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Since the Paleolithic, mankind has been concerned about two main thoughts, one of which is: “who can be eaten.” With the development of science and understanding of the process of heterosis, it became possible to obtain very large animals with rapid weight gain. Broiler chickens have become pioneers in the accelerated cultivation of animal protein.
A broiler is more than just chicken. This is an animal that can gain weight very quickly. The meat of a young animal is softer, tastier and more convenient for frying. From English to broil – “fry” and the name of all broiler crosses comes from.
Today, not only broiler chickens have been bred, but also rabbits, bulls, ducks, guinea fowls, and geese. All broiler crosses are distinguished by the ability to quickly gain weight.
Origin
The first broilers appeared by chance as a result of crossing by English farmers of two breeds of meat chickens that had diverged far from a common ancestor. The resulting chickens suddenly grew very large. At first they were considered a new breed and were called Giants. But when trying to breed Giants “in themselves”, the results were disappointing: the offspring lost their useful qualities.
At random, they found out that broiler chickens are not a breed, but a hybrid of unrelated breeds of chickens. It is desirable that the parent forms of chickens be meat-oriented, but sometimes even this is not required. After it turned out that by crossing two or more different breeds of chickens, you can get a larger bird, work began on breeding broiler crosses.
With breeding efforts to get the chick to gain as much weight as possible in the shortest possible time, broiler chicks have more than quadrupled in size over a period of 4 years.
This “rapid” change in the size of broiler chickens causes an almost superstitious fear in people new to biology and artificial selection, and gives rise to various myths. Those who have an idea about selection, on the contrary, are wondering “where to buy broilers and what breed of broiler chickens is better.”
It’s easier when communicating than constantly clarifying that it is a hybrid or cross.
Why don’t they grow
The source of the myths that broiler chickens are stuffed with steroids in factories was the inability to grow a broiler with the declared characteristics in a private backyard. More precisely, it is possible to grow a full-fledged broiler chicken, but many factors must coincide:
- air temperature;
- high-quality compound feed;
- absence of worms, coccidia or infections in chickens.
All the factors together in a private house are almost impossible to comply with, and buyers of broiler chickens have a legitimate question: “If the description of the breed of broiler chickens says that at 2 months the chicken should weigh 4 kg, and I only have 2, then why?” They must be feeding steroids at the factory.
No, they don’t feed. But at low temperatures, the growth of broiler chickens is greatly slowed down. With a lack of nutrients in the feed (“I only have natural feed”), the broiler gains muscle mass very slowly. When infected with parasites or infection, the development of a broiler chicken is greatly slowed down or completely stopped. That’s all the factory “steroids”, which are called “compliance with the conditions for growing broiler chickens.”
Antibiotics and coccidiostatics are given to prevent the development of diseases in broilers. Long-acting antibiotics are excreted from the body after a week. It is enough one and a half weeks before slaughter to stop giving the antibiotic to broiler chickens in order to get clean meat at the exit.
What to choose
There is an opinion that a broiler can only be white. The carcass of a white chicken looks more attractive to the buyer due to the absence of dark stumps from feathers in the skin. Industrial birds are indeed all white. They are also considered the best breeds of broiler chickens when it comes to raising poultry for meat:
- “Shift”;
- “Broiler-M”;
- “Gibro-6”;
- “Broiler-61”;
- “Kobb-500”;
- “Ross-308”.
Usually, these breeds of broiler chickens are presented on sites with photos and descriptions, but in this case, photos will not help even a specialist, since white broilers look almost the same in physique. Industrial poultry have different productive characteristics, which distinguish one cross from another when describing a broiler.
General characteristics:
- fast weight gain;
- wide fleshy chest;
- fleshy thighs;
- strong legs wide apart;
- ready for slaughter at the age of 2 months.
Depending on the type of cross-country, the ratio between the muscle mass of the chest and legs may vary. There are broiler crosses in which the emphasis was on dietary white meat, there are those who have “Bush legs” in the first place.
Productive characteristics
Broilers are designed for meat production, but private traders are also interested in the question: do broiler chickens lay? Answer: yes. But their egg production is low, like any meat breed. In addition, after 2 months, broiler chicken begins to gain fat. Since puberty occurs after 4 months, the broiler hen, although it can produce fairly large eggs, it is difficult for her to “push” them through the oviduct through the deposits of internal fat.
“Change”
The result of crossing two other broiler hybrids: Gibro-6 and Broiler-6. Cross has a high growth rate, adding 40g daily. The advantage of “Change” is the high viability of chickens, the absence of which often affects other hybrid varieties.
The temperature in the room where the chickens of this cross are kept should be 3 ° C higher than the street temperature. An adult bird is devoid of such a disadvantage. It is quite cold hardy.
The disadvantage of broilers “Change” is their tendency to obesity. Without sufficient walking, chickens will have to be put on a low-calorie diet, and this will lead to a decrease in weight gain. Accordingly, again the myth about steroids will be confirmed.
“Change” can carry up to 140 eggs weighing 60 g each.
“Broiler-M”
This cross gives medium-sized marketable carcasses, convenient when preparing dinner for a small family. They were created on the basis of miniature chickens and red Yerevan ones. The weight of an adult rooster is only 3 kg, and chickens up to 2,8 kg. But this cross has a good egg production: up to 160 eggs per year with a weight of one egg of 65 g. The hybrid gains weight well, differing not only in high productivity, but also in tasty meat.
The main advantage of the cross is the ability to breed them yourself. But for this, Broiler-M roosters need to be replaced with Cornish roosters.
Due to their small size, the stocking density of broilers per square meter can be increased compared to conventional chickens.
“Gibro-6”
They were bred from two lines of Plymouthrock hens and two lines of Cornish roosters. This cross is not growing as fast as its “relatives”. One and a half months chickens “Hibro-6” weigh only 1,5 kg. But “Hibro-6” has a pretty good egg production. From them you can get 160 eggs in 13 months.
The main advantages of “Gibro-6”: excellent immunity and undemanding to the conditions of detention. “Hybro” can live both in cages and free range, needing only routine vaccinations. Their calm nature allows them to get along with other inhabitants of a private courtyard.
“Broiler-61”
The basis was Plymouthrock chickens and Cornish roosters. The 61st gains weight well with a small feed intake relative to body weight. At 1,5 months, the weight of this broiler is already 1,8 kg. Egg production in chickens is low.
The positive qualities of the “61st” are the high survival rate of chickens and rapid weight gain. The latter has a downside, since from 5 weeks old the chickens of this hybrid have to be limited in food, because otherwise their leg bones cannot withstand. But with food restriction, daily gains decrease.
“Kobb-500”
It quickly gains mass, but is more suitable for large factories, as it is very demanding on the conditions of detention. Requires strict adherence to recommendations for growing and strict health monitoring.
The second and third batches, purchased immediately after the first, of this broiler chicken breed do not match the description, growing 2 times smaller due to diseases. If they don’t die entirely. But this is subject to the non-use of the necessary medicines.
“Ross-308”
The parent breeds of this broiler are kept secret by the manufacturer. We can only say that its origin is unlikely to be fundamentally different from other broiler hybrids and it is probably based on meat and fighting breeds of chickens.
“Ross” has a good weight gain and economy in feed consumption. The muscle mass of this hybrid is formed at the very beginning of the development of the chicken, thanks to which Ross is ready for slaughter at the age of 1,5 – 2 months. His weight at this time is already 2,5 kg. Hens in the first year carry up to 180 eggs.
They are also characterized by a dense physique with a wide body. With a massive body, chickens are short in stature.
“Not Hatchery”
In addition to white industrial broilers, there are also such breeds of chickens in the world as a colored broiler. Colored ones are also hybrids of different breeds of chickens, but this is the “first generation of broilers”. That is, they were obtained on the basis of crossing pure breeds of chickens. Already obtained hybrids were later used in the breeding of industrial hybrids. Judging by the photo and description, all colored breeds of broiler chickens are lighter than their “descendants” – industrial hybrids. The exception is the broiler breed “Cornish”, which is not inferior to later hybrids in terms of massiveness of the body.
“Cornish”
A broiler arose, thanks to the desire of the British to breed a new fighting breed of chickens. For this, English fighting breeds of chickens were crossed with Malay ones. “Now! – said the hatched offspring, – You need it, you fight. When trying to further breed these chickens, the fighting spirit faded more and more in each subsequent generation.
The result is a peaceful but very massive broiler chicken breed. Broiler chickens weigh 2 kg at two months. They reach a full weight of 4 kg by six months of life.
Obviously out of annoyance at the lack of fighting qualities, since the “gherkin” is a very small cucumber, not a broiler chicken.
The Cornish retained the external signs of fighting breeds: a powerful, well-muscled body on strong, short, widely spaced paws. In addition to the relief muscles, the Cornish also have an average egg production. They can lay up to 140 eggs weighing up to 60 g. The Cornish retained the incubation instinct, so chickens of this breed can be bred under a hen. In this regard, the Cornish can be safely called not a hybrid, but already a breed.
Among the Cornish, white-colored chickens are widespread, as in the video.
“Tricolor”
Broiler chickens of the Tricolor breed with a photo do not look like broilers at all. But this is a broiler of French origin. “Tricolor” really looks lighter than its “brothers in the shop”, but in reality they are large chickens. As adults, they weigh up to 5,5 kg. At the age of one month, in factories, chickens gain weight up to 1,5 kg. But the Tricolor broiler looks like an egg laying hen for a reason: its egg production is up to 300 pcs. eggs per season. In addition to the rapid growth and high egg production, you can also add tasty tender meat and a developed incubation instinct, which allows you to breed these broilers without outside help.
Conclusion
In Our Country, the most common variants of Cobb broilers. Since most broiler breeds of chickens are white in color, you will have to buy the desired hybrid from the broiler factory. Otherwise, there is no guarantee that if you are going to buy one breed of broiler, a person will not buy a completely different one. Or when buying, it is enough just to be sure that these are broiler chickens no matter what line.