Luxurious Amrox is a breed of chickens bred in the middle of the 20th century. She has gained recognition from breeders for her versatility. These birds gain weight well and lay a lot of eggs. Chickens with an unusual cuckoo color are distinguished by good maternal instinct and adaptation to adverse conditions. They can be bred even by novice farmers. Let's talk about the description of the breed, the nature of the birds and the peculiarities of their maintenance.
Origin story
The Amrox breed was registered in 1848. She appeared as a result of targeted selection of the most productive and viable individuals of Plymouth Rock. Work on the cross was started in Germany.
At the same time, the spread of Amrox occurred first in America. European courts acquired Amrox a hundred years later - after World War II.
Now the hybrid can be found on industrial farms and in private lands. The popularity is increasing from year to year.
Poultry farmers value Amrox especially for its commercial value and the genetic material that allows new species to be produced with high yields.
Dwarf amrox
Bred in Germany, the dwarf form of the Amrox has retained the main characteristics of the large form. These chickens, although they are listed in the ranks of the bantams, also have a meat and egg direction. The weight of a dwarf chicken amrox is 900-1000 g, a rooster weighs 1-1.2 kg. The productivity of the dwarf form is 140 eggs per year. Egg weight 40 g. Externally it is a miniature copy of a large amrox. The color is also only cuckoo.
Description of the breed
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Amroks chickens belong to the meat and egg direction. Chickens are of medium weight type. The weight of an adult chicken is 2.5-3 kg, a rooster is 3-4 kg. The breed is versatile, with signs of a good laying hen.
Chickens of this breed have a very lively temperament, but at the same time they calmly get along with other chickens.
Rooster standard
The head is medium in size with a large crest. The beak is yellow, short, the tip is slightly bent.
The comb is red, erect, simple in shape. There should be 5-6 teeth on the ridge. Mediums are about equal in size, the outer ones are lower.
Important! Seen from the side, the ridge teeth should form a straight arc.
Behind, the lower part of the ridge follows the line of the occiput, but does not lie close to the head.
Earrings and lobes are red. Earrings of medium length, oval. Lobes are smooth, oblong. The eyes are red-brown in color, large.
The neck is of medium length, well feathered. The body is oblong, wide, slightly raised. The chest is deep, well muscled. The back and loin are wide.
Neck, body and tail form a smoothly curved topline. The back is straight along the entire length of the line, in the region of the loin the topline passes into a vertically set tail. The belly is wide, well filled.
The wings are tightly attached to the body, of medium length, well-feathered, with wide flight feathers.
The tibiae are of medium length and covered with thick feathers. Metatarsus are yellow. May be with a pink stripe. Fingers are yellow with light claws. The fingers are evenly spaced.
The tail is set at a 45 ° angle. Moderately wide. Average length. The tail feathers are covered with decorative braids.
Chicken standard
The difference between chicken articles and cockerels is due only to gender. The chicken has a wider and deeper body and a thinner neck.The tail feathers barely protrude above the body plumage.
The bill is yellow with thin black stripes. Metatarsus are yellow. May be grayish.
Color features
Chickens of the Amrox breed can only have a cuckoo color. White and black stripes alternate on the alternate. And even feather pillows are striped too.
On a note!The tips of the feathers of purebred Amrox are always black.
The color saturation is determined by the sex of the bird. The rooster has black and white stripes on the feather of the same width, while the hen has black stripes twice as wide. This makes the chicken appear darker.
The size of the stripes varies logically depending on the size of the pen. On small feathers the stripes are narrower, on large ones wider.
Interesting! In adult chickens, the feather protrudes slightly, giving
hens have a funny "fluffy" look.
Exterior defects
Exterior defects in Amrox include:
- graceful skeleton;
- narrow / short body;
- narrow back;
- "Skinny" belly of a chicken;
- thin long beak;
- small, deep-set eyes;
- any other eye color other than reddish brown;
- too short / long legs;
- too long claws;
- rough scales on the metatarsus;
- feathers without a black stripe at the end;
- entirely black flight feathers and plaits;
- fluff without stripes;
- too thin stripes on the feathers;
- the presence of any other color on the feathers other than black and white;
- poor egg production;
- low vitality.
Chickens with conformational defects are not allowed for breeding.
Appearance
Among the amroxes, the color of alternating transverse stripes of white and gray prevails.
