Chickens of this breed are habitual inhabitants of any village monastery. They are very much respected by the villagers for the indispensable qualities that these immigrants from Holland possess and which have come to court very much. To each rural court.
Poor, mobile, with elegant brilliant plumage, Welzumer's chickens do not look exotic or decorative. They are entrusted with another function — providing the farm with eggs and meat.
The history of the breed Welzumer
The most outstanding and the most, if one can say so, the exported breed, bred in 1900 by Dutch breeders by crossing the kiopozoic outbred with the Malay Dorkings and fighting animals.
The breed received its name from the village of the same name Velzum, in the vicinity of which it was created. Some sources claim that the British also had Velzumer involvement in the breeding work on chicken breeding.
What did parent breeds give to Velsumer? The fighting bird genes affected the color of the egg shell, giving it a darker, even brownish shade. A large egg was inherited from Dorking chickens.
Description and characteristics
According to the exterior signs, these chickens are what we call common and simple ones: the bird's head is small with a leaf-like unflavored comb, eyes are orange-red, the beak is yellow, of medium size.
Their thighs are strong, well-outlined and resilient, the trunk is set low, the chest is wide and round, noticeably bent forward.
General impression about hens Welzumer: medium heavy bird with well developed limbs, tightly pressed against the wings and the plumage of the inconspicuous color of a rusty partridge.
Breed signs of chickens Welzumer experts determine the width of the body shape, developed a soft and low tummy, a tail at an obtuse angle and a small standing comb. The "correct" rooster of this breed, in addition to the rest, will have on its chest a drawing of three parts of feathers, and in the color of the chicken there should not be too many bright or black blotches.
Advantages and disadvantages
These chickens are very good because they have invaluable economic qualities: endurance, precocity. Active laying eggs do not stop even in winter, which can not but rejoice the owners.
When fattening for meat you can get an excellent carcass.
Chicks of this breed are very easy to grow. They absolutely do not cause problems and grow as if by themselves, without much human intervention. The safety of the young - up to 90%.
Chickens Welzumer active, but moderately temperamental, excellent foragers.
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The only drawback of this breed is the absence of incubation instinct. Well, and, remembering sometimes his fighting roots, the rooster can start a fight.
Conditions of detention
Since chickens of this breed do not stop egg-laying in the winter months, it is very expedient to arrange for them the opportunity to walk in the cold season. Such an approach does not harm productivity, even chickens of other breeds that are not so capable of rushing in winter can walk in the cold without loss of productivity. But the time of walking should be limited to 1 hour at temperature indicators not below 100 degrees of frost.
It is very important to plant chickens correctly, since the level of egg production depends to a large extent on this. 4-6 layers per 1 m2 of floor - the most optimal of the options.
Experts highly recommend poultry farmers avoid raising humidity levels in the hen house and ensure that mold does not appear in the room.
An essential factor for egg-laying capacity has been and remains the correct and long-lasting lighting in the chicken coop. This is especially important to pay attention in the winter, when the day becomes too short. The presence of electric lighting will help extend the process of active egg laying in layers.
Lazy poultry in the summer open early in the morning, so that chickens could all day be on the vogul. In winter, it is advisable to open the manholes only in calm weather with frost not lower than 10-120.
The paddock can be covered with hay so that the hens do not freeze too much.
Bird productivity
Chicken begin egg laying at the age of 5.5-6 months. Eggs from these chickens turn out to be a regular oval shape, rather large (65 g), warm brown. The taste qualities of such eggs, of course, are more dependent on the diet of the chicken, but even with a very modest feeding, the hens of Welzumer can surprise with very tasty eggs.
The average annual egg production per hen is 170 eggs.
Roosters of this breed gain weight 2.8 kg, chickens - 2.1.
Where can I buy in Russia?
To buy young hens of the breed Welzumer is not a problem - it is a very common and requested breed. Most likely, the majority of large poultry enterprises are ready to sell such chickens. There are several contacts from the Moscow region:
- LTD "Gene pool"
141300 Sergiev Posad, st. Maslieva, 44
Phone / fax: +7 (496) 546-19-20; +7 (925) 157-57-27
e-mail: [email protected] - Breeding Poultry Plant Competitive State Unitary Enterprise Sergiev Posad
Moscow Region, Sergievo-Posadsky District, Sergiev Posad, ul. Parkovaya, 3a
Phone: +7 (496) 545-74-10 - Krasnaya Polyana Poultry Farm
Address: Moscow Region, Mytishchi Distr., Abbakumovo Village
Phone: +7 (495) 771-66-18
Analogs
Dwarf Welzumer is a smaller copy of Velzumer's eye. By the way, very nice, calm and peaceful creation. The address of his breeding homeland - Germany, was bred for decades after his "big brother". A very convenient and economical option for country homestead farming - eats little, takes up too little space.
For example, on the same area on which 4 layers of usual sizes are placed, you can sit 8-10 dwarf Welsumer chickens and they will not be crowded. Mini-chickens start sweeping as early as 3.5 months and the first eggs from them are very tiny - only 28-33 g. But after a month and a half, the mass of eggs increases noticeably - to 45-55 g.
Unpretentious, economical and simply "toy" hens deserve to be a decoration of any rural yard.
