Chickens Hisex Brown is a cross belonging to the egg direction. Bred in Holland, 1970. In addition to the Brown line, there is also a Hisex White variety, which is inferior in productivity to its brown counterparts. Although the breed is relatively new, it has spread throughout Europe as well as the United States and Canada. You can find chickens of this cross in Russia. Reviews of farmers about him are mostly positive.
Chickens Hisex Brown
Description of the breed
White and brown Hisex cross was created on the basis of Leghorn, New Hampshire breeds, and Rhode Island took part in the development of the Brown line. The parental lines were obtained in Holland, then they came to Canada. Highsexes appeared in the USSR in 1974. First, they were bred in the Crimea and some farms in Ukraine, then the chickens ended up in the Tyumen region. It was there that more attention began to be paid to the Hisex Brown line. Due to better productivity, she quickly began to supplant the White line from poultry farms and farmsteads.
The appearance of chickens and males of Haysex Brown is not remarkable in any way, because they were bred primarily for the production of eggs, and not for decorating the yard. They are a bit similar to the Lohman Brown breed, but they also have their own differences. Here is a brief description of the appearance and characteristics of the cross:
- the head is average;
- the scallop is medium-sized, pea-shaped, can stand straight or hang to one side;
- the earrings are round, bright scarlet;
- special eyes, light green;
- "Face" with a thin pink skin;
- beak is mediocre, even and quite strong;
- the body is compact and muscular;
- the wings are small, tight-fitting to the sides;
- plumage is very soft and silky, plump;
- the color of the feathers is brown-red, in the hens it is uniform throughout the body, in the males it is darker on the collar, back, tail and panties, the braids of the roosters can be black. In some individuals, the tips of the feathers on the wings and tail are painted white.
White hens in appearance almost do not differ from brown ones, this can be seen by looking at the photo. The only difference is the weight and color of the plumage. The Heisex Brown laying hen has a calm, unobtrusive character. They do not suffer from stress, they never panic, they are happy to make contact. Cross is highly resistant to many diseases, but poultry farmers recommend routine vaccination for all birds, especially with heaps.
Breed productivity
Haysex brown hens, in addition to high productivity in the egg direction, also have a good body weight, in contrast to the White line. Some poultry farmers even relate them to the meat-producing direction. This is not entirely true, but in private households they are often grown for both eggs and meat. Here are the main indicators of the productivity of Hisex Brown chickens:
- a rooster weighs 2.6 kg (sometimes up to 3 kg), a chicken - 2.3 kg;
- the number of eggs per year is 305-320 pieces, for 80 weeks the chicken carries 363 pieces;
- average egg weight - 70 g;
- the shell is brown, strong;
- feed consumption per 10 testicles - 1.3 kg;
- fertilization of eggs - 99%;
- hatchability of chickens - 95%;
- the survival rate of chickens - 99%;
- the vitality of adult chickens is 99%.
White cross, compared with brown, has more modest indicators, although they do not differ radically. Here is a brief summary of the White Cross:
- the rooster weighs 1.8 kg, the hen - 1.6 kg;
- egg production - 300 pieces per year, they begin to lay also early;
- the color of the shell is white, it is more fragile than that of the Brown cross;
- the mass of one egg is 60 g;
- feed consumption per 10 testicles - 1.25 kg;
- the survival rate of chickens is 95%.
The rest of the indicators for both varieties are the same. As you can see, the Heysex Brown chicken breed is more profitable in breeding, as it has the best productivity. Reviews of poultry farmers, both private traders and industrialists, have repeatedly confirmed this, and the widespread replacement of white cross with brown speaks for itself.
Advantages and disadvantages of cross
Haysex brown laying hens have many advantages, not without reason they won the hearts of farmers. The advantages of the breed include:
- high egg production;
- early ripening, youngsters begin to rush at the age of 150 days;
- large egg weight;
- preservation of good egg production up to 2-3 years;
- relatively large body weight, which allows you to get not only eggs, but also meat from chickens;
- low feed consumption for such high productivity;
- resistance to various diseases;
- high survival and hatchability of chickens;
- calm character;
- unpretentiousness in the content.
The description of the pros does not mean that the breed has no cons. The cross has not so many disadvantages. The downside is considered to be a drop in meat quality after 2-3 years, therefore, it is advised to replace the herd after a year: this will constantly maintain high egg productivity of chickens and get tasty, tender, and not tough meat.
Keeping chickens
The content of Highsex Browns is simple, they are unpretentious, so even novices can raise chickens. the chicken coop should be light, with good ventilation. Hens do not tolerate cold too well, therefore it is advisable to equip heating. In winter, the temperature should not drop below 18-20 ° C, otherwise the egg production will drop sharply, the birds will lose their appetite, their joints and throat may become inflamed. With good ventilation, the house should be free of drafts.
