Harko chickens are not particularly distinguished by their external qualities, but are appreciated for the amazing taste of meat and high productivity. Farmers prefer raising and raising birds for personal gain and as a profitable business.
History of appearance, appearance, features
Super Harko chickens are the result of breeders from Hungary. The breeding was carried out by experienced breeders whose main goal was to create a highly productive meat-and-egg hybrid, and they succeeded.
The basis of the breed was the native Hungarian birds crossed with Tetra meat chickens. As a result, a large bird was obtained that exceeded the size of its ancestors. Farmers appreciated the breed characteristics, and the birds instantly gained popularity not only in their homeland, but throughout the world.
The Harko birds do not have any features in appearance, but by some features they stand out from the rest of the breeds.
Exterior Features:
- Unique color. Lush black fur coats attract a greenish tint.
- Unusual coloring. On the tips of the feathers of the chest, neck and mane there are golden spots that create an amazing pattern.
- Characteristic physique. Birds have an average size typical of meat and egg breeds. Looks like broilers. Males have a rectangular body, expressed by muscle relief.
- The birds have a round back, lush hips.
- On a short neck there is a small head with a leafy pink crest and round earrings. On the face flaunts a wide beak of medium size.
- The massive body is tightly attached to the powerful, widely spaced gray-yellow or gray paws.
Super Harco birds have a calm, peaceful character. Chickens combine the best properties of their “genetic basis”. They are stress resistant, do not lose weight in emergency situations. Animals easily adapt to living conditions, may well be kept in cages. Birds are not inclined to show aggression towards their relatives or a person.
Instinct of incubation
In Super Harko birds, the brood instinct is well developed. They can independently hatch offspring, after which they educate them. In the third week of hatching, chickens weighing no more than 40 grams appear. The survival rate of the chicks is high - about 95%.
Productivity
Super Harco birds have high productive characteristics, due to which farmers prefer to breed this particular breed. Also, birds are beneficial for industrial production. The individuals grow very quickly and are able to produce high-quality meat. The weight of a rooster at the age of 3.5 months reaches about 2 kilograms. A layer at the age of 5.5 months weighs up to 2-2.5 kilograms.
The laying of Super Harko chickens starts at the age of 4-4.5 months. For a year, laying hens give about 230-240 brown eggs weighing about 60-65 grams. The period of intensive oviposition lasts for one year, then gradually decreases. After 2.2-5 years, the bird completely stops laying eggs.
The quality of the eggs and their number directly depends on the conditions in which the chickens are kept and what they eat. The better the farmer takes care of the birds, the higher their productivity.
Shedding and scheduled replacement
When autumn molting occurs, the laying of eggs in birds, which lasts 1.5-2 months, stops. During this period, experienced poultry houses strongly recommend the inclusion of nutrients in the diet that will help to quickly resume masonry. Chickens do not require other special conditions at this time.
From the moment when the birds reach puberty and up to 2-2.5 years, they give the maximum number of eggs. Then egg productivity declines. During this period, hens are usually put on meat and replaced with young birds.
Roosters are ready for slaughter at the age of six months. At this time, the taste of their meat is as good as possible.
Content
Features of the maintenance of birds provide for compliance with certain rules. It does not matter where the hens are kept in cages or in the house, where they are provided with regular walking.
Cell breeding
With a cellular content, it is optimal to raise chickens if it is planned to grow a large population, and there is no space for walking. At the same time, despite a certain crowding, the egg production of birds does not decrease. The positive point with this content is that the bird consumes less feed, because it practically does not move, and accordingly a minimum of energy is consumed.
Cages must be placed in a warm, clean, dry room with good ventilation. Ideally, if the temperature in the house is + 20-27 degrees, humidity is about 50-60%. In the cage, drinkers and feeders, an egg compartment and a special container for livelihoods of chickens are installed. It is recommended to lay eggs more often so that the birds do not begin to peck them.
If the farmer’s goal is to grow Harco to get meat in a short period, young chicks from a month old need to be kept in cages and given food with a high protein content.
In a chicken coop with a walk
Regardless of the fact that birds are especially resistant to cold and frost, they require that in winter the temperature in the house should be at least 10-14 degrees. If it is not possible to maintain the temperature in a natural way, high-quality warming and installation of deep litter will help to achieve indicators. This is good because you do not have to heat the chicken coop, which significantly reduces costs. Sawdust, shavings, straw are perfect for litter. In the chicken coop, it is necessary to establish nests and perches, put drinking bowls and feeders.
