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Egg chicken breeds, bred specifically for obtaining not meat, but eggs, have been known since ancient times. Some of them were obtained "by the method of folk selection". Such, for example, are Ushanka, bred on the territory of Ukraine and the southern regions of Russia. Its other names are "Russian Ushanka", "Ukrainian Ushanka", "South Russian Ushanka". The origin of Ushanka is not known for certain.
In the 19th century, the Italian Leghorn breed, which has not lost its popularity until now, also appeared by the method of folk selection.
But the most interesting, from the point of view of antiquity and folk selection, is the Egyptian Fayumi breed, bred in Ancient Egypt. It is not even so interesting for its antiquity of origin, as for its very appearance in this area and contacts of mankind several millennia ago.
Ancestor homemade chicken considered a Banking Wild Chicken, still living wild in Southeast Asia... In relation to Africa, even behind India, in the regions of Burma, Thailand and Vietnam.
It is unlikely that the wild chicken was overwhelmed by the desire to see the world and she went to Egypt on her own. It means that it was brought there by people. Probably, fayumi is hiding something from us.
Fayumi chicken
Chicken of a pleasant variegated color is practically not found in Russia, although it is widespread in the countries of Western Asia and since the time of the Roman Empire has managed to become the ancestor of several egg breeds in Italy and France.
Adapted to a hot and dry climate, Fayumi, perhaps, would be suitable for breeding in the southern regions of Russia, although her eggs are small, like another result of folk selection - Ushanki.
The chicken is not very heavy. The weight of an adult rooster is 2 kg, hens are a little over 1.5.
Any egg chickens do not have a lot of muscle mass, since this bird has an interesting relationship: either high egg production and low body weight, or high weight and very low egg production. And this dependence is genetically inherent. Therefore, even existing meat and egg chickens are simply something between two extremes.
Another, already domestic product of folk selection: Ushanka, is also a small egg.
Ushanka chicken
Sometimes Ushanka is called meat and egg. With a rooster weighing 2.8 kg, a chicken - 2 kg and an egg production of 170 small eggs per year, the owner will probably have to decide whether this breed belongs to the egg or meat-and-egg direction.
Egg weight rarely goes beyond 50 g. Ushanka, in comparison with other egg chickens, is late maturing. Earflaps begin to rush at six months, while the rest at 4.5 - 5 months.
Most likely, the purpose of the breed began in the minds of people to change to "meat and egg" after the appearance of industrial egg crosses with an egg production of 300 large eggs per year. But a cross is a cross, you cannot get the same productive offspring from it, and some crosses, in general, can only be obtained in laboratory conditions. The normal egg production of a chicken of the egg breed is 1 egg every two days. The exception is Leghorn, but this breed was originally small-egg and with normal productivity. Increased productivity leghorn was already after the hard work of breeders on the breed.
Ushanka got its name from the characteristic sideburns that cover the lobes. A beard under the beak is also a breed characteristic.
The main color is brown, black and, less often, white.Since almost no one is engaged in purposeful breeding of Ushanka, and when crossed with outbred livestock, Ushanka conveys its characteristics - "ears", the color palette has already been somewhat expanded.
Ushanka is unpretentious and tolerates frost well, which is an important factor when breeding poultry in private backyards, since the same productive crosses necessarily require high-quality feed and special conditions that will be difficult for a private trader to create in his yard, especially in relatively cold regions.
Unfortunately, only a few enthusiasts are engaged in breeding Ushanka, and it has already been classified as endangered.
Leghorn chicken
Usually, when they talk about Leghorn, they imagine just such white chickens, although there are also colored variants with the same name with the same name.
Brown leghorn (aka brown leghorn, Italian partridge)
Golden Leghorn
Cuckoo partridge leghorn
Spotted Leghorn
A characteristic feature of all Leghorns is a large chicken comb that falls to one side.
Leghorn was also bred in Italy by the method of folk selection and initially did not shine with special egg production. After directed work with the breed of breeders from different countries, several lines were formed, which today make it possible to create industrial crosses.
The modern Leghorn laying hen lays over 200 eggs per year. It starts scattering at the age of 4.5 months. In the first year after puberty, the egg production of Leghorns is not high and eggs weighing 55 - 58 g.
