Content
The Mechelen breed of chickens, which, according to English-speaking sources, is on the verge of extinction, dates back to the 19th century. The chickens were bred in the Mechelen area in the Antwerp province. The breed got its name from the place of breeding. The second part of the breed name indicates the most common color of plumage. Most of these chickens are cuckoo-colored. The Mechelen cuckoo originated from the crossing of local Belgian chickens with eastern fighting breeds. Along with Jersey giants it is the largest chicken species of all breeds available.
The breed of chickens, the Mechelen cuckoo, came to Russia even before the revolution. At that time, among aristocrats and persons claiming to be the highest circles of society? French was in vogue. The Mechelen region sounds like "Malin" in French, and the chickens were called Cucu de Malines at that time. Later this name was naturally shortened to "Malin". And it has remained so to this day. Interest in these birds in Russia is reviving again and in Russian-language sources you can often find advice on how to breed not a Mechelen cuckoo, but raspberries.
Description
Chickens Mechelen cuckoo belong to the meat production area. The weight of an adult rooster is 5 kg. Adult layers are not much inferior to males: 4-4.5 kg. It will be difficult for a simple amateur to determine whether he bought the Mechelen cuckoo from a photo and a description of thoroughbred chickens, since at the beginning of the 20th century a second version of this breed appeared.
The original version of Raspberry has a single leaf comb. But at the beginning of the 20th century, due to the demand of the German army for the largest chickens, Malin was crossed with another Belgian breed of fighting origin - Bruges Wächter. It is the oldest fighting breed in Belgium, whose cocks are heavier than the Mechelen cuckoos. The Bruges Wächter was given a heavier version of the Raspberries, the original triple pod-shaped comb. Today, there are few such birds and the leaf-shaped crest is considered the main one. But Malin with a triple crest is not crossbred either.
In the photo there is a rare variant of Raspberry with a pod-shaped crest.
In the description of the Mechelen cuckoo chicken breed, it is indicated that today breeders are working to increase the productivity of birds. Target: 4 kg live weight at 10 weeks with proper culture. In this way, Mechelen cuckoo chickens are similar to broiler crosses, but surpass broilers in other qualities:
- absence of lethal hereditary problems:
- the ability to reproduce "in itself";
- no problems with bone growth;
- not prone to heart attacks;
- good feathering;
- efficiency in feed.
The development of the Raspberries does not go beyond their physical capabilities.
This quality can be attributed to the disadvantages of the breed, since to breed chickens of this breed, you will have to purchase an incubator.
Standard
Description of chickens The Mechelen cuckoo clearly indicates the meat direction of the productivity of these chickens. They are powerful stocky birds with strong legs. Due to their large body weight, the birds are very clumsy and are not capable of flying.
The head is medium in size with a small, usually leaf-like crest. The number of teeth on the ridge varies from 4 to 6. The eyes are orange-red. Earrings and lobes are bright red, oblong, of medium size. The face is red. The beak is short. The color of the beak is light, it can be white.
The neck is relatively long and powerful. Set up vertically. The mane of roosters is poorly developed. The body is located horizontally relative to the earth's surface. The back is very wide and straight. Roosters' tail plaits are poorly developed. In general, the tails of Mechelen cuckoos are not splendid. The upper line of the breed resembles the letter U. In males, due to the vertical set of the tail, the "letter" is more pronounced. Laying hens' tail is more horizontal.
Although the shoulder girdle of chickens is very powerful, the wings themselves are small. This feature makes chickens unable to fly. The wings are tightly pressed against the body, almost hiding under the feathers that cover the loin.
The chest is broad, full, with well developed muscles. The belly is well developed and full. Seen from the side, the bird's body resembles a regular ball. If you mentally remove the tail and neck.
The legs are strong, with thick metatarsal bones. The thighs and lower legs are well muscled. The color of the metatarsus is most often white-pink; in birds of a black color, the hocks can be dark gray.
In the photo of the legs of the Mechelen cuckoo breed, you can clearly see where exactly the feathers on the metatarsus should grow.
The plumage of chickens is thick and dense. The most common in the breed is a variegated color, which in the West is divided into two types. They differ in the thickness and number of alternating black and white stripes on the flight feathers.