A farmer can provide normal egg laying by organizing a 12-hour daylight hours. In winter, artificial light sources, for example, incandescent or daylight, must be installed. In no case do you prolong the daylight hours, because the birds, although they begin to rush more often, but this will become a serious burden for them. As a result, the birds will be sick, exhaust their strength.
An excellent solution would be the additional creation of good ventilation in the chicken coop, but so that there are no drafts. Regularly in the house you will need to carry out cleaning, change the litter, treat the room with special disinfectants.
It is advisable to provide birds with a spacious walk. It is not necessary to enclose the yard with a high fence, because hens are not able to fly. A constant range of laying hens will increase the immunity of birds.
Care and growing
Harco Bird Care does not require any special features, but provides for compliance with some recommendations. Growing chickens is a serious and responsible process, further development of birds, their productivity and meat qualities depend on it.
Feeding and diet
The main rule that must be observed is the organization of a balanced, proper and wholesome nutrition.
Adult Nutrition
Harco birds are not picky about their diet and eat almost everything. But taking into account the physiological nutritional needs of birds, it will be possible to achieve maximum results regarding weight gain and egg production:
- In industrial conditions birds are fed with specialized feed, which contains meal, chalk, bone meal, and other components.
- In households birds are fed with grain mixtures, cereals and vegetables, wet mash. Especially to the liking of the birds, stir mashines with the addition of cucumbers, green onions, zucchini. Be sure to feed the birds with greens: the tops of plants, nettles in the summer, hay and pellets in the winter. Birds feed on fruits, food waste and berries. During laying, laying layers need protein, vitamins and mineral supplements.
How and how to feed the chicks?
Chicks at the beginning of their development especially need excellent feeding. Boiled eggs should be present in the diet, which are mixed with chopped herbs and small cereals. Also in the daily menu you can not do without fat-free cottage cheese, which includes protein and calcium, which beneficially affects the formation of bones and skeleton of the chick.
Until the bird turns 10 days old, the food is given exclusively in liquid form and warm. The farmer will need to regularly feed the chicks with clean, fresh water. In addition to water, experienced poultry farmers recommend watering small birds with weakly brewed tea and weak infusion of chamomile.
At 1.5-2 months, the main diet is combined feed intended for universal chickens. In such feed there are elements and vitamins that contribute to the good development of poultry. The feed contains hay, oilseeds, legumes, grains, legumes, vitamin and mineral supplements.
Chickens and their breeding
A feature of this hybrid breed is the instinct of laying and hatching eggs. Layers take care of the masonry, are responsible for hatching, look after the offspring. On day 20-21, chickens appear, their weight is about 40 grams.
Growing recommendations:
- If the farmer chose the method of removing chicks in the incubator, the temperature in it should be at least 37.5 degrees. The first two weeks adhere to a humidity level of 55%, the next days the figure is 70%. Spray eggs once a day for 18 and 19 days. Read more about egg incubation here.
- Chicks are already born with a black fluff where small white blotches are visible. From the fact that feathers in Harko birds appear late, the chicks have to warm under the lamp for a long time. It is optimal to set the temperature at 30-31 degrees for the chicks. The adaptation period from 2 weeks after birth begins with a decrease in temperature by 2 degrees and beyond.
- In order for the chicks to grow rapidly, gain mass and develop, they need to be well fed. It is advisable to include boiled eggs, previously crushed, in the diet. The product is mixed with chopped herbs and small grains. Every day, birds should eat low-fat cottage cheese, which is a source of calcium and protein.
- The chickens are sealed with warm water. Tea, chamomile broth will help to avoid the appearance of infectious diseases. Vitamins and glucose are added to the water - this helps to maintain immunity.
- The farmer can reduce the percentage of death of chickens with regular cleaning in the house and preventive measures.
- Toddlers should be fed special feed containing mineral and vitamin supplements.
- In good weather and air temperature, for 14-15 days after birth, it is allowed to take out chickens for no more than 1 hour. Gradually, the walk time is increased.
Features of growing birds of this breed depend on the purpose for which they are bred. You can get a full-fledged meat carcass for a short period when keeping young animals from a month of age in the cells where they are fed with compound feed containing a high percentage of protein.
For the formation of a herd of 10 hens Super Harko there are 2 roosters: 1 adult main and 1 reserve young. As the main cock grows older, it replaces the young one, and a male from a new brood is added to it.
