. In winter, the bird is fed with grass or coniferous flour, beets, potatoes, pumpkin.
- Vitamin supplements are added to the feed every week.
- They give meat and fish waste. Insects eaten by grazing also serve as a source of protein.
- Daily minerals containing calcium are added to the feed - crushed shells, bone meal, shells. Yeast, fish oil, sprouted grain, salt should also be present in the diet.
- There should always be fresh, clean water in the drinkers. Each day, one chicken needs 250 ml of water. About how to make a drinker yourself, you can read here.
- The food is shredded - the bird refuses to peck large pieces.
- Probiotics are introduced into the diet - to reduce the risk of Salmonella infection and increase overall tone.
- Vinegar is given in small quantities - added to drinkers 2-3 times a week. Its use makes chickens more active, their plumage becomes more beautiful and healthy.
- Linden and birch brooms suspended in the chicken access zone serve as a source of nutrients.
- Chickens are given gravel - it is involved in grinding food. Without gravel, 20% of the feed will not be absorbed.
Breeding
Chickens Xin Xin Dian are born hens, so it is more rational to use them for egg production than for hatching. With incubation of chickens no worse than brood hens cope. The breed is bred within the species without loss of breed characteristics.
Chick Care
Chinese laying hens need standard care. Daily chicks are kept in the conditions of round-the-clock illumination. Chickens are trained to darkness gradually. The temperature in the early days is + 30 ° C, gradually it is reduced to + 20 ° C.
Chickens Xin Xin Dian differ in color from adult hens.
Feeding the "babies"
Diet of chickens depending on age:
Age | Feed per individual |
1-5 days |
|
6-10 days | norms are increased 1.5 times, minerals are introduced - 0.5 g |
11-20 days | give compound feed or mixers, eggs are replaced with boiled root crops - 5 g each |
21-40 days | increase the norms of ingredients:
|
The diet of chickens is also no different from eating ordinary breeds of chickens. Feeding begins with boiled eggs, mashed in milk. Cottage cheese, herbs and crushed corn are also given. Yeast is introduced into the feed. Then the young animals are transferred to compound feeds with boiled vegetables, flavoring them with vitamin and mineral supplements.
Diseases and Pests
The most annoying Chinese layers are parasitic infections. This breed, having excellent immunity, however, is not immune to trichomoniasis, coccidiosis and histomonosis. In order not to lose the livestock, it is important to know the initial symptoms of these diseases in order to take timely measures.
Particular attention should be paid to the health of chickens during molting - it is necessary to fully support their immunity, providing good nutrition and good living conditions.
Diseases of chickens Xin Xin Dian and their treatment:
Disease | Symptoms | What to treat? |
Histomoniasis |
|
|
Coccidiosis |
|
|
Trichomoniasis |
|
|
Usually the cause of illness is improper care. An accurate diagnosis and prescription of drugs is the task of the veterinarian. Prevention of chicken disease helps vaccination and compliance with the rules of detention.
How much are
Average cost of Xin Xin Dian hens:
- hatching eggs - 70-80 rubles apiece;
- young animals - 180-200 rubles per individual;
- adult laying hen - 1200 rubles.
These are average prices, the cost of chickens varies depending on the region.
Xin Xin Dian Hens Reviews
Valery E., 44 years old, amateur poultry farmer, Voronezh region I have been breeding Chinese chickens Xin Dian for several years. They rush worse than crosses, but the livestock is capable of self-renewal. Occasionally I only buy roosters of another breed - for fresh blood. The plus is that the herd does not need to be changed annually. I change one third every year, dividing them by age - into youngsters, second-year students and three-year-olds.
Elena P., 54 years old, poultry breeder, Maykop. Xin Dian breed is suitable for breeding. Homogeneous eggs - suitable for incubation. The hens are also not averse to sit offspring. The hens are calm and non-aggressive, the eggs have never been pecked. A laying egg carries 4-5 eggs per week.
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The breed stands out among competitors for its high egg production, unusual eggs and low feed intake. Given the simplicity of livestock reproduction, these unpretentious Chinese layers are deservedly enjoying the interest of our poultry farmers.
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Russia. City Novosibirsk
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