The plumage of the hen and the rooster is the same. It is dark gray with white stripes all over the body. This distinctive coloration is common to all members of the breed. Deviations in this indicator lead to the culling of the bird and its inadmissibility for breeding. On a personal backyard, this does not interfere with breeding, since the color does not affect productivity. Stripes are also present on down feathers, which is a feature of the Amrox and distinguishes them from other breeds., which, even with stripes on the upper feather, have an even color down.
Roosters are colored a little lighter than hens
The body of the rooster is oblong and wide. The growth of the bird is significant. The head of the chickens is small, neat with a medium-sized red leaf-shaped ridge. The tail is long in both males and females, distinguished by its pomp. Legs are yellow, long.
If the description of the chickens does not correspond to the standard, then they refuse to buy, since, most likely, these are hybrids.
Testimonials
According to the reviews of poultry farmers, the advantages of the breed include:
- intensive growth. Allows you to quickly send birds for sale, reduce the cost of feeding each individual;
- easy adaptation to conditions. Chickens can be sold even in adulthood, they will not suffer when moving, they will not get sick when the climate changes;
- good-natured disposition. The breed can be lodged with other species in the common area. So the economy becomes more compact, but more profitable;
- good maternal instinct. There is no need to spend money on an incubator;
- popularity. Young growth and eggs are always in demand for sale.
The main drawback of the cross lies in the disproportionate sex in the broods.
There are always more males hatching than females. A small number of females creates certain difficulties in the formation of families for an increase in the livestock.
Experienced breeders suggest solving the problem of keeping adult males. It has been noticed that the older ones give more gender diversity in the offspring than the younger ones.
The second disadvantage is the risk of early puberty in layers.
If they begin to lay eggs before 6 months, then the product is of low quality, small.
In addition, the body is quickly depleted, inflammation of the oviduct manifests itself. The deficiency is corrected by controlling daylight hours in young animals. From 4 to 6 months, lighting does not exceed 12 hours.
To adhere to instincts, the chicks are kept separately from the chickens so that the squeak is not heard.
Breeder notes
Specialists in the Amroks breed note some regular features:
- in good hens, paws brighten with age. The pigment goes into the formation of the eggshell. The bright yellow legs of an adult hen are considered a reason to reject the female;
- some Amroxes prefer to be carried on the floor. It is worth observing the behavior of chickens at puberty - the females will look for a place and drag the straw to their chosen place;
- the quantitative return of eggs decreases in frosts around -25 ° C and in heat above + 30 ° C;
- laying hens' productivity drops after 2 years. Keeping them longer is not profitable;
- in the warm season, the size of the eggs becomes smaller, but their number increases. Corrected by adding additional protein to the diet of the laying hen;
- eggs may be too thin or lacking. Corrected by adding phosphorus and calcium to food. For these purposes, meat and bone meal is suitable;
- for successful breeding, there should be no more than 10-12 chickens for each rooster.
Production data
Amroks breed of chickens has the following performance characteristics:
- sexual maturity is reached at 5.5 months of age;
- laying hens can give about 200 eggs per year;
- the highest egg production is observed in the first year, then gradually declines;
- eggshells of a light brown hue;
- on average, an egg weighs 40 g;
- the maximum weight of a rooster of the Amrox breed is 4 kg, of a chicken - 3.3 kg.
The meat is highly valued by gourmets for its excellent taste. The Amroks breed of chickens, due to its active life, has a well-developed muscular system. The bird meat has practically no fat.
Amrox is a breed of chickens that has a good maternal instinct, which is why its breeding has become so popular. Layers not only hatch eggs well, but also take care of chickens for a very long time.
Amrox has good survival rate and adaptability to any climatic conditions. Thanks to the thick layer of plumage, chickens can easily survive the winter cold.
Productivity
Birds of the Amrox breed have a high survival rate:
- young stock 95%;
- mature age 92%.
They grow quickly, by the age of six months, chickens reach 2.5 kg, and roosters 4 kg. After that, the growth rate slows down, but the growth continues up to one and a half years.
Puberty begins at 6 months, from which point oviposition begins. Layers are capable of producing their first eggs at six months of age.
At first, egg production is 220 eggs, then the figure drops slightly to 180 eggs. The shell is cream or light brown in color. The Amrox has a dwarf type.
