Hercules chicken description. Chickens Hercules: advantages and disadvantages of a universal breed. Chickens Hercules distinctive description

The most popular among breeders are universal breeds of chickens. This provides an excellent opportunity to make a profit in the form of a sufficient amount of meat and eggs. Hercules chickens, description, photo can be seen in the article. These individuals are considered bright representatives of the chicken family with a well-developed meat-and-egg orientation. Hercules chickens are distinguished by their large weight and at the same time laying hens lay a lot of eggs, which made this breed quite common and popular in the country.

Possessing high productivity, Hercules chickens, description and photo will not leave indifferent any breeder. Moreover, according to poultry farmers, the breed stands out for its absolute unpretentiousness to the conditions of keeping and feeding. It is very easy to raise chicks, as they have a high survival rate, rarely get sick and do not cause concern to the owner of the farm.

Breeders received Hercules relatively recently, which almost every farmer is ready to buy. A little more than 15 years have passed since the hard work of professional poultry farmers was crowned with success and the baby of the Hercules breed saw the light. Having become acquainted with the wonderful productive indicators of this bird, every farmer wanted to have these birds in his farmstead.

Description of chickens of the Hercules breed and principles of keeping at home

Hercules is a breed of chicken that loves space to run. Therefore, it is recommended to keep them on the range, where chickens can graze. Chickens of this breed are highly active and restless. Roosters of the Hercules breed correspond to their name and immediately stand out against the background of other chickens with a large build and growth. An adult rooster weighs at least 5 kg, and a laying hen - 4 kg.

The physique of the bird is fleshy and powerful. A well-developed