It has been not the first year among the egg breeds of chickens that Loman White (white loman) has been famous. And it is not for nothing that these layers have become so popular: in addition to unpretentiousness and external beauty, they are known for their high productivity. How to properly care for these birds and breed them - read in our article.
Description and character
Crosses of the egg direction Loman White have pronounced signs:
- snow-white color of feathers;
- the birds are small in size: the weight of the rooster is about 1.7 kg, and the chicken is 1.5 kg;
- the body is compact, in the shape of a trapezoid;
- chest and stomach are not pronounced;
- on the legs there is no plumage, they are long yellow;
- wings are short;
- small red crest with pronounced teeth;
- red catkins;
- eyes are red-orange.
Features of behavior and character:
- They are distinguished by calmness, are well related to representatives of other breeds;
- very active - constantly moving, easily take off and perch;
- curious
- quite noisy, however, rooster leaders help calm the layers. Experts advise keeping together 1 rooster and 15-20 chickens.
Advantages and disadvantages
Breeding chickens of the Loman White breed has many advantages:
- they eat little, which saves on the purchase of feed;
- early ripen;
- have a high level of survival;
- unpretentious in care and maintenance;
- well tolerate any weather;
- have high productivity: about 350 eggs are laid per year;
- eggs are large in size - 65-70 grams.
Of course, the breed also has disadvantages, but there are much fewer than advantages:
- the complete absence of the instinct of hatching in layers;
- maximum productivity does not last long.
Puberty, productivity, egg laying
Loman White productivity is considered the best of all egg breeds. Layers can lay eggs daily, regardless of the time of year.
Features of egg production:
- Puberty occurs at the age of 4 months. From this time, hens begin to lay eggs.
- Oviposition increases with age. Maximum - falls on the age from 160 to 180 days.
- At the age of 80 weeks, egg production decreases, so it makes no sense to keep chickens on large farms longer than this period. In private households they are kept up to 2-3 years.
- Oviposition decreases during molting. At this time, it is important to ensure that chickens receive all the necessary vitamins with food. Then the molting process will go quickly, and the birds will return to their normal mode.
Breeding and caring for chickens
To breed Loman White breed, you need to purchase hatching eggs or chicks that have already been born.
Birds should be purchased only at proven poultry farms to avoid infectious diseases.
Signs of a healthy chicken:
- plumage - white or light beige, any spots or stripes - a sign of illness;
- active movements;
- eyes are bright, not cloudy;
- the area around the cloaca is not inflamed and not dirty;
- wings tightly pressed to the body;
- the stomach is soft;
- litter should not be greenish, liquid, have traces of blood or vesicles;
- voiced voice;
- reaction to a person - tap on the box, the chicken should move in the direction of sound;
- good appetite - pour food to check, the chick should actively start eating it.
After acquiring, be sure to quarantine the chickens and give them antibiotics for 5 days. To do this, use drugs:
- “Baytril” or “Enroxil” if the age is up to 5 days;
- "Nutrile Selenium" or "Trivitamin" at the age of 5-12 days.
When using an incubator for breeding chickens, the following rules should be followed:
- carefully select the material - this is the key to the appearance of healthy chicks;
- cracks and spots on the eggs - this is a marriage;
To determine the quality of eggs, you can use the device with an ovoscope.
- eggs intended for incubation should be stored for a maximum of 10 days in a cool place with the base up, while 2 times a day they are rotated around a vertical axis;
- Do not wash eggs for incubation;
- the incubator is washed with hot water and then dried well;
- the device is installed on a flat surface, set the necessary parameters and turn on;
- after 24 hours, you can start laying eggs - place them vertically with the base down.
The entire incubation process is divided into 4 stages:
- In the first week, the formation of the heart occurs in the embryos, and the ability to receive oxygen also appears. At this stage, the temperature in the incubator should be 37.8 ° C, and humidity - 55%. Four times a day, the eggs should be turned over.
- In the second week, bones and beak form. The temperature remains the same, and humidity is set at 45%. Flip eggs 6 times a day.
- On days 15-18 - the temperature does not change, but open the lid twice a day for 15 minutes to cool. Humidity - 50%. Turn the eggs in the same way as in the second week.