Highsex Brown chickens are versatile, they can be kept both in cages and on free-range. For 1 square. m premises should not be kept more than four birds. Laying nests are arranged at a height of 40 cm from the ground. The area of one should be 25 cm². The walking area does not have to be fenced off with a high fence, Hisex Brown chickens fly badly. For 1 bird should be at least 1 square. m walking area.
Litter in the chicken coop may be standard. Slaked lime is poured onto the floor so that it draws in excess moisture and neutralizes germs. Then a layer of straw, peat or shavings 15-20 cm thick is applied. You can not completely change the litter, only remove the upper, contaminated part. Every six months in the chicken coop do spring cleaning. It is important to take care of good lighting. If in winter daylight hours are artificially extended to 14-15 hours, the number of eggs will not decrease.
Feeding the birds
As already mentioned, Haysex brown brown layers are unpretentious in food. They can be fed as ready-made compound feeds (as is often done on industrial farms), and food available for private households. A cereal mixture that completely replaces compound feed can be prepared as follows:
- wheat grain - 40%;
- corncobs - 40%;
- crushed peas or other legumes - 20%.
In winter, in addition to grain, chickens are given wheat bran, cake (meal) from sunflower or soybeans, boiled potatoes, fresh vegetable peelings, grass flour. Also in the diet include brewer's yeast, meat and bone meal, chalk, salt, crushed shells. To increase egg production - premix and other vitamin supplements.
In summer, roosters and chickens are happy to eat zucchini, pumpkins, cucumbers, tomatoes. You can give them tops of plants (peas, carrots, beets). If the birds are free-range, they can independently find worms, snails, beetles and other protein-rich feeds. With cellular content, chickens can be given reverse, special protein supplements. From vegetable feed, a lot of protein is found in oats, corn, legumes.
A day, 1 individual will need 120 g of feed. It should be balanced, consisting of grain or compound feed, wet mash, greens. Also on the menu are vitamin and mineral supplements. You need to feed the chickens twice a day. In the morning they give wet food and greens, in the evening - dry grain. As already mentioned, for a dozen eggs produced, you need to spend 1.25-1.3 kg of feed.
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How many eggs does a Hisex Brown hen lay
Breeding Features
The Hisex Brown chicken breed is a hybrid. He retained the ability to fertilize eggs, but with independent breeding at home, it will not be possible to get young animals with all the signs of cross, therefore it is necessary to buy either an incubation egg or ready-made chickens.
The hatchability of young animals is high. Even with minimal experience, you can get good offspring from an incubator. It makes no sense to put eggs under the Hisex Brown chicken, the cross has lost its maternal instinct, but layers of other breeds can become excellent mothers for chicks if there is no way to artificially breed them.
Chick Care
Chicks need to be kept warm from the first days. The air temperature should be 28-30 ° C. It is advisable to maintain round-the-clock lighting in the early days. From 2-3 days it begins to be reduced daily by an hour, while the temperature is reduced by a degree. To facilitate the rearing of young stock in the early days, you can buy a special brooder.
It is important to keep clean in the box where the chicks live. The litter is made of moss or straw and is changed daily. You can add a little potassium permanganate or an antibiotic solution to the drinkers to prevent infection. Walking on the street of chickens can be released per week for 30-40 minutes. From two weeks they can walk all day.
One of the features of the Hisex Brown breed is the ability to easily distinguish between males and females. Day-old chicks begin to shed, but the process is faster in females than in males. 24 hours after birth, females are covered with brown down, while males are still yellow. This is the best time to separate them and grow them in separate boxes.
Feeding the young
Chicken feeding is standard. In the early days, the birds are given a boiled egg or curd mixed with finely chopped herbs. You can pour fresh milk into the drinkers. It is important to ensure that it does not turn sour: this will harm the stomach of small chickens and may even cause their death. From 2-3 days, crushed grain is added to the diet (sometimes it is replaced with special compound feed for young animals) and boiled vegetables.
Up to 2 weeks, chickens are fed 6 times a day, then up to 1 month they are transferred to four meals a day. From one month to two, chicks eat three times a day. From the age of two months, chickens can switch to an adult diet and feeding schedule.
The cost of young animals
How much do eggs for incubation and daily chickens cost? Cross Hisex Brown is not too expensive. An incubation egg can be bought for 20-30 rubles, chicks are sold for 70-100 rubles. You can also buy adult laying hens, their price is 350-500 rubles, depending on the farm. Of course, it is most profitable to buy eggs or young animals, but young hens will immediately lay eggs.
Before buying, be sure to study the photo of the breed, find out how these chickens differ from others, look through the breeding guide, and choose a good producer. It is better to buy not from private traders, but at large poultry farms that specialize in cross-breeding, because at home it is impossible to get purebred birds, and crossbreeds do not have the required productivity.