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The Oryol breed of chickens has been around for more than 200 years. Passion for cockfights in Pavlov, Nizhny Novgorod region, led to the appearance of a powerful, well-knit, but medium-sized, at first glance, bird. The origin of the breed is not known for certain, but researchers agree that among the ancestors of the Oryol chickens there is a Malayan fighting breed of roosters. There is even a version that the Oryol chintz breed of chickens appeared thanks to Count Orlov-Chesmensky. But it is unlikely that the count actually exchanged for a bird, being obsessed with the idea of bringing high-quality breeds of horses. With a high degree of probability, the name of these chickens is misleading.
In the XNUMXth century, Oryol chintz chickens were very popular with all segments of the population of the Empire. They were bred by peasants, and bourgeois, and artisans, and merchants. At the peak of popularity at the end of the XNUMXth century, birds began to be exported abroad, presenting them at exhibitions, where they received very high marks. By this time, the breed had “gone” from the fighting breed to the universal direction. Chickens of the Orlovskaya breed were distinguished by productivity both in the meat direction and in the egg direction, showing good results. Oryol laying hens laid eggs even in winter. And at that time, a winter egg was very expensive, since the life of chicken stock in unheated chicken coops did not contribute to egg production. The beautiful variegated plumage was also valued along with the characteristic breed characteristics that are absent in other chickens.
Restored breed
At the end of the same 1911th century, a general fashion arose for foreign breeds of birds and “eagles” quickly began to disappear. Although the birds were still taken to exhibitions, but after the last one in 1914, the breed in Our Country disappeared completely. In fact, there was not even a description left of the Oryol calico breed of chickens. Although in XNUMX a standard was even set for this chicken in the Empire, it was already too late.
In the first half of the XNUMXth century, there were no more purebred birds in Our Country. The “pieds” running around the yards were at best crossbreeds, but not a purebred bird.
The restoration of the breed began only in the 50s of the XX century and was carried out in two directions:
- isolation from the crossbred livestock and consolidation of the necessary breed characteristics;
- the purchase of purebred poultry in Germany, where this chicken was appreciated and bred in purity.
A real result was achieved only in the 80s of the last century, and today there are two lines in Our Country: and German. When restoring, they were guided by the standard written after the actual disappearance of the Oryol livestock and, possibly, by artistic images of these birds. There is also an unconfirmed opinion that the and German lines are, in fact, different chicken breeds that cannot be crossed with each other, since already in the first generation the birds lose their breed characteristics. True, this is contrary to genetics.
In today’s description of the breed of Oryol chickens, their significant weight with small body sizes is especially noted. This feature is explained by the fact that muscle tissue is much heavier than adipose tissue. And these birds, descended from a fighting breed, should not have fat, but well-developed strong muscles are needed.
XNUMXth century birds
The photo of the Oryol breed of chickens of that time, of course, did not remain. Only drawings have survived. And the verbal description of the old Oryol breed of chickens without a photo raises the same doubts as the description of the old breed of Irish wolfhounds.
They say that in those days the roosters were so large that they could eat from the dining table. At the same time, objective data when weighing at an exhibition at the end of the 4,5th century indicate that the then roosters weighed only 3,2 kg, and laying hens – XNUMX kg. This is quite consistent with the universal direction of chickens, but not with their gigantism. There is from the table, the rooster could only fly up on it. Especially considering the fact that the bird’s body is small compared to its weight.
This is not a photo of old Oryol chickens, but there is a scale: a log. It is clearly seen that the old-type roosters did not differ in very large size, but carried all the signs of a fighting breed:
- vertically placed body;
- small comb;
- dense plumage on the neck, protecting from the beak of an opponent;
- sharp curved beak.
In those days, representatives of the “eagles” were distinguished by a wide frontal bone and a “swollen” mane that protected from the beak of an opponent. The appearance of such a mane is well shown in the pictures above. The beak was very curved and sharp, like no other chicken had.
modern birds
Today’s photos of the Oryol breed of chickens clearly indicate the fighting origin of their ancestors: in roosters, the body has a much more pronounced vertical set than in laying hens.