- On days 19-21 - the temperature is 37.5 ° C, the humidity is 65%. Cool and turn the material over. During this period, chickens begin to break through the shell and are born.
More details about the incubation of eggs are described in the next article.
The weight of the newly hatched chicken is about 40 grams. Survival is high - approximately 96%.
It is easy to grow chickens, as they are unpretentious:
- They do not grow very fast, but fledge faster than chicks of other breeds.
- In the first days after birth, chicks need to add drugs to the water to increase immunity and provide useful substances.
- During the first month you need to vaccinate chickens against various infections.
- It is often necessary to feed newborns: 7-8 times a day. In the first days after birth, finely chopped boiled eggs, greens and cereals or starter compound feed are included in the diet.
- A week after birth, the diet changes: 4-5 times a day, and foods such as cottage cheese, boiled vegetables and yeast are added.
- At the age of 1.5 months, chickens can be placed in a chicken coop for adult birds, but at the same time do not stop special nutrition that ensures the growth and development of the body. It is necessary to determine the sex of the chicks and proceeding from this, choose a diet:
- roosters are given foods rich in proteins and carbohydrates so that they grow quickly, and at 6-8 months they could be led to slaughter;
- layers provide many vitamins, minerals and other nutrients for the formation of egg shells and preparation for egg production.
- Let the chicks go for a walk, so they get vitamin D, and besides that they move a lot, which helps to avoid obesity and many diseases.
Where you need to keep the newly hatched chicks, what medicines should be in the veterinary kit and how to feed them, you can see in the video clip:
Adult Bird Care and Care
Bird care consists in observing certain rules that are suitable for the Loman White breed:
- The temperature in the chicken coop is 23-25 degrees. Chickens can tolerate temperatures up to +5, but this negatively affects egg production.
During construction, it is advisable to make the walls, roof and floor double, and put 10 cm thick foam between the two layers. Cover the floor with a 15-cm “carpet” of straw. Such insulation can protect birds, even if it is -12 ° C outside. However, if the region has very cold winters, then an additional heater must be installed. - The area is calculated as follows: 2 individuals per 1 square meter.
- Cleanliness is extremely important for birds, therefore it is necessary to regularly clean the house, clean the litter, and disinfect the devices (watering bowl and feeders). Also install a range hood to remove odors and moisture.
- The optimal daylight hours are 13 hours. In autumn and winter, fluorescent lamps are used.
- The size of the feeders is 10-15 cm per bird, 5 liters are sufficient for drinking. How to make a drinker is described here.
- In addition, you should make nests for laying hens - one for 5-6 chickens. Parameters: 30/30/30, so all eggs will be in one place. They are built in the corner of the chicken coop, in a darkened place without drafts. Hay litter is placed in each compartment, holes are drilled for ventilation at the bottom. You can not attach the structure to the walls, as chickens can blow.
- A walking yard is equipped at the rate of 1 sq. Km. m per 1 bird. To it you need to build a hole from the chicken coop (height - 70 cm, width - 50 cm), which is kept open all day.
- The yard should be equipped with drinking bowls and feeders, as well as basins with sand, clay and ash, where birds can clean feathers.
Read about how to build a chicken coop on your own so that it meets the requirements for keeping birds.
Feeding Rules:
- Nutrition should be balanced, contain vitamins and minerals.
- You can feed the birds with purchased feeds or make them yourself from the following ingredients:
- dairy products or fishmeal (optional);
- cereals: wheat, barley, corn;
- chalk / shell / eggshell.
Grinding all these components into powder, and mixing them, we get food that is fed to hens about 4 times a day.
- The content of cereals in the diet of chickens is about 60%, among them wheat, oats, corn and barley.
- 30% is greens: dandelion, alfalfa, clover, nettle.
- Vegetables are also needed: potatoes, carrots, beets and cabbage - to strengthen immunity.
- In winter, dry food is mixed with warm broth.
- Every day you need to add bone meal or chalk to food to strengthen bones.
- Be sure to pour clean water to the birds daily, before thoroughly washing the drinker.
About 40 kg of feed and 15 kg of greens are consumed per chicken per year.
From all the above, we can conclude that the hens of the Loman White breed absolutely not in vain gained such popularity among farmers. Their egg production can not be compared with other laying hens, and their unpretentiousness in the care and maintenance conditions makes breeding very profitable.