Adult males reach 1.3 kg, and chickens 1.2 kg. Annual egg production is 140 eggs.
disadvantages
Like any other species, this breed has its drawbacks. One of the first is the short period of egg production. The largest number of eggs is laid by females in the first year from the onset of puberty. It is advisable at the end of the peak period to send the layers for slaughter, replacing them with already grown young growth.
The second disadvantage is the rather high price for incubation material and chickens. The high price is justified by the fact that the production bases are not engaged in mass breeding of this breed, therefore, it is possible to find incubation material or young animals only in private farms. The third disadvantage is that the bird does not tolerate the summer heat well. In some regions, during a hot period, it is simply impossible to find a cool place to hide your pets.
Breeding
Amrox chickens are great mums. They willingly incubate eggs and care for the hatched chicks. Laying hens are nested from boxes, wooden boxes or baskets.
A thick layer of soft straw must be placed inside. The optimal size is 30 by 50 cm.For dwarf Amroks, you can make smaller corners.
It is advisable to make a ladder or a step to the nest so that the chicken can more easily climb into its place.
Do not forget that this cross is doing badly with flights. Separate cups with shell rock, chalk, calcium and premixes for egg production are placed next to it.
The hen sits on eggs for 21-24 days. During this period, it is important to ensure that she regularly feeds.
If the female does not come out on her own, it is advisable to carefully take her and carry her to food, then return her back.
It is important to keep the nest corner warm at 20 ° C. The chickens born to the world need only be given the correct feeding, otherwise the chickens will cope on their own.
Breeding can also take place using an incubator. The percentage of hatchability in both natural and artificial methods is approximately the same - 75-80%. The survival rate is also equivalent - up to 97%.
Chickens
The chickens have a dense plumage that fits tightly to the body, the color is dark red, there are small white spots on the belly. From the hatching egg, the chicks appear on time with a weight of 40 grams.
Weak babies at first need acclimatization and getting used to new living conditions. This can take 10 to 12 hours. Then they should be fed, watered and relocated to their homes.
Features of young growth
The Amroks female incubates eggs for 30-31 days. Chicks of the Amroks breed are born with a weight of 40 g. In 10-12 hours, the chicks completely dry out and become like fluffy lumps. After this time, they are given the first food in their life.
The rooster and hen of the Amroks breed differ in appearance already in the first day after birth. Females have a dark plumage, and light spots are located on the head. Young chickens of the Amroks breed are fed in the same way as chickens of other species. Initially, the food consists of wet mash, which includes boiled porridge, crushed chicken egg, hard boiled, herbs, cottage cheese.
Content
There are two options for keeping birds - walking and non-walking. In the first version, the chickens are on the walk all the time, and in the second version they sit indoors.
Of course, walking is better, since weight gain is faster. The same applies to the quality of meat and eggs; walking food contains more vitamins and other substances.
This breed of chickens is not capricious and not whimsical to the conditions of detention.
It is only important to know about the rules for care:
- A hen house where chickens and older chickens live should be well ventilated to avoid mold growth. Dryness of the room is also important, and increased moisture can damage the health of birds.
- The room must be covered with ash and sand in sufficient quantities, both in summer and in winter. Chickens bathing in this mixture perfectly fight parasites that settle in their fluff.
- Amrox chickens need space, although they are friendly birds, but still a small room is not suitable for keeping them.
- The birds do not tolerate cold weather, therefore it is important that at any time of the year it is warm in the chicken coop.
- The room must be steadily cleaned, litter changed and ventilated.
- There must be disinfection of the chicken coop as a whitewash of surfaces with peat and lime.
- Lighting should be controlled - in the evening, turn on artificial light, during the day you should be without windows.
- An hour after a meal, the feeders should be washed, and the drinkers should be washed once a day.
- Increase the thickness of the litter before winter.
Arrangement of premises
The poultry house can be placed either separately or to occupy some part of the farm premises. In the hen house for Amroks chickens, it is advisable to make windows on the south side, this will save on lighting.
The room should be free of cracks and leaks. For ventilation, it is recommended to remove the air duct.The floors are raised by 35 cm during construction, this will protect birds from rodents and small predators.
In addition, you can put a thick board from 20 mm.
Decking can be made from:
- straw;
- peat;
- stones.
Next, the corners are allocated where the feeders, drinkers and other equipment will stand. Sticks are installed on top, on which birds and a ladder leading to the perch will sit.
Since chickens do not like noise, you need to build a room in a quiet place, or make noise insulation. Especially when chickens are sitting on eggs, at this moment they are very susceptible to different sounds.
