When a breeder thinks about which breed is better to choose, he is afraid to make a mistake. After all, there are only meat chickens, there are eggs. With such a variety of choices it is difficult to decide. But there is a way out - broilers, universal chickens, if you do not want to grow them for a long time. But there is an even more universal solution - the tricolor broiler. As many experienced breeders say, the breed is suitable for everything: for the cape, and for the eggs. Let's look at all the advantages of the breed, and figure out how to grow tricolors.
History reference
The appearance of the breed can be explained by ordinary crossing. Tricolor - this is broilers, which means that chickens, bred through breeding. Cross was carried out by French scientists. It was in France that they were first used in production. The breed is universal, meat and egg. 
Tricolor has an average egg production and high (sometimes medium) body weight. Differs in high-quality and tasty meat. Received widespread in Europe and the CIS countries.
Characteristics and features
The main characteristic of the breed is color. It is bright and decorative. Feathers well beaten, fluff in individuals is small. The muscular body is noticeable, despite the flowing lines of the silhouette. On average, the tricolor rooster is gaining from 4 to 5 kg, the chicken - 800 grams less.
Did you know? The word "broiler" comes from the English "broil" - "fry on fire."
Appearance
Broiler chickens are smaller than roosters. Any individual of the breed has strong paws, a short neck, a powerful torso of a horizontal landing. Tricolor - round, massive bird. The head is large, almost immediately turning into the body. 
Earrings and scallops are well developed, red. The muzzle is scarlet with bristles. Young broilers are often beige, interspersed with black feathers on the neck or tail. They look interesting, because the legs of young stock are long and developed, not always proportional in comparison with the body.
Color
Color chickens of three colors, as the name implies. Feathers can be brown, white, black, red. Roosters have a noticeably brighter color than chickens. Standard coloring chickens: feathers on the wings are dark brown, the tail appears black, the neck is light, maybe red with rare white feathers.
Roosters throughout the body have long dark brown feathers, sometimes black. There are broilers with emerald feathers, which stand out noticeably in combination with a white neck.
Temperament
Tricolor differs from other hens in tranquility. The individuals are intimidating, quickly get used to the presence of a person nearby. 
They are inactive, do not like to spend energy. The bird tolerates any kind of trouble: be it in a cage or in bad conditions.
But this should not be allowed if you want to end up with quality products.
Hatching instinct
This instinct is essential for birds and it was previously believed that certain genes are responsible for it. However, studies have not confirmed this. However, tricolor, like any broiler breed, is not suitable for brooding.
Find out what breeds of broilers are among the best, and also get acquainted with the peculiarities of the content of such breeds of broilers as Hubbard and ROSS-708.
First of all, the chicken does not manifest this instinct. Secondly, the weight of the females becomes a significant obstacle - they can simply crush the eggs. In addition, tricolor chicken farms are rarely kept to produce eggs.
They are grown for the sake of tasty meat, as it is more prudent for production purposes. They can be sent for slaughter, even if they have not reached the age for laying eggs. 
Productive qualities
French broilers are popular due to the rapid weight gain and decent egg production.
Puberty and annual egg production
Sexual maturity of chickens occurs quite early - at 4-5 months. During this period, there is an active laying of the first eggs. Despite the fact that the incubation instinct of females is absent, they have high egg-laying rates. The annual rate can reach 300 pieces. Considering that the tricolor is more a meat breed of broilers, the figures are high.
On average, chickens carry between 100 and 200 eggs per year. Higher average annual egg production can only be boasted by the Leghorn breed of domestic chickens.
The breeds of chickens with high egg production include such as "Legbar", "Poltava chickens", "Brama", "Pushkin breed", "Moravian black", "Master Gray", "Isa Brown".
They carry an average of 350 eggs.
Did you know? In 1930, a homemade chicken of the leggorn breed laid 361 eggs in 364 days.
Precocity and taste of meat
Tricolors are popular for mass production due to the small timeliness of precocity. At the age of one and a half months, an individual weighs from 2 to 3 kg, and half-year-old broilers have a body weight of 4 to 5 kg. Do not forget that this is a breed of broilers and they gain weight faster than poultry.
