In the farm for breeding birds, hybrids (crosses), bred by crossing several highly productive breeds of chickens of a particular direction (egg or meat), are particularly popular. About one of these breeds Isa Brown talk in this article, discuss its characteristics, advantages and disadvantages.
The history of the breed
Isa Brown is a young breed, she is about thirty years old, her parents are Leghorn and Rhode Island breeds, the crossing procedure was linear and took place in four stages. The breed was named after the institute, whose specialists were engaged in breeding it - Institut de Sélection Animale (ISA) .ISA is a subsidiary of a multidisciplinary livestock company specializing in genetics and technology. The institute is located in the Netherlands, with headquarters in Boxmeer, and it has offices in France, the USA, Canada, Indonesia, Brazil, India, and Venezuela.
Did you know? Hen - a popular literary character, she is a heroine of fairy tales, poetry and prose. There is a character in Marshazka, Andersen, Lope De Vega, in Etelzon and others.
Description and features
Consider the distinctive features of the cross.
Exterior
Sam Iza Brown is easy to distinguish from cockerels even at a tender age: the plumage of hens is of a rich, nut-brown color in hens, yellow color prevails in cockerels. Feathers tightly pressed to the body, at the ends of the wings and tail plumage lighter.
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The body of the individuals is not large, with a compact, lightly boned bone, the thoracic part protrudes forward. Long neck smooth bend goes into a straight back, tail raised.
The head is neat, small, a comb and a small beard of medium size, of a pale red color. The beak is strong, yellowish-beige, moderately curved. The paws of the plumage are not covered, the skin on them is yellow.
Weight indicators
The weight of females - an average of 1,900 grams, a rooster - 2, 800 grams, egg weight - up to 65 grams.
Character
Crosses have an unusually calm and livable disposition. They do not fight, conflicts are not about them at all. Chickens are mobile, they definitely need to provide a comfortable place for walking.
Puberty and egg production
Isa Brown quickly ripen, at the age of four and a half months begin to rush. After a few weeks, productivity reaches its top - 330 eggs per year (average). High rates of egg production crosses demonstrate during the year of life. Then productivity gradually declines.
Did you know? Chickens are bred not only by farmers, but also by celebrities from films and television. Livestock farms with chicken coops have such stars: Martha Stewart, Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson, Reese Witherspoon.
Hatching instinct
The hybrid breeds in the bulk do not have maternal instinct, so if you want to breed the young, you need to think about the incubator.
We recommend to know what to do if chickens rush badly.
Feeding ration
Hybrids especially need vitamins, so their diet in both young and adult individuals should be varied and balanced.
Chickens
The first three days of day-old chickens are fed boiled eggs, then mixed feed or crushed grain is added to the ration:
- millet;
- barley;
- wheat;
- corn.
Important! The first days of chickens as a preventive measure are watered with a pale pink manganese solution.
Next, the grown-up individuals knead wet food:
- boiled potato peeling;
- grated beets, zucchini, pumpkin;
- cake and bran;
- steamed granules of alfalfa or greens in summer.
Adult chickens
Layers need protein and calcium (chalk, bone meal), this will increase the strength of the shell and the number of eggs in the clutch.
Just hold three feedings:
- in the morning, some time after waking up;
- afternoon;
- before bedtime.
Adults also need a wet food with vitamins, the so-called mash, they prepare it from the following ingredients:
- potatoes, herbs, chopped root vegetables;
- corn;
- bran or oatmeal;
- legume seeds;
- sunflower cake, yeast;
- bone flour;
- fodder chalk;
- fish fat;
- salt.
Familiarize yourself with the breeding features of other crosses: Rhodonite, Hungarian giant, Hisex Brown and Hisex White, Hubbard.
Conditions of detention
Compact size and peace-loving nature allow keeping chickens in cages and outdoor. The second option, of course, is desirable when there is walking.
Coop Requirements
When building a chicken coop, you need to consider that a company of four individuals needs a space of about one cubic meter. The structure must be protected from drafts, insulated, clean, regularly ventilated.
Learn how to choose the right chicken coop when buying, and whether it is possible to make a chicken coop on the summer cottage by yourself.
In winter, it is advisable to provide a safe option for heating, since the temperature below 12 ° C is highly undesirable. Humidity in the room is not lower than 50%.
Layers for productivity need a light day lasting up to 15 hours, it must be provided with lamps. Light sources are located two meters from the floor.
Perches up to forty centimeters wide are placed at a height of half a meter from the floor. The flooring should be dry, from natural materials: sawdust, hay. It should consider the location of drinking bowls and feeders. It is better to cover the latter with a large mesh cage on top, in order to get food it was simple, but it is impossible to get into the trough by scattering the food.
Important! Birds will need to put a separate feeder with sand and small gravel. It is necessary for grinding food in the goiter.
Nests should be placed twenty centimeters from the floor. As a nest, you can use a wicker basket or box, covered with hay or straw, as long as there is a depth in it. Usually one nest is arranged for three birds.
Check out the best tips for making feeders and drinkers for chickens.
Walking yard
They arrange the corral most often from the fine-meshed mesh of the chain-link, right next to the walls of the chicken coop, so that the bird has free access. When arranging a walking yard, it is necessary to provide a shed for a part of the pen and a net from birds of prey, in case of heat. Inspect the fence for the presence of sharp objects and strengthen the surface of the earth: chickens like to break the ground, can dig under the net.
Advantages and disadvantages
Among the significant advantages of such facts:
- fast ripening;
- good egg production;
- high level of profitability;
- resilience - progeny yield up to 94%;
- minimum feed costs;
- unpretentiousness - chickens are resistant to diseases.
- loss of productivity after two years of maintenance;
- hard meat - chicken meat "rubber" for two years even after several hours of cooking;
- the need for an incubator if you want to grow young.