Stress can trigger a decline in productivity. The room temperature should not exceed 20 and not lower than 16 degrees. The size of the room is calculated by the number of livestock.
For 1 individual you need 1 square meter. Not far from the poultry house, you need to build an area for walking at the rate of 10 chickens 2x10 m.
This place needs to be fenced off with a 1.5 meter high net. This square should have an abundance of grass and a shelter from the sun and rain.
Character
Roosters and chickens have an active inquisitive nature. The breed is peaceful, birds rarely conflict. The introduction of newcomers to the livestock is easy. Chickens are good mothers, they carefully take care of their offspring. Amroxes love to roost and sleep there at night. The house should be equipped with vertical poles for resting birds.
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Feeding
Amroks do not need special feed. A standard chicken diet with a full-fledged vitamin and mineral composition is enough for them.
Usually the breed is fed with both natural and industrial feed in pellets. Such a complex allows you to increase growth, improve egg production and quality of eggs.
See the table below for the composition of food:
There are three meals as standard:
- breakfast: wet mash with soaked compound feed or only compound feed;
- lunch: wet mash with vegetables and herbs;
- dinner: dry grain mixture with herbs and a part of dry compound feed.
In summer, grazing replaces the daytime meal. Birds get their own food on the walking area. In the morning and in the evening, the regime is maintained.
The bird should go to bed with a full goiter. Sufficiency of feeding is determined by the rate of consumption. If food disappears earlier than 30 minutes, it is not enough; if it lasts up to 1 hour, it is a lot. Overeating leads to obesity, malnutrition - to a drop in productivity and illness.
Layers increase the amount of grain and calcium during the period of egg production. Roosters, on the other hand, are supplemented with protein. Egg white is given to chicks in the first days. Then greens, crushed grain, and fermented milk products are gradually introduced.
Housing requirements
Layers of the Amrox breed do not need to create special living conditions. A large amount of fluff keeps them from freezing in winter. The only requirement is a large spacious chicken coop and free-range area. As mentioned above, the birds of this species are distinguished by excessive activity, therefore they cannot be kept in cages and small-sized rooms.
Birds can spend the winter in an unheated room. The walls and roof of the chicken coop must be carefully insulated and all the cracks in the room must be covered so that there are no drafts. In this case, additional heaters do not need to be installed in the house. The birds of this breed feel great in a frost of -10 ° C, so you should not keep them locked up.
When building a poultry house, you should take care of a solid foundation that protects the house from the penetration of rodents, predators and dampness. A shed for chickens should be installed on a small elevation so that the water flows down after atmospheric precipitation, and does not linger.
When kept in winter, a warm bedding of sawdust or straw is placed on the floor.The inside of the walls should be covered with lime or copper sulfate to provide protection against fungus.
There is no need to change the footbed during the winter period; it is enough to add it as needed. In this regard, the room must be equipped with a good ventilation system. It is best to give preference to a supply and exhaust or forced system.
If everything is quite simple with the content in the winter, then in the summer it is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of your pets, because they do not tolerate the heat very well. When it's too hot, the chickens lose their appetite and become lethargic. All of this negatively affects productivity. Pestlings need to equip a separate cool corner where they can hide from the summer heat. Drinkers must have sufficient water at all times.
Diseases and their treatment
The Amrox breed of chickens is resistant to infectious diseases, but, despite this, it needs vaccination and protection from worms and parasitic insects.
The risk of contamination with bacteria and viruses is increased by keeping chickens in a damp, dirty, poorly ventilated area. Chickens should also not be allowed to dig in compost and manure heaps. Where they can become infected with helminths.
To protect against feather and skin parasites inside the chicken coop and in the aviary, it is recommended to install a container filled with a mixture of sand and ash.
The chicken coop must be regularly treated from rodents, as they are carriers of many infectious diseases.
An important factor in maintaining the health of chickens of this breed is a sufficient amount of ultraviolet radiation accumulated in the body over the summer.
Birds need to spend as much time as possible outdoors from early spring to late autumn.
If hygiene requirements are not observed in the chicken coop, amroxes become infected with Knemidocoptosis - an itch mite.
The legs of birds are covered with white scales, gradually turning into bumps on the unfeathered part of the paws. In a neglected state, the disease leads to immobility and death of the bird.