The tricolor meat is similar in taste to the Adler silver chicken meat. Also, they are compared with the French counterparts redbro and master gray. Meat with low fat content and excellent taste, has a fibrous structure, soft after cooking.
Conditions of detention
As mentioned above, the individuals of the tricolor are unpretentious to the content and very hardy. However, it should be remembered that the quality of the birds will depend on the meat. The breed can be contained in two ways: on the floor and in the cage. The owners of chickens prefer to keep them on the floor, because chickens grow large. 
Important! Chickens that are contained in cages are more resistant to Escherichia coli than those on the floor.
Coop Requirements
Before settling in the chicken coop it is disinfected. First you need to prepare, because disinfection is carried out with chemicals. Prerequisite will be a respirator and rubber gloves. Clothes can be any, on the production of these special overalls.
Learn how to choose a chicken coop, how to build a chicken coop with your own hands, how to equip a chicken coop, how to build a chicken coop for the winter.
So, the chicken coop disinfection:
- Wash. From the floor removed all the waste products of birds, as well as the old litter. Then made washing. The choice of detergent should be considered. Do not take products with a high content of toxins. Despite the fact that you are so better and faster to clean the chicken coop, chickens are unlikely to be able to live in it after such a cleaning. Experienced breeders recommend washing the coop with warm water and adding apple cider vinegar.
- Disinfection. To do this, you can use any means from pet stores. Effective drugs are considered "Glutex" and "Virotsid." However, remember that for production purposes they can often use formalin, which is strictly prohibited at home or on small private farms. Formalin requires not only a suit with chemical protection, but also a gas mask instead of a respirator. Moreover, without education and experience in this area, you can easily harm the birds. Working out with creolin will be a good remedy that can be used at home when disinfecting a hen house. You need to mix in a ratio of 1: 1. Such disinfection protects chickens against ticks.
- As a result, in a clean chicken coop, you can lay a new litter and drive the birds.
Humidity and temperature affect birds. The temperature should be favorable. It is easy to notice on the chickens themselves: if they shrink, they are crowded together - the temperature is too low, if they walk around opening their wings and their beak is too high.
The normal temperature for broiler content is +35 ° C. Do not allow any errors with humidity. Too high levels of moisture can lead to diseases and parasites. The normal level of relative humidity for a hen house fluctuates around 60-70%.
Important! Sanitary cleaning in the hen house is carried out at least once a year.
A mandatory requirement for the coop is ventilation - with it the air will not stagnate. In addition, it will help keep the level of humidity and temperature normal. Electric lighting is organized at the rate of 5 W per 1 square meter for adults and 3 W for young chickens. 
Regarding the size of the chicken coop: on 1 square meter place from 4 to 6 heads.
Walking yard
A place where birds can walk should be located on the south side of the house. The area is enclosed by a splat or mesh fence 2 meters high. The area of the walking yard should be 2 times larger than the chicken coop.
To allow birds to leave the hen house, they will equip manholes with a height of 40 cm and 5-8 cm from the floor. Do not forget the doors in the windows, otherwise the heat will come out of the coop.
Young animals and adults should walk in different places. 
Feeders and drinkers
Feeders and drinkers can be purchased in special stores, online or on the market. However, you can do it yourself - it all depends on your imagination and desire. Experienced breeders prefer to make them manually.
Learn how to make a drinking bowl and feeder for chickens.
They can be made of plastic pipes, and from large bottles and even buckets. However, it is worth remembering that the feeders should be well chosen under the henhouse, taking into account all the needs of birds. After all, they can easily trample down food or overturn a feeder or drinker.
How to endure cold and heat
Broiler breeds are very demanding in the content, not an exception and tricolor. Birds do not tolerate cold, so the temperature in the hen house should always be high. Overheating also adversely affects the condition of the birds.
Broilers constantly need water, and with overheating they will start to drink even more. 
In winter, in the hen house the optimal temperature will be from +10 ° C to +15 ° C. Poultry walking in winter is performed if the temperature is not lower than -5 ° C, otherwise broilers should be closed in the hen house.
Did you know? The domestication of chickens did not initially set for itself “food” goals, but a desire to watch cockfights, which, by the way, are still held in Asia, which is considered the birthplace of these birds.
