The Mechelen breed of chickens, which, according to English-language sources, is on the verge of extinction, originates in the XNUMXth century. Chickens were bred in the Mechelen region in the Antwerp province. According to the place of breeding, the breed got its name. The second part of the breed name indicates the most common plumage color. Most of these chickens are cuckoo-colored. The Mechelen cuckoo originated from crossing local Belgian chickens with oriental fighting breeds. Along with the Jersey Giants, this is the largest variety of chickens of all available breeds.
The Mechelen cuckoo came to Our Country even before the revolution. At that time among the aristocrats and persons claiming the highest circles of society? French was in vogue. The Mechelen region is French for “Malines” and the chickens at that time were called Cucu de Malins. Later, this name was naturally shortened to “Malin”. Yes, it has remained so to this day. Interest in these birds in Our Country is reviving again, and in -language sources you can often find advice on how to breed not a Mechelen cuckoo, but raspberries.
Description
Chickens Mechelen cuckoo belong to the meat productive direction. The weight of an adult rooster is 5 kg. Adult laying hens are not much inferior to males: 4-4,5 kg. It will be difficult for a simple amateur to determine whether he bought a Mechelen cuckoo from a photo and a description of thoroughbred chickens, since at the beginning of the XNUMXth century a second version of this breed appeared.
The original version of Raspberry has a single leaf comb. But at the beginning of the XNUMXth century, due to the demand of the German army for the largest chickens, Malin was crossed with another Belgian breed of fighting origin – Bruges Wächter. This is the oldest fighting breed in Belgium, whose roosters are superior in weight to the Mechelen cuckoos. Brugge Wächter was given a heavier version of the Malinov’s original triple pod comb. Today, there are few such birds and the leaf-shaped comb is considered the main one. But Malin with a triple crest is not a crossbred.
The photo shows a rare version of Raspberry with a pod-shaped comb.
In the description of the Mechelen cuckoo chicken breed, it is indicated that even today breeders are working to increase the productivity of birds. Goal: 4 kg live weight at 10 weeks, following the cultivation technology. These chickens of the Mechelen cuckoo are similar to broiler crosses, but are superior to broilers in other qualities:
- no lethal hereditary problems:
- the ability to reproduce “in itself”;
- no problems with bone growth;
- are not subject to heart attacks;
- good feathering;
- feed economy.
The development of Malins does not go beyond their physical capabilities.
This quality can be attributed to the shortcomings of the breed, since for breeding chickens of this breed you will have to purchase an incubator.
Standard
Description of chickens The Mechelen cuckoo clearly indicates the meat direction of the productivity of these chickens. These are powerful stocky birds with strong legs. Due to their large body mass, birds are very slow and unable to fly.
The head is medium in size with a small, usually leaf-shaped crest. The number of teeth on the crest varies from 4 to 6. The eyes are orange-red. Earrings and earlobes are bright red, oblong, medium in size. The face is red. The beak is short. The color of the beak is light, may be white.
The neck is relatively long and powerful. Placed vertically. The mane of roosters is poorly developed. The body is located horizontally relative to the earth’s surface. The back is very wide and straight. Tail braids in roosters are poorly developed. In general, the tails of Mechelen cuckoos do not differ in splendor. The upper line of the representatives of the breed resembles the letter U. In roosters, due to the vertical set of the tail, the “letter” is more pronounced. The tail of the laying hens is set more horizontally.
Although the shoulder girdle of chickens is very powerful, the wings themselves are small. This feature makes it impossible for chickens to fly. The wings are tightly pressed to the body, almost hiding under the feathers covering the loin.
The chest is wide, full, with well-developed muscles. The abdomen is well developed and full. When viewed from the side, the bird’s body resembles a regular ball. If you mentally remove the tail and neck.
The legs are strong, with thick metatarsal bones. Thighs and lower legs well muscled. The color of the metatarsus is most often white-pink, in birds of black color the metatarsus can be dark gray.
In the photo of the legs of the Mechelen cuckoo breed of chickens, you can clearly see where exactly the feathers on the metatarsus should grow.
The plumage of chickens is thick and dense. In the breed, the most common variegated color, which in the West is divided into two types. They differ in thickness and the number of alternating black and white stripes on the flight feathers.