Disease and Prevention
The main condition for maintaining the health of this breed is compliance with sanitary standards in the house and optimal humidity. The breed is particularly sensitive to infectious diseases that develop against the background of infection of intestinal and skin parasites. Timely vaccination, treatment against worms and antiparasitic agents will help to solve the problem.
Sanitization requires exposing not only the bird itself, but also all surfaces in the house. Such drugs as Bactericide, Monclavit, Virocid are considered an excellent tool. To scare away bugs, lice and fleas, wormwood bunches are used, hanging them inside the chicken coop.
Improving immunity contributes to proper nutrition. If birds get enough nutrients and vitamins, their bodies will be less susceptible to viral and infectious diseases.
Advantages and disadvantages of the breed
The Harko breed has many undeniable advantages. First of all, they single out the opportunity to raise birds not only for the sale of meat, but also egg products. In both cases, it will be possible to obtain an effective result, but only under industrial conditions. When home content, some features must be taken into account.
Other positive qualities:
- Undemanding to the conditions of detention. The breed is kept in cages and in poultry houses, where birds are provided with the possibility of walking.
- Easy adaptability to conditions. Birds adapt easily to any environment.
- Precocity. Already at 4-4.5 months, chickens reach puberty, which allows them to begin the first egg-laying. By this period, the laying hen reaches a weight of 2.5 kg under appropriate conditions and balanced nutrition.
- Calm disposition. Harko chickens can be kept with other breeds of birds.
- Stress resistance. Birds do not deplete in stressful situations, for example, a change in diet, temperature changes.
- Developed maternal instinct. Poultry farmers note that Super Harco birds behave quite strangely: they often sit on eggs laid by other birds or try to hide them deeper into the nest if it is cold outside.
- Excellent yield of tasty meat and high productivity. For a year, laying hens bring the farmer up to 240 eggs weighing 60-65 g.
- Good health. Hens of this breed feel great at a temperature of -12 degrees. Cold has no effect on bird productivity.
- High survival rate. If you comply with hygiene conditions, do not forget about preventive measures, you can achieve almost 100% survival of chicks.
The disadvantages of Harco include the inability to get a carcass with a lot of weight at home breeding. Farmers note an interesting “maternal” behavior of laying hens. Another disadvantage is the tendency to cannibalism and tearing out feathers in chickens. This is not common to all birds. Another disadvantage of chickens is the slow formation of feathers in chickens, which is why they have to be kept warm for a long time.
Analogs
If it is not possible to purchase Super Harko chickens for some reason, Avikolor bird breeding is permissible instead of them in the infield. The features of this breed include even greater egg production at the same rate of development.
Avicolor birds are capable of producing more than 300 eggs per year. In addition, these birds have high quality meat, taste similar to the meat of ordinary domestic chickens.
Poultry reviews
Reviews about the Super Harco breed are very diverse, but mostly positive. How poultry farmers respond about chickens:
Anastasia, 44 years old, housewife. Harko started two years ago. I feed them with grass, grains, waste, and vegetable waste. They eat almost everything. Most prefer cucumbers, chives, zucchini. They are characterized by rapid growth, high immunity to diseases. I like the fact that the birds have a calm disposition - I keep them with birds of other breeds in the same chicken coop, and no problems. The meat has an excellent taste, and laying hens give so many eggs that we do not have time to use up for a year.
Valery, 57 years old, poultry breeder. I once lived in a city, but over time I was drawn to where I breathe easily and freely. I always wanted to have my own animals, so I bought a house in the village. To get hens, Harko was recommended by a neighbor. I immediately acquired 20 goals, they began to grow rapidly, delight with egg products and excellent taste of meat.They do not require any features in care, they easily get along in the cells, which greatly facilitates the maintenance of birds. I practically do not let the birds walk, and they behave well.
Veronica, 33 years old, farmer. She started breeding chickens five years ago. My main goal was originally to get meat carcasses. But over time, I realized that it was beneficial to breed birds and to get large eggs. Chicks are brought out by laying hens, they grow very quickly. Every couple of years I rejuvenate the herd, I send the rest to slaughter. I like the tender and dietary chicken meat. In addition, birds practically do not need care and are unpretentious in nutrition.
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Super Harko chickens are undemanding birds that are easy to breed and maintain. These chickens are especially demanded and popular among farmers engaged in large-scale breeding in order to profit from the sale of egg products and meat carcasses.
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Ukraine. City: Kryvyi Rih
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