Moult
During molting, egg production decreases, and in some chickens it stops altogether. The first molt is still in the chicks, when they change the down to feathers. In adult birds, molting occurs once a year in the fall.
What to feed an adult flock
Broilers are capricious birds, so special feeds have been created for them.
Learn how to cook feed for chickens and adult birds with your own hands.
Especially recommend the use of industrial options. Thanks to this food, the bird grows faster and better, the meat will be better. 
In addition to feed, you can give:
- oats;
- corn grits;
- peas;
- rye;
- barley.
Remember that compound feed is already a mixture of many cereals, so when adding something new to the bird ration, see that it is not included in the feed. Looking over some cereals also harms chickens.
Breeding chicks
Those who produce meat on private farms or at home often refuse to breed chicks. This is a time consuming process and is very different from breeding poultry. It is much easier to buy weekly chicks or a little older to save yourself from working as a hen. 
But let's consider the possibility of growing, starting from the incubation of eggs. After all, care for hatched chicks is also included in the process of breeding chickens.
Egg Incubation
Rinse the eggs well before incubating (do not use detergents), then wipe dry and place in the incubator. Heat from the egg begins to stand out only after two weeks. On the 15th day, the temperature in the incubator is reduced.
Keep an eye on the relative humidity in the incubator and do not forget to turn and spray eggs. The relative humidity of the first 10 days should be at the level of 30%, and the following days - 70%.
This will help to create a special microclimate, which is necessary for the hatching of healthy chickens. 
The incubation process takes three weeks:
- From 1 to 4 days, it is necessary to maintain the temperature from +37.7 ° С to 38 ° С.
- From 5 to 8 days, the temperature drops to +37.5 ° С.
- From 9 to 14 days, the temperature is lowered to +37.5 ° С.
- From 15 days the temperature should be +37.3 degrees.
- From 19 to 20 days, the temperature is reduced to +36.8 ° C.
- On the 21st day, when hatching is already beginning, the temperature regime should be within + 36.2 ... +36.4 ° С.
Important! So that you do not get tangled while turning the eggs, mark one side with a cross and the other with a circle.
Care for the young
Care for young stock should be permanent. In the first weeks it is necessary to give starting feed, then - according to age. Ensure that young birds have plenty of water and a moderate amount of feed. Broilers grow rapidly and, therefore, feed a lot.
Tricolor plumage is slow. Feathers appear unevenly throughout the body, which requires you to keep the birds warm. 
Chicks breed a high survival rate, like any broiler. Only 5 can die per 250 pieces. But if the conditions are too harsh, then a significant part of the livestock will not survive.
Chicken diet
The first week after hatching is the most difficult. Here it is important to save the life of every chicken. Feed mix in the first three weeks will replace any cereals. You can add corn grits. After the first month, you can add wheat cereal and reduce the amount of feed.
Important! In the first two weeks, chickens should eat 6 times a day. Keep track of the amount of feed, so that it is enough for so many meals.
The first 1.5 months of chickens are fed at least 4 times a day. By two or three months of their development, they must gain enough mass so that they can be given for slaughter. 
Herd replacement
Planned replacement of the flock of birds occurs at 2-3 months of their maturation. Tricolors are good for meat, so go for slaughter early. Parent heads should be left up to one and a half years. It is necessary to be especially careful with chickens, because there are known cases of cancer.
The breed's tendency to disease
Unlike other broiler breeds, the tricolor is a disease resistant bird. But if you do not clean the hen house, the bird will be hungry, and the water will become a luxury for chickens, then they will die. Do not allow bad conditions and chickens will not get sick.
Advantages and disadvantages
Let's summarize all the advantages and disadvantages of tricolor content.
pros:
- Breed quickly gaining weight.
- Egg production is high despite the fact that the breed is intended for other products.
- Decorative appearance.
- The breed is resistant to diseases.
- Calm, non-aggressive birds.
Minuses:
- Like any broiler, tricolor needs a very large amount of feed.
- Birds are very demanding for temperature.
- They need a lot of space.
- No instinct nasizhivaniya.
As you can see, there are more pluses than minuses. This means that you can breed breeders tricolor and under all the necessary conditions do not fear for the quality of meat and eggs.