In total, 8 color options are recognized in Belgium, and 9 in Germany. It is almost impossible to find a description and photos of some colors of the Mechelen Cuckoo chicken breed. In Our Country, there are two varieties of variegated: cuckoo and hawk. And white, considered very rare.
By European standards, white color is the second most common. The photo of Black Raspberry is already exclusive.
Lavender color is a weakened version of black.
Photos of the Colombian and silver Raspberries are completely absent. The gold one is only shown in the picture.
Birds have a docile, calm disposition. It is difficult for them to start fights with such a large body weight.
Vices
Even taking into account the fact that the breed is rare and the population of Raspberries in Our Country is very small, a bird with the following signs should not be left for the tribe:
- underdeveloped pectoral muscles;
- white lobes;
- narrow back;
- triangular body shape;
Too light color is often called among the vices, but this can only be attributed to the variegated color, since lavender or Colombian are light in themselves.
Productivity
Raspberries have a fairly high egg production for the meat breed of chickens. They are late ripening and begin to rush from 6,5 months. With insufficient quality feeding, development is delayed and the period of egg production begins from 8 months. Mechelen cuckoo carries 140-160 eggs per year. The weight of one egg is 60-65 g. The color of the egg shell of the Mechelen cuckoo chicken breed is pale pink. The photo shows the difference between Raspberry eggs and chicken eggs of other breeds.
Reviews about the meat of the Mechelen cuckoo chicken breed are only positive, as well as about weight gain by chickens. The meat is very tender, with a fine structure.
Roosters quickly gain weight and at four months a gutted carcass without a neck and paws weighs 2,2 kg. Accordingly, the live weight of a four-month-old cockerel exceeds 3 kg. According to the owners of Malinov, a 9-month-old rooster can even exceed 6 kg. But this is from those selected for fattening, and not for breeding.
The photo shows the legs of a 2-month-old chick. The whole chicken did not fit into the frame.
Chickens
Now the problem of buying Mechelen cuckoo eggs is not as acute as it was a few years ago. It became possible to buy them in Our Country, where the motley variety is mainly bred. Because it was once delivered that way. Even yellow chickens are often overgrown with gray feathers. But the standard variegated color is more convenient to breed, as these chickens are autosex. The description and photo of chickens of the Mechelen breed of chickens makes it possible to clearly distinguish between one-day-old chicks of cockerels and hens: the hens have a pure black back, and the cockerel has a blurry bright spot on the back.
In this photo, there are only two chickens in the upper right corner of the container.
Considering that laying hens do not burn with the desire to mess with chickens, it is better to take Raspberries with eggs. Although, it can turn out as in the photo above: out of 12 chickens, 10 cockerels. Western breeders would only be glad and sell extra males for meat. In Our Country, this is more difficult until the chicken population reaches a decent size.
It is better to take the first eggs for incubation from birds that fall into the standard, but do not differ in gigantic size. According to reviews, the larger the Mechelen cuckoo, the fewer eggs it carries. The fertilization of eggs in Raspberries is very high, up to 98%. But this is provided that the rooster in the breeding herd is not very large. With a too large rooster, the fertility of eggs is reduced by 40%.
The hatchability of chickens in the incubator reaches 90%, and the survival rate is 95%. Chickens require high-quality feed and the content of large chips or straw. Due to slow feathering, the brooder must be kept warm until the chicks are 3 months old.
Content
English-language sources indicate that raspberries can even live in cages, but the best results will be obtained if the birds have a large paddock. The problem of cage keeping and a cramped chicken coop is that the metatarsus of the Mechelen cuckoo is heavily feathered. The video shows that the feathers are of great length, touching the ground.
Keeping on a dirty floor will cause droppings to stick to the pen and fingers. Such lumps harden strongly, the chicken cannot remove them on its own. If you miss the moment and a lump of litter remains on the paw for a long time, it can lead to tissue necrosis.
Perches for these birds are made low, but we must remember that their advertised inability to fly is conditional. The fence for these chickens should be more than a meter high.
Reviews
Conclusion
Neither the photo, nor the description, nor the reviews convey the greatness of the Mechelen cuckoo chickens, which majestically walk around the yard. Birds are really not inferior in size to other large meat breeds of chickens. Their tender tasty meat attracts poultry farmers who breed this Belgian chicken in their backyards. It may well happen that soon in Our Country Kuku de Malin will again become not a rare, but an ordinary breed of meat chickens.