Kuban Red - this is what farmers call the breed of chickens bred by Russian breeders. The official name of the breed, assigned to laying hens is “UK Kuban-7”. The breed is adapted to local conditions and is positioned as egg.
Appearance story
They brought the Kuban red in the Krasnodar Territory, in 1995, the place of origin - Labinsky breeding plant. The goal of the breeders was to create breeds with high egg production. They crossed two breeds of chickens - the Rhode of the Islands and the Leggorn. In fact, “Kuban-7 Management Company” is more a cross (hybrid) than a full breed. Breeding work to improve the characteristics of the hybrid is ongoing.
Breeders have the task to increase the egg production of the breed. Selecting birds for breeding, the developers relied on the following qualities of the breed:
- dense shell;
- beautiful color of the shell;
- high commercial quality of eggs;
- large yolk;
- the nutritional value of eggs;
- high-quality protein;
- high quality meat and presentation of carcasses;
- stress resistance.
As a result, they managed to get birds with unprecedented high profitability.
Breed description
Although Kuban red is considered an egg breed, it gives high-quality meat and is attractive in appearance. For many private owners, the external beauty of chickens is an important factor when choosing a breed.
A distinctive feature of chickens "UK Kuban-7" - high egg production, which does not stop even with the onset of cold weather. This is important for breeders who do not have heated chicken coops.
Kuban Red is a very young breed, but has already become popular. The reasons for the popularity are obvious:
- high egg production;
- minimum feed costs.
Due to the combination of the above factors, Kubanka is very profitable for creating a chicken business.
Other distinctive features of UK Kuban-7:
- One month after hatching, males and females can be distinguished from each other.
- In order for most of the eggs to be fertilized, it is enough to have one rooster for every ten chickens.
- So that the egg production of the Kuban chickens does not fall, they are not planted on eggs - the management of their offspring is entrusted to the hens of less productive breeds.
- Viability, not conflict and moderate curiosity. Birds of this breed behave calmly, phlegmatically. They change their habitat without any problems - they move from the chicken coop to the street and vice versa.
Exterior
Kuban red chicken is no different from egg breeds. Characteristics of appearance - in table 1.
Table 1
External sign / characteristic | Description |
Body | compact, without excess weight |
Neck | short, high set |
Head | small |
Chest | wide, with developed muscles, smoothly passes to the stomach |
Crest | bright red, shape - leaf-shaped, earrings and earlobes - red |
Paws | powerful and short |
Wings | tight to the body |
Plumage | red-brown color (sometimes black and white feathers are caught in the plumage), the ends of the tail and wings are grayish |
Weight | chicken - 2 kg, roosters - 3 kg |
Chicken is a small bird. Among the fiery red plumage, gray specks on the tail and wings are found. The leader of the pack is also not large in size. And outwardly it is not particularly different from chickens. Except that the dimensions are slightly larger, but the view is more masculine. The rooster differs from chicken with more powerful legs, a wide chest and a long comb.
Productivity
Kuban red chickens are bred for eggs. Therefore, the main characteristic of their productivity is egg. The breed belongs to precocious - already 4 months after birth, “cubs” can be carried. Meat breeds acquire such ability only by 6, or even by 8 months.
Eggs
One chicken can produce up to 340 eggs per year. But such productivity is observed only with quality care. With average care, egg production drops to 250 eggs per year. To achieve maximum profitability, it is necessary to provide hens with a properly selected diet and good conditions. One egg weighs 55-60 g.
Meat
The meat of this cross is dietary. It is distinguished by tenderness, juiciness, it is not fat at all. Females weigh 2 kg, males weigh 3 kg. The output for meat at the slaughter is 55-60%. With one chicken, you can get a carcass weighing 1-1.5 kg.
Maturation and motherhood
The female of the Kuban red breed is characterized by an unprecedentedly early maturation. Already at 4 months, she is able to breed - to lay eggs, which is what breeders require from her. The shell acquires the necessary qualities only 2 weeks after the start of oviposition. The color of the shell is golden or light brown. The farmer's task is to help the young laying hen in the field of laying eggs, replenishing her body with calcium.
If the chicken is not given special calcium-containing additives on time, she will peck the laid eggs. In the future, this quality may become a habit.
