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Another very decorative breed of meat chickens was once bred in France in the town of Faverolles. To breed the breed, local chickens were used, which were crossed with traditional meat breeds exported from India: Brahma and Kokhinhin.
Faverolles chickens were registered in France as a breed in the 60s of the 19th century. In 1886, chickens came to England, where, in the process of selection, their standard was slightly changed, based on exhibition requirements. The English version of the breed has longer tail feathers than the German or French populations.
Originally bred as a meat breed, fireballs by the end of the XNUMXth century began to give way to other breeds of chickens, and today firerolls can be seen more often at exhibitions than in yards.
It should be noted that the breed is undeservedly forgotten. In addition to tasty meat, this chicken can also produce fairly large eggs. However, private traders who keep chickens not only for products, but also for the soul, are increasingly starting fireballs, in addition to productive characteristics, which also have an original appearance.
Birds walk, like all self-respecting chickens, on three fingers. Their extra finger grows on the back of the metatarsus, next to the fourth.
Description, productive characteristics of the fireball chicken breed
Faverolles are massive chickens on rather short legs. Hens look more squat than roosters. The breed is heavy, can reach 3,6 kg. Taking into account the meat direction, these birds have good egg production: chickens lay 4 eggs a week, which will be more than 200 pieces per year. Chickens lay best in their first year of life. In the second year, egg production decreases, but egg size increases. The shell of the eggs is light brown.
Chickens are frost-resistant and lay even when the temperature in the chicken coop is below + 10 ° C, the main thing is that the air temperature in the room is not below zero.
Chickens breed Faverolles
Standard firerolle with photo
A small head with a powerful light beak. Simple straight comb. The eyes are red-orange, the earrings are poorly defined. In chickens, sideburns go from the eyes to the bottom of the beak, connecting in a frill on the neck. In faverol roosters, this sign is less pronounced, although it is also present.
The direction of growth of the feathers of this decoration differs from the rest of the neck plumage. The feathers on the sideburns and the frill are directed towards the back of the head.
The neck of the fireballs is of medium length with a long mane falling down the back.
The body format for chickens is a square, for roosters it is a standing rectangle. Chickens have a horizontal set of the body and a wide fleshy chest.
With a fairly massive body, firerolls, like all meat breeds of animals, have thin bones, which allows you to get maximum meat with a minimum of waste.
The loin is dense with a thick feather.
The tail is set vertically, tail feathers are short. Chickens are quite fluffy.
Highly located feathers are tightly pressed to the body.
Legs are short. Moreover, in chickens, the metatarsus is shorter than in roosters, due to which the chicken looks more stocky. On the metatarsus dense plumage.
The fifth finger, which distinguishes the fireballs, is located above the fourth and points upwards, while the fourth sticks out horizontally. In addition, the fifth finger is equipped with a long claw.
The standard officially recognizes three colors of firerolls: white, salmon and mahogany.
As you can see in the photo, the white color is pure white, yet it is not. In the mane of chickens, feathers with a black border and a white core, in the tail, feathers are pure black.
In salmon, only chicken has a beige color. The rooster has almost white feathers on the head, mane and lower back, black chest, belly and tail and a red feather on the shoulders. Salmon fireball is the most common color in this breed of chickens.
Among salmon fireballs, roosters with colored spots on the mane, colorful bellies and frills, with white patches on the belly and chest, without red feathers on the back and wings are culled from breeding. Chickens should not have black feathers in a jabot, with a white shaft of a feather and not salmon in color.
Mahogany-colored chickens look like darkened salmon. Roosters on the head, neck and lower back instead of a light dark red feather.
The standard description of the breed does not provide for other colors, but different countries may have their own standards for this breed. Therefore, among the fireballs are sometimes found:
Silvery
In silver, roosters with a black feather in the mane or yellow feathers are culled.
Blue
Black
Feathers in birds are plentiful, the plumage is loose. This feather structure helps them keep warm during the colder months. The skin is thin.
Sexual dimorphism in chickens appears after 2 months. Cockerels begin to grow sideburns and frills, the feathers at the ends of their wings are darker than those of hens.