Leghorn rooster weighs about 2.5 kg, chicken from 1.5 to 2 kg.
Large-scale import of Leghorns, easily adaptable to various conditions, into the Soviet Union was carried out in the second half of the 20th century when the Soviet poultry industry was transferred to an industrial basis.
Today Leghorn is the basis for the creation of commercial egg crosses with an egg production of 300 eggs per year. Due to the fact that this breed was exported to many countries, for all its purebredness, the lines of Leghorns have already diverged far enough to create purebred industrial crosses of two or more lines. Due to the effect of heterosis, the productivity of even purebred Leghorns increases from 200 to 300 eggs per year.
The lifespan of industrial Leghorn hens is 1 year. After a year, the productivity of industrial poultry decreases and it is slaughtered.
On the basis of Leghorn, a Russian breed was bred.
Russian white
Bred by crossing Leghorn roosters from different lines with local outbred hens.
Laying hens have inherited from the Leghorn breed trait in the form of a hanging ridge. In the pluses of the breed, one can write down unpretentiousness to the conditions of detention, to the minuses, small eggs and the lack of an instinct for incubation, also inherited from Leghorns.
Russian White eggs weigh 55 g. In the first year, chickens lay about 215 eggs. In selected lines, egg production in the first year can reach 244 eggs, then egg production decreases by an average of 15% per year, although a single egg increases in size up to 60 g. For this reason, after the first year of life, the laying hens are slaughtered.
Russian white chickens have been bred for resistance to cold, leukemia, carcinomas and are of interest to the pharmaceutical industry that manufactures medicines.
This breed of chickens is bred in non-specialized and personal farms.
For amateur chicken growers, the Andalusian blue chicken bred in Spain will look very original in the yard.
Andalusian blue
The unusual color attracts attention, but the Andalusian blue is quite rare and breeders are trying to get at least a few chickens of this breed. Not everyone succeeds.
The breed, although it belongs to egg, is not industrial. Young hens begin to lay from 5 months, giving eggs weighing 60 g. Egg production of this breed is 180 eggs per year. Chickens can also provide meat. Chicken weight 2 - 2.5 kg, rooster - 2.5 - 3 kg.
Theoretically, Andalusian blues can incubate eggs, but their incubation instinct is poorly developed. To get offspring, it is better to use an incubator or a chicken of a different breed.
When two blue chickens are crossed, the color of the offspring is split into 50% blue, 25% black, 25% white. And, according to all the laws of genetics, there should be 12.5% of the eggs containing the lethal blue gene in a homozygous state, from which no one will hatch.
Chickens of black and white color cannot be exhibited as purebred, but it makes no sense to reject them from breeding. When crossed with blue, the blue gene is added to the genome of chickens of these colors and the offspring are blue.
More and more popularity in Russia is gaining chickens araucan, whose homeland is South America.
Araucan
Araucan pedigree feature is the absence of a tail and an egg with a greenish-blue shell.
The weight of the Araucan rooster is 2 kg, and that of the chicken is 1.8 kg. In a year, these chickens lay 160 eggs weighing 57 g. Araucan's incubation instinct is absent.
Interestingly, if you cross Araucana with chickens that lay brown eggs, the offspring will lay an olive green egg, and when crossed with white egg chickens, you can get bluish eggs.
Mini egg breeds
As a result of the mutation, mini egg chickens of the breeds arose: dwarf Rhode Island or P-11 and dwarf Leghorn or B-33.
These are not crosses, but breeds with a dwarf gene. Moreover, their body weight is the same as that of large chickens. They seem small only due to their short legs. Dwarfs do not need much space, and they lay eggs the same as tall chickens. The weight of eggs from dwarf chickens is 60 g. Egg production is 180 - 230 eggs per year.
The homeland of these dwarfs is Russia. But today these breeds are marching victoriously all over the world.
Rhode Island dwarf
Leghorn dwarf
Conclusion
In addition to these, there are, of course, a lot of other egg breeds. Layers can be chosen for every taste, not only by egg weight, egg production, color and size, but even by the color of the egg. There are chickens laying eggs of chocolate, black, blue, green colors. You can also engage in amateur breeding, trying to cross breeds with different egg shell colors to get your original egg.