Modern description and photo of chickens “Orlovskaya calico”:
- with their decent modern weight (from 4 kg for a chicken to 5 kg for a rooster), the birds give the impression of medium-sized specimens. According to reviews, Oryol chintz chickens have practically no fat layer;
- the head makes a predatory impression. Red-orange or amber eyes due to well-developed superciliary ridges look deep-set. The yellow beak is thick at the base, strongly curved and short. The comb is very low, reminiscent of a raspberry cut in half. The comb is located very low, almost hanging over the nostrils. The spines of the ridge are very low, but there are many of them. There must be a “purse” under the beak;
- the characteristic “swelling” of the feather cover in the upper part of the neck was restored. The head is surrounded by sideburns and a “beard”. As a result, it seems that the neck ends with a feather ball. The neck is long, especially in roosters;
- body in males is short, wide. Located almost vertically;
- the back and loin are short and flat. The body tapers sharply towards the tail;
- the tail is profusely feathered, of medium length. Set at right angles to the upper line of the body. Pigtails of medium length, rounded, narrow;
- broad shoulders protrude forward. Wings of medium length are tightly pressed to the body;
- chest with well-developed muscles in roosters slightly protrudes forward;
- the stomach is tucked up;
- legs are long and thick. This, too, is a legacy of the fighting Malayan roosters;
- metatarsus yellow;
- the plumage is dense, dense, well adjacent to the body.
The exterior characteristics of hens of the Oryol breed are somewhat different from those of the rooster: the body is more horizontal, longer and narrower than the rooster; the crest is very poorly developed, but chickens have more magnificent plumage of the head; the angle between back and tail is more than 90 degrees.
German “orlovki” are lighter and smaller. But they “cover” their disadvantage with higher productivity.
Exterior vices
It is difficult to find, for clarity, a photo of the shortcomings of the Oryol calico breed of chickens, since there are still very few birds themselves. One can only describe those exterior defects that lead to the exclusion of chickens from breeding:
- small size;
- back with a hump;
- spindle-shaped, narrow, horizontally set body;
- little weight;
- narrow chest;
- narrow back;
- poor plumage of the head;
- thin and long beak without bend;
- any other than the color of the metatarsus or beak allowed by the standard;
- black pen on the “purse”;
- a small amount of white on the body;
- the presence of residual feathers on the metatarsus and fingers.
There is a lot of controversy surrounding the Orlovka standard, and it may be subject to further revision as the breed gains popularity and population increases in size. According to the reviews of the owners of the Oryol calico breed of laying hens, they do not have high egg production, “giving out” 150 eggs per year. But the meat has a high taste characteristics.
Colors
Photos of the colors of Oryol chintz chickens give an idea of the beauty of these birds. There are differences in color too. So, according to some requirements, a solid color other than white is unacceptable. On the other hand, they say that “eagles” can also have a clay, black and mahogany color without white. Perhaps the matter is in the German and lines. It is possible that their ancestors, the Gilyan chickens, are confused with the Oryols. The main generally recognized colors are: scarlet black-breasted, scarlet brown-breasted and chintz.
The white Oryol breed of chickens stands apart. These are the only representatives of the breed with a generally recognized monocolor. In addition to color, Oryol white chickens do not differ from other representatives of the breed.
Mahogany brown-breasted.
In the video, an expert evaluates chickens of the Oryol breed:
Features of the breed
The Oryol breed belongs to the late-ripening ones. At the age of one year, hens weigh 2,5-3 kg, cockerels 3-3,5 kg. Chickens start laying eggs at 7-8 months. In the first year of life, they can lay up to 180 eggs, then the productivity of laying hens decreases to 150. Eggs weigh 60 g. Depending on the color of the laying hen, the shell color can vary from light cream to white-pink.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages include the decorative appearance of the bird and the high taste characteristics of the meat.
The disadvantages are late maturity and difficulty in raising chickens. Juveniles grow slowly and fledge late.
Content
According to the description, Oryol chickens are frost-resistant and the photo below confirms this. True, in this photo, the Oryol hen looks more like a stepdaughter sent by an evil stepmother to the winter forest for snowdrops.
Lush dense plumage protects these birds from frosts. Nevertheless, it is better for Oryol chickens to build an insulated chicken coop for the winter.
Otherwise, the content of the Oryol calico breed does not differ from the content of other “village” chickens. Just like other “simple” breeds, “eagles” can eat everything. But for their full development, they must be provided with a balanced diet. However, these are the truths that apply to any chickens.
Raising chickens is very different. The Oryol chicken is preserved today as genetic material. You can buy purebred chickens either in breeding centers or from a few private traders. But in the latter case, you need to be sure of the reliability of the seller.
Chickens of the Oryol breed at a young age are characterized by low survival and slow feathering. They have to be monitored more carefully than more resistant breeds.
The color of the cockerel is darker than that of the hen. Often the description, photos and reviews of chickens of the Oryol breed of chickens do not match. But with a high degree of probability this is due to the fact that the bird is not purebred. In addition, while in the Oryol breed of chickens there is a large variability in the phenotype.
Owner feedback
Conclusion
The Oryol calico breed of chickens in private farmsteads today will most likely have a decorative value. The same as the Cochinchins and Brahmas already have, which have practically ceased to be kept for meat. Oryol chickens are much inferior in egg production to other breeds. And excessive aggressiveness will not allow keeping them in the same room with other birds.