If hygiene requirements are not observed in the hen house, amroxes become infected with Knemidocoptosis.
Frequent illnesses
Amroxes are susceptible to typical chicken diseases:
- Aymeriosis (coccidiosis). Caused by parasites. Chickens 2-8 weeks old are susceptible to the disease. Mortality reaches 100%. Treatment: coccidiostatic drugs.
- Newcastle disease (pseudo plague). A viral disease affects all livestock in 2-3 days. Symptoms: discoordination, paralysis, diarrhea, loss of appetite. Lethality is 90%. No treatment has been developed.
- Plague of chickens. Viral disease. Symptoms: lethargy, blue earrings and crest, beak discharge. Lethality: up to 100%. Treatment: not developed.
- Marek's disease (bird paralysis). Viral disease. Symptoms: lethargy, unnatural posture, exhaustion, decreased productivity. Lethality: 46%. No treatment has been developed.
- Chicken leukemia. A viral disease that affects birds older than 4 months. Symptoms are subtle: exhaustion, decreased productivity, blue scallop, diarrhea. There is no cure.
- Laryngotracheitis. Viral disease. Symptoms: wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath. Mortality reaches 50%, the death of a bird occurs from suffocation.
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Amrox
The breed is characterized by high immunity. With timely vaccination, treatment of livestock from parasites, the probability of disease occurrence is 1-5%.
Price
An Amrox incubation egg will cost an average of 60 to 100 rubles. You will have to pay 150-200 rubles for a daily chicken.
Young and adult chickens are sold for 1500-2000 rubles. Especially valuable purebred layers and roosters can cost 4,000 rubles.
Where is the best place to buy?
Breeding young animals and hatching eggs are preferable to purchase in specialized clubs.Many of them have websites, provide self-pickup and delivery services to nearby settlements.
The largest companies organize shipping anywhere in the country.
Some of the popular sellers include:
- LPH "Ryaba Hen". Moscow and the Moscow region;
- ZOOMIR. Moscow and the Moscow region. Railway delivery across Russia;
- FOWL. Istra district. Delivery to Moscow, Krasnogorskiy, Volokolamskiy, Solnechnogorskiy, Odintsovskiy districts;
- Incubatorus. Moscow. Delivery throughout Russia;
- Eco-Farmer Shop. St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region.
- Decent specimens can also be bought at chicken shows. There are many advertisements for the sale of Amrox cross from hands.
Such an event is risky for the forgery of marriage, "mudbloods", sick individuals. When choosing private breeders for cooperation, you need to pay attention to their reputation, reviews of other clients, and carefully examine the litter.
Acquisition from large commercial farms is difficult, since Amroks is practically not bred for industrial meat sales.
How to choose a live bird?
When buying live livestock, they are offered to inspect. Internet sales are deprived of such an opportunity, except for photos and cases of self-pickup.
In both chicks and adults, the following points should be considered:
- cleanliness and well-groomed. There is no excess dirt, bald spots, stuck together feathers on the body. A dirty cloaca is unacceptable - this is a common sign of intestinal diseases;
- skin condition. There are no wounds, ulcers, spots, insects, sagging areas under the feathers. Healthy skin has an even natural shade without bright blue and yellowness;
- eyes. The pupils are lively, shiny, responsive to movement and light. There is no discharge, no dirt;
- beak. No chipping, chipping, nostrils clean;
- stomach. Elastic, soft, well defined. A keel with deflections is a sign of rickets;
- movement. Clear, with a sense of coordination. The bird stands confidently on its feet;
- general state. A normally developing chicken is mobile, does not suffer from drowsiness, and responds to attempts at contact with it.
In laying hens, it is important to look at the size of the scallop. Too large and chubby may indicate a close relationship, which always negatively affects egg production. The same alertness is caused by the likeness of spurs on the legs of chickens.
Breeders' opinion
People who have been breeding chickens for a long time have appreciated all the advantages of this breed and leave only positive reviews on the forums. Among the advantages, it is noted that it is possible to determine the sex of a chicken already in the first day after birth. Birds perfectly tolerate frosts down to -10 ° C inclusive and can overwinter in an unheated chicken coop, so they can be kept even in the cold regions of our country.
Breeders praise the breed for its high production rates. Females begin to lay at 5 months. On average, they bring 10 eggs per day. Chickens of this breed are wonderful brood hens. Chicks are distinguished by high survival rates.