Eggs reach their maximum size when the chicken is six months old.
Females have a developed maternal instinct; they hatch eggs well. The main thing is to provide them with all the necessities of life during their incubation. If desired, eggs can be planted with chickens of other breeds - so as not to distract productive chickens from egg laying.
To engage in cross breeding, and not bother with chickens, you need to take 4-month-old birds.
Content Features
The Kuban red breed has a fairly strong immunity. True, if the bird is kept in good conditions and receives good nutrition.
Care
Like any cross created to be kept in cages, UK Kuban-7 does not like damp most of all. The bird must provide the following conditions:
- The chicken coop should be dry.
- The room must have forced ventilation. In extreme cases, open the window, regularly airing the chicken coop.
- In the room where the hens are kept, there should be no drafts.
- The room must be clean. To do this, drinking bowls and feeders are placed above the floor surface - so that the birds do not contaminate the litter with water and feed. The height should be such that each bird could eat and drink without difficulty, but could not climb into pallets with its paws.
- For egg-laying, “nests” are organized - wooden boxes placed on the floor are lined with straw, which is regularly changed - so that the eggs are clean. Nests can also be placed on walls - at a distance of 80 cm from the surface of the floor, or on stands equipped with step ladders - so that it is convenient for the chicken to climb into them.
- In order not to decrease egg production in the cold season, hens are prolonged daylight hours up to 12 hours with the help of artificial lighting.
- The temperature in the room where the bird is kept should not fall below -2 ° C. The breed is thermophilic, in cold weather birds can freeze their crests. In addition, in need of energy - to warm themselves, chickens begin to absorb food intensely. In order not to drop egg production, the temperature in the chicken coop should not fall below + 10 ° С.
- The breed does not like heat. If the temperature is above + 27 ° C, the birds refuse to eat, and the eggs have a poor shell - too thin. It happens that in the hot season, females lay eggs without any shell at all.
- The optimum temperature regime is + 17 ... + 19 ° С. Similar conditions can be created for laying hens only at special poultry farms equipped with climate control systems.
- Twice a year, the chicken coop must be completely cleaned. Walls - painted with lime. The frequency of painting depends on the stock. If there are less than 100 birds in a flock, they are painted once a year, more than 100 goals - 4 times a year.
- If there is no heating in the chicken coop, you need to lay a thick litter on the floor - from straw or sawdust. Litter thickness - from 20 cm.
If your farm does not have a place for breeding birds, then we recommend that you read the article on how to make a chicken coop yourself.
Feeding
Cross "UK Kuban-7" is productive if it receives the right diet. 50% of the chicken “menu” should be cereal. The breed is demanding in relation to protein foods, therefore, the diet includes feed with vegetable and animal proteins.
The bird is fed:
- peas;
- soybeans;
- alfalfa;
- cottage cheese;
- whey;
- meat and bone meal;
- meat broth.
In order for the chickens to receive the necessary amount of calcium, they are fed with feed chalk, crushed eggshells, shells.
Birds can be fed with finely chopped fish - they willingly eat it, but it should be noted that their meat will specifically smell.
In spring, feed is enriched with vitamin-mineral premixes. In summer, fresh grass and garden greens are introduced into the chicken diet. Harvesting hay for the winter - clovers and alfalfa. Hay should be with leaves. In dry hay, chickens can peck only dried leaves and petals. Hard straw is not good - there is nothing for the chickens in it. When the birds peck everything tasty - foliage and flower petals, hay can be put on the litter.
The bird is fed with wet mashrooms prepared on the basis of cottage cheese, whey or broth. Such food is given little by little - so that it does not stagnate in the feeders. In the heat, such mixers quickly turn sour, and chickens that eat stale food will get digestive problems. A stirrer should not lie in the trough for longer than half an hour.
Chickens should be fed twice a day. Grain supplement:
- legumes;
- compound feed;
- bran;
- vegetables
- the grass.
Drinking bowls should always contain water - it is changed in the winter once a day, and in the summer - 2 times a day. It is recommended to pour nettle broth into the water in winter - to replenish the bird's body with vitamins.