In total, 8 variants of color are recognized in Belgium, in Germany - 9. It is almost impossible to find a description and photo of some colors of the Mechelen cuckoo breed. In Russia, there are two varieties of variegated: cuckoo and hawk. And white, considered very rare.
By European standards, the white color is the second most common. Photo of black raspberry is already exclusive.
Lavender is a weakened version of black.
The photos of the Colombian and silver Raspberries are completely absent. And the golden one is presented only in the picture.
Birds have a docile, calm disposition. It is difficult for them to start fights with such a large body weight.
Vices
Even taking into account the fact that the breed is rare and the population of Raspberries in Russia is very small, a bird with the following characteristics should not be left to the tribe:
- underdeveloped pectoral muscles;
- white lobes;
- narrow back;
- triangular body shape;
Among the vices, too light color is often called, but this can only be attributed to a variegated color, since lavender or Colombian are light in themselves.
Productivity
Raspberries have a fairly high egg production for a meat breed of chickens. They are late maturing and begin to rush from 6.5 months. With insufficient quality feeding, development is delayed and the period of egg production begins from 8 months. The Mechelen cuckoo lays 140-160 eggs a year. The weight of one egg is 60-65 g. The color of the egg shell in the Mechelen cuckoo breed is pale pink. The photo shows the difference between Raspberry eggs and chicken eggs of other breeds.
Reviews about the meat of the Mechelen cuckoo chicken breed are only positive, as well as about weight gain by chickens. The meat is very tender, with a fine structure.
Roosters quickly gain weight and at four months, a gutted carcass without neck and legs weighs 2.2 kg. Accordingly, the live weight of a four-month-old cock is more than 3 kg. According to the owners of Raspberries, a 9-month-old rooster can even exceed 6 kg. But this is from those selected for fattening, not for the tribe.
The photo shows the legs of a 2-month-old chicken. The whole chicken did not fit into the frame.
Chickens
Now the problem of buying Mechelen cuckoo eggs is not as acute as it was several years ago. It became possible to buy them in Russia, where the variegated variety is mainly bred. Because it was once so delivered. Even yellow chickens are often covered with gray feathers. But the standard variegated color is more convenient for breeding, since these chickens are autosexual.The description and photo of chickens of the Mechelen breed of chickens makes it possible to clearly distinguish among one-day-old chicks of cockerels and hens: the hens have a purely black back, and the cockerels have a blurred light spot on the back.
In this photo, there are only two chickens in the upper right corner of the container.
Considering that laying hens do not burn with the desire to tinker with chickens, it is better to take Malinov with eggs. Although, it can turn out as in the photo above: out of 12 chickens, 10 cockerels. Western breeders would only be glad and sold the extra males for meat. In Russia, this is more difficult until the chicken population reaches a decent size.
It is better to take the first eggs for incubation from birds that fall into the standard, but do not differ in giant sizes. According to reviews, the larger the Mechelen cuckoo, the fewer eggs it lays. Fertility of eggs in Raspberries is very high, up to 98%. But this is provided that the rooster in the breeding herd is not very large. If the rooster is too large, the fertility of the eggs is reduced by 40%.
The hatchability of chickens in the incubator reaches 90%, and the survival rate is 95%. Chicks require quality feed and large chips or straw. Due to the slow feathering, the brooder's temperature must be maintained until the chicks are 3 months old.
Content
English-speaking sources indicate that raspberries can live even in cages, but the best results will be obtained if the birds have a lot of walking. The problem with the cage and the cramped chicken coop is that the feet of the Mechelen cuckoo are heavily feathered. The video shows that the feathers are long, touching the ground.
Keeping on a dirty floor will cause the droppings to stick to the pen and fingers. Such lumps harden strongly, the chicken cannot remove them on its own. If the moment is missed and a lump of droppings remains on the paw for a long time, it can lead to tissue necrosis.
The perches for these birds are made low, but it must be remembered that their advertised inability to fly is conditional. The fence for these chickens should be more than a meter high.
Testimonials
Conclusion
Neither the photo, nor the description, nor the reviews convey the greatness of the Mechelen cuckoo chickens, which majestically walk around the yard. Birds really are not inferior in size to other large meat breeds of chickens. Their tender tasty meat attracts Russian poultry breeders, who start this Belgian chicken in their backyards. It may well happen that soon in Russia Cucu de Malin will again become not a rare, but a common breed of meat chickens.