When breeding firerolls for meat, the color does not really matter, so you can also find fireballs of salmon-blue, red-piebald, striped, ermine colors. Birds may be purebred, but they will not be admitted to the exhibition.
These signs are:
- the absence of the fifth finger or its non-standard position;
- yellow beak;
- large comb;
- yellow or blue metatarsus;
- presence of a metatarsal “hawk’s claw”;
- cuffs;
- slightly feathered metatarsus;
- the absence of characteristic feathers in the head area of hens;
- a long tail;
- too large “pillows” near the rump;
- poorly developed muscles;
- short thin neck;
- metatarsus too short or too long.
The character of the fireballs is calm, they quickly become tame. They are sedentary, but love to eat, which is why they are prone to obesity.
Productive characteristics of the breed
Since the fireball breed was created as a meat breed, the main emphasis was placed on the rapid weight gain by chickens. By 4,5 months, a Farevol rooster can weigh 3 kg.
Weight of fireballs according to the standards of breed associations of different countries, kg
| Country | Cock | Chicken | Cockerel | Molodka |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 4,08 – 4,98 | 3,4 – 4,3 | 3,4 – 4,53 | 3,17 – 4,08 |
| Australia | 3,6 – 4,5 | 3,0 – 4,0 | ||
| USA | 4,0 | 3,0 | ||
| France | 3,5 – 4,0 | 2,8 – 3,5 |
In addition to the large meat variety of the fireball, a miniature version of this breed was also bred. Miniature faveroli roosters weigh 1130-1360 g, chickens 907-1133 g. They have 120 eggs per year. There are for miniature fireballs and indulgence in the number of colors.
Features of the content
Due to its size and heavy weight, the faverol lives up to the saying “a chicken is not a bird.” He does not like to fly. But sitting on the ground for chickens, although perhaps, is a stressful condition. On instinct, chickens try to climb somewhere higher. It makes no sense to make high perches for the fireballs, even by arranging a ladder for them. Flying from a great height, heavy chickens can damage their paws. It is better to make perches 30 – 40 cm high for the fireballs, where they can sleep peacefully at night, but will not hurt themselves when they jump off the crossbar.
The perch is made so thick that the bird can cover it with its fingers from above. In the upper part, the corners are smoothed so that they do not put pressure on the fingers of the chickens.
A thick layer of straw or sawdust is laid on the floor of the chicken coop.
When building a chicken coop, this moment must be taken into account.
Faverolles are not suitable for keeping in cages. The minimum they need is an aviary. But experienced chicken breeders say that the aviary is too small for them, because due to the tendency to obesity, this breed must be provided with the possibility of physical movement, which is actually possible only on free range and some underfeeding in order to force the bird to try to get its own food.
More mobile and arrogant chickens of other breeds may begin to beat the fireballs.
Breeding
Fireballs begin to rush at six months, provided that the daylight hours are at least 13 hours. Faverolles are not afraid of frost and can be carried even in winter. Chickens of this breed are not very good hens, so eggs are usually collected for incubation. You can only collect hatching eggs from laying hens that have reached the age of one. At the same time, eggs are stored for no longer than 2 weeks at a temperature of + 10 °.
The initial stock should be purchased from trusted nurseries, as purebred chickens of this breed are quite rare today. Good pedigree birds are supplied by Hungary and Germany, but there are already several purebred lines of fireballs.
Features of feeding
Due to the too lush plumage, it is undesirable for chickens of this breed to give wet mixers. Therefore, when keeping fireballs, preference is given to dry mixed fodders. In the summer, up to a third of finely chopped grass can be present in the diet.
150 – 160 g of feed are given per day per head. If the bird gets fat, the rate is cut in half.
In winter, instead of grass, chickens are given germinated grain.
Reviews of the owners of fireroll chickens
Conclusion
Faverolle is a rather rare breed today and not many can afford to keep it, not even because of the rarity, but because of the price of young animals and eggs. The cost of a six-month-old chicken starts from 5000 rubles. But if you manage to get a few of these chickens, then you can not only admire beautiful birds, but also eat meat that tastes like pheasant.