An approximate daily ration for laying hens (per head) is shown in table 2.
table 2
Feed | Daily rate, g | |
summer | winter | |
Cereals (grain) | 45 | 55 |
Legumes | 5 | 5 |
Mealy Meals | 20 | 20 |
Oilcake, meal, yeast | 7 | 6 |
Animal feed | 5 | 5 |
Greens, root crops, tubers | 55 | 20 |
Hay, coniferous, grassy flour | — | 5 |
Layers must receive grain - oats, wheat, corn and barley. They give grain in turn - without interfering all together.
The use of cereals for chickens:
- Wheat - A lot of vitamin A and E. It is a source of protein. It can be 60% of the total feed mass.
- Barley - improves the quality characteristics of meat.
- Oats - a source of fiber.
- Corn - needed to increase egg production.
In warm weather, when there is access to herbal food, about 40% of the grass should be in the chicken diet. This is both beneficial for farmers and beneficial for chickens. Also, chickens in the summer can additionally be given:
- nettles;
- zucchini;
- pumpkin;
- cucumbers
- beet tops, radishes, etc.
You may also be interested in learning how to make a grass chopper with your own hands to save time on cooking chicken feed in the summer.
Breeding
Kuban red hens are bred at the rate of 1 rooster per 10 hens. Females are rarely used for hatching eggs. Firstly, it is more profitable to lay eggs under hens of other, less egg-laying breeds. Secondly, the Kubanka seem to be good hens - but not the same as the parental breeds.
Best breeding methods:
- entrust eggs to hens of other breeds;
- put eggs in an incubator.
About all the intricacies of incubating chicken eggs at home is described here.
Hatching chickens are painted in golden color. They become reddish only after molting. Of the hatched chickens, 95% of individuals survive.
How to increase egg production?
The peak productivity of laying hens occurs at 10-11 months. With home breeding, this age most often falls in the fall-winter. In cold times, birds require increased care - heat, light, full feeding.
To increase laying egg laying, it is recommended:
- Increase daylight hours, including artificial lighting. The optimal daylight hours are 15 hours.
- Maintain the temperature in the chicken coop at the level of 16-23 ° С. Deviation in one direction or another immediately reduces egg production by 10%.
- Feed the bird with premixes and concentrated feeds. Chicken quickly saturates and feels full much longer than when eating conventional feed. Thanks to vitamins and minerals contained in special feeds, the immunity of chickens is strengthened, and the lack of missing elements in the body is compensated.
- Set up comfortable sockets.
- Provide silence in the chicken coop. There should not be any sharp sounds and stresses.
The egg production rate is only 20% determined by the breed of chickens. 80% is the merit of the farmer who correctly feeds and contains the bird. The productivity of laying hens of the Kuban red breed can be 90% or more.
Winter care and maintenance
In winter, the diet of laying hens is adjusted:
- The number of feedings increases from 2 to 3 times a day. Mashkins and juicy food are given in the morning and for lunch, in the evening - dry food. Coarse food is digested longer, and the bird will be provided with energy until the morning.
- Green fodder prepared in the summer is introduced into the diet - hay, dried nettle, coniferous tree branches.
- They introduce cereal porridge, a mash, vegetables, and melons into the diet.
- Supplement the diet with sprouted oats, seeds and sunflower meal.
- They feed with fish and bone meal. Add fish oil to roughage.
- On egg production, the introduction of cottage cheese, serum, and skim milk into the diet is positively reflected.
- They give calcium - they put in a chicken coop a container with sand, pebbles, shells.
It is important to remember that excess nutrition negatively affects egg production. In winter, overfed hens gain weight and, losing activity, rush worse.
Features of keeping chickens in winter:
- One bird - 150 g of feed. If the feeders are empty for the next feeding, then the norms are correct.
- The first feeding is at 6-8 in the morning. Lunch - at 13-00. Dinner - at 5-6 pm.
- In the morning they give a mash, before nightfall - a grain of cereal crops.
- You can give chickens leftovers from the table. But it is forbidden to feed the layers with muffin, brown bread, meat. Potatoes - only boiled.
A warm chicken coop will be organized by winter. The bird can be kept in a special chicken house, in a polycarbonate greenhouse. How to prepare a place for chickens in a greenhouse:
- remove all rubbish and excess land from the premises;
- eliminate the presence of drafts;
- organize ventilation (ventilation) in the room;
- to carry out lighting;
- sprinkle straw flooring on the floor.
