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In Asia, there is a whole galaxy of dark-skinned chickens with different levels of melanin. One of these breeds is meat and egg chickens Xin-Xin-Dian. Their skin is dark gray rather than black. But the eggs are exotic in color.
This breed is, in fact, a marriage of selection. Actually, the Chinese at that time wanted to develop a new breed of fighting cocks, but it turned out to be Xin Xin Dian. True, then it was not called that. The chicken resulting from an unsuccessful attempt to breed a fighting breed could be attributed to the meat and egg direction. But the Chinese have no compromises. The animal bred by them should bring maximum production.
If an angora rabbit, then a fur ball in which the rabbit itself is not visible. If the meat is silky chicken, then a rooster less than 5 kilograms is not a chicken. There were enough meat breeds of chickens in China, and there was nothing to make “centenary eggs” from. And it was decided to re-profile this “neither fish nor meat” for the egg direction.
As a result of the selection work of Shanghai scientists, a new breed of chickens, Xin-Xin-Dian, was actually “born”. She got to Our Country through Khabarovsk, thanks to the owner of the poultry farm N. Roshchin.
Description
According to the photo and description, Xin Xin Dian chickens are no different from ordinary laying hens. Only black birds stand out. If you meet representatives of the breed of red and red colors on the street, then it will hardly be possible to distinguish them from ordinary laying hens. Differences become apparent if you collect the eggs of these chickens or pluck them.
Xin-sin-dian egg has a pleasant green color. And the breed itself is famous as “hens that lay green eggs.”
Standard
The Chinese do not particularly care about the description of the standard for the Xin Xin Dian chicken breed, since the productivity of the bird is more important to them. But the clubs of Chinese chicken lovers do not like this state of affairs, and they make their own standards for all breeds in order to streamline the breeding of thoroughbred Chinese chickens. There is such a standard for Xin Dian.
Blue-blues have a typical egg breed appearance. Light body, small weight of birds, large combs of roosters. The head is medium in size with a large but neat leaf-shaped crest. Even in chickens, the comb is clearly visible. Earrings, lobes, face and crest are bright red. In chickens, the face may have a gray tint, and the lobes may be bluish. A distinctive feature of a good rooster are long earrings and a large comb. The eyes are orange-red. The beak is short with gray and light areas in red birds and dark gray in black ones.
Neck of medium length. The small body is placed almost horizontally. The skeleton is light, trapezoidal. The back is straight. The wings are tightly pressed to the body, medium in size. The tails of both sexes are set high and bushy. The top line forms a U for both roosters and hens. The pigtails of the roosters are short, underdeveloped.
The chest is rounded. The belly of the laying hens is well developed. The thighs and lower legs are small. Metatarsus gray-yellow, non-feathered.
There are three color options in the breed:
- the black;
- redhead;
- red.
Black chickens of the Xin Xin Dian breed look most impressive in the photo.
A sign will have to be hung on a red chicken that it is not just a outbred village laying hen, but a rare exotic breed.
Productivity
Chinese Xin Xin Dian chickens have a small body weight: up to 2 kg for males, up to 1,5 kg for laying hens. Egg production is relatively low compared to industrial egg crosses. Pullets begin to rush at 4-4,5 months and in the first year they carry up to 250 eggs with a green shell. At the initial stage, the egg weighs 55 g. Later, the mass of the egg increases to 60 g.
Also, “old” hens lay darker eggs than pullets, although the diet and conditions of keeping birds are the same for both groups.
It is completely incomprehensible how to explain the difference in the color of eggs from young and old hens. At the same time, the phenomenon when the color of the egg is more saturated at the beginning of oviposition, and turns pale towards the end, has long been known and is also found in Ameraukana hens.
In Xin-dian, maximum productivity is observed in the second year of life. On the third, egg production decreases. Therefore, experts advise updating the herd every three years.
But, as already mentioned, the Chinese are of little concern about issues of breed. They need productivity. Therefore, under the name Xin-sin-dian, hybrids with another Chinese breed can be found. These crosses lay eggs with shells ranging from marsh to deep blue.
For egg production, crosses are more profitable, since egg production is higher, and the egg itself is larger.
Advantages
The description says that Xin Xin Dian chickens have a very calm nature and are highly disciplined. Apparently, a national Chinese trait. Compared to other similar breeds, they have a small stomach, so they consume less food. Xin Dian are resistant to temperature extremes and able to withstand slight frosts, although during the cold winter they should be transferred to an insulated chicken coop.
Eggs are valued for the unusual color of the shell and the content of a large amount of lipids that remove cholesterol from the body. However, the latter is just a marketing ploy.
Owner reviews about Xin-sin-dian chickens are enthusiastic. Admire not only the peaceful behavior of birds, but also the quality of the meat. According to poultry farmers, even the meat of 1,5-year-old roosters is soft and delicate in taste. Normally, even the meat of a one-year-old bird is already becoming very tough and is only suitable for broth.
Features of the breed
The owners of Xin-Dian have noticed that with the onset of cold weather, laying hens drastically reduce productivity. But chicken owners associate this phenomenon not only with air temperature, but also with the length of daylight hours. In winter, these factors are corrected by installing a heater and additional lighting in the chicken coop.
In a room with a floor area of 6-12 m² with a ceiling height of 2 m, only two 100-watt light bulbs will suffice. In the presence of modern energy-saving lamps, which shine much brighter than old incandescent lamps, they consume 5 times less electricity, it will not even be very expensive. Light day for Xin-dian should last 12-14 hours.
You can’t save on heating. The room temperature must be at least 10°C. But not above 20°C. The optimal temperature range for Xin-blue is 12-14°C when kept on the floor in a chicken coop and 15-18°C when kept in cages.
Content
Xin Dian are very mobile and love to fly. For a comfortable stay, they need a closed enclosure where they can “stretch their paws”.
Although chickens are quite resistant to weather adversity, they do not like extreme cold and dampness. It is better to immediately build a chicken coop for their living, insulated and with good ventilation. In the absence of ventilation, the condensate that collects on the walls and ceiling will lead to infection of the room with mold. And the droppings that accumulate in the litter will kindly supply the mold with nutrients. As a result, the bird will get sick with aspergillosis.
Chicken litter is arranged depending on the time of year. In summer, it makes no sense to make a deep litter, but by winter, the thickness of the gradually poured litter should reach 35-40 cm. In the spring, with the onset of warm days, the litter is raked out and the cycle begins anew.
The number of birds in a chicken coop per m² should not exceed 6 birds. Perches of the Xin-Dian breed need high. Chickens prefer to sleep at altitude.
The diet of Xin-dian is the same as that of other egg-laying breeds. They also need minerals and vitamins. To replenish the protein, of which a lot is spent on the production of eggs from the body of the chicken, it is necessary to periodically give the laying hens minced meat or fish.
Breeding
Considering the annual production of eggs, one can guess that Xin-Dian laying hens are not torn to be cows. Therefore, chickens are bred in incubators. The safety of chicks in this breed is very high: 95-98%.
Hatched chicks are fed in the same way as chicks of other breeds. The temperature in the brooder should be kept at 30°C for the first time. As the feathering progresses, the temperature is slowly reduced to 20 ° C.
In the photo, the future black Xin-dian. In childhood, the coloration of chickens differs from the color of adult birds.
Reviews
Conclusion
According to the description and photo, the Xin Xin Dian breed of chickens is not particularly impressive. But those who dared to start her quickly come to the conclusion that these chickens are almost ideal for a personal farmstead: they eat little, rush well and do not fight at all. The latter is especially important in a private household, where the owner often cannot monitor the behavior of chickens 24 hours a day.