Growing chickens
Chickens, hatched, still do not really know how to bite. There are few nutrients in their stomach pouch that help them last for several hours. When the kids dry, they need to immediately offer food - a complete feed, proven, high-quality and nutritious.
Cleanliness should be maintained at the chick location. It is recommended to use feeding troughs in which chickens cannot get into paws. Before you put in fresh food, thoroughly clean the half-eaten leftovers.
The state of young animals is carefully monitored. Weak and “saddened” chickens are separated from the herd and grown separately. Those who refuse to eat are force-fed by introducing softened feed into their beaks. You can enter food with a pipette or syringe without a needle. The nutrition of chickens depends on their age.
Diet for egg chickens in stages:
- Newborns. Small corn grits are suitable for nutrition. Boiled eggs are now not recommended - veterinarians claim that eggs burden the chicks' stomachs.
- Per diem. In the diet, you can enter such feed:
- barley, corn and wheat groats;
- semolina;
- millet;
- ground oatmeal.
Daily chickens are fed with an interval of 2 hours. You should not mix cereals - it is better to give them separately.
There should always be fresh water in the drinkers. It needs to be replaced in a timely manner, since chickens like to climb into the water with their paws. If they start diarrhea, water is replaced with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
- Up to one week. One grain is not enough for the full development of chickens.It is recommended to gradually introduce cottage cheese into the diet - a source of calcium and nitrogen. It is first added to the usual food, and if there is no digestive disorder, it is given without additives. From three days you can give kefir, yogurt, whey, as well as fresh herbs:
- nettles;
- clover;
- dandelion;
- plantain.
Leaves are given in dry form, having previously been cut into small pieces. On the fifth day, you can give green onions - to prevent infections. Grated vegetables - beets, pumpkins, carrots are also gradually beginning to be introduced. At this age, give vitamin complexes with yeast.
It is strictly forbidden to give milk to chickens - it causes diarrhea and sticking of plumage.
- More than a week. Mixed diet - cereals, herbs, dairy products, complexes of vitamins and minerals. When the chickens have matured, the frequency of feeding is reduced to 4-5 times a day. After lactic acid products, the dishes are washed thoroughly, scalding it with boiling water.
- Month. Monthly chickens should walk - they can already search for food on their own. Grain is gradually introduced into the diet. Give a wet mash with the addition of bone meal and food waste. After another 2 weeks, you can give whole grains. It is not necessary to give crushed shells - it is quite possible, because of this, chickens will eat eggs. It is better to feed x ground shells.
- After three months. You can give industrial feed.
Why do chickens lose feathers?
Feathers in chickens can fall out for various reasons:
- Molting. This is a seasonal phenomenon. The chicken loses feathers in a certain sequence. First, feathers fall in the neck, then on the back, then on the stomach and wings. Young growth sheds in the spring, adult hens in the fall. Shedding lasts 1-2 months.
- Aggression rooster. A rooster, fertilizing a chicken, clings to its back and sides. If you violate the proportion of 10: 1 (for 10 chickens one rooster), then there may be problems. If there are few roosters, the probability of fertilizing eggs is reduced. If, on the contrary, there are few chickens, the rooster works excessively - several times a day tramples every chicken, because of this the females lose feathers.
- Stress. Changing the coop can cause stress. Because of the move, chickens can refuse food, they move little and even lose feathers. Adaptation usually takes half a month.
- The disease. Feathers may fall out due to vitamin deficiency, which occurs due to poor nutrition. Lack of vitamins - the reason why chickens stop rushing, they look poorly - they go bald, losing not only feathers, but also fluff.
- Parasites. A bird can become bald due to parasites - fleas and ticks. To combat parasites, special medicines or ash are used.
What are the diseases of chickens?
Kuban chickens, although they have excellent immunity, are still not immune from diseases. Most diseases are associated with parasites that overcome chickens, so you need to create all the conditions to prevent their appearance. Symptoms that indicate the presence of the disease should alert the breeders:
- sluggish bird;
- no interest in feed;
- does not move, sits with his eyes closed;
- loss of plumage is the first symptom of skin parasites.
These signs are enough to suspect something was wrong and take a closer look at the bird. Perhaps she will have the following symptoms:
- foam in the beak;
- mucus in the nose;
- diarrhea;
- sloppy, disheveled look;
- severe loss of plumage.
What diseases can the Kuban red hens hurt:
- Infectious. These are the most dangerous diseases that rarely end in recovery. Among dangerous diseases, for example:
- Pasteurellosis. There is a high temperature, foam comes from the beak and nose, breathing is hoarse, the scallop turns blue, bloody clots in the litter.
- Chicken pox. The head and other parts of the bird's body are covered with red spots. Rough, they turn yellowish brown. The chicken becomes aggressive, refuses to feed, can lose eyesight.
- Parasitic. A bird can have ticks, bugs, fleas, helminths and other parasites. Symptoms of the presence of parasites - loss of appetite, loss of weight and plumage, loss of fluff. The presence of worms is indicated by a rapid decrease in activity and loose yellow stools. Prevention of parasites - installation of bathtubs filled with sand and ash. Parasites are dangerous not only for chickens, but also for humans.
- Not contagious. These are the most common diseases. Their reason is poor nutrition, non-compliance with the rules and conditions of detention, violation of the feeding regimen. Among non-communicable diseases:
- apteriosis and hepatosis - due to irregular feeding;
- pneumonia and conjunctivitis - due to hypothermia;
- poisoning - eating bad food.
Prevention
In order for the laying hens to rush and not to hurt, in addition to proper maintenance and feeding, preventive vaccination is needed. Young birds can be vaccinated against such diseases:
- infectious bronchitis;
- salmonella;
- bursitis;
- mycoplasmosis and others.
The vaccination calendar in table 3.
Table 3
Vaccination age | Disease |
Hatching day | Marek's disease |
Second day of life | salmonella |
6-7th day | coccidiosis |
End of the third week | infectious bursitis |
A measure of disease prevention is also care for cleanliness. It is necessary to carefully clean the chicken coop. This is especially important in the winter - when birds are indoors around the clock. It is necessary to periodically wash the feeders and drinking bowls, change the straw on the floor, and keep the poles clean.
Advantages and disadvantages of the breed
Kuban red chickens are a real find for beginner farmers. Light in weight and consuming a little feed, she tirelessly lays eggs.
Advantages of the breed:
- Unpretentious in care and maintenance - suitable for beginner farmers.
- High egg production - one individual can lay up to 340 eggs per year.
- Calm nature. Phlegmatic not only females, but also roosters.
- Good adaptation. Usually chickens get used to a new place for about a month, Kuban red laying hens adapt twice as fast.
- Undemanding to the diet - they can eat any food. No food pre-treatment required.
- Layers and roosters normally get along with each other - no conflicts.
- Early maturity - sexual maturity of birds reaches 4 months.
- One can distinguish roosters from females at the age of 1 month.
- Chickens quickly gain weight, are characterized by high (up to 95%) survival.
The breed is almost perfect - you can lose its benefits only if there is a violation of feeding and maintenance. Having started the Kuban red hens, their owners no longer abandon them - their advantages over competing breeds are so obvious.
Cons of the Kuban red layers:
- Requirements for temperature conditions. Exit of the temperature beyond the favorable range immediately affects the egg production of chickens.
- Egg production decreases with age.
- A relatively short period of maximum productivity.
Breed Reviews
Victoria Kazarovskaya, 56 years old, Krasnodar Territory. I took the hens of the Kuban red breed at the factory. In appearance they are the spilled broken-brown. Hens rush well, friendly, almost tame. What I didn’t like is that stress is poorly tolerated. If a thunderstorm begins, the whole chicken coop is idling, the hens from stress begin to peck at each other. Indoors peck the weak. I came to the conclusion - this breed is for cells, where due to crowding it is difficult to peck.
Semen Grigorievich Lipatnikov, Art. Dinskaya. Took 10-month-old chickens of the red Kuban breed. 4 chicks died at once. 6 chicks survived. They say that they are calm, but they in the general herd behaved very noisily. In relation to people - calm. If you approach, do not run away. The eggs are laid all the time. 6 chickens fully provide eggs to our family of 4 people.
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The breed Red Kuban is an excellent option for home and industrial breeding. Characterized by high egg production, hens are inexpensive - a young female can be bought for only 500-550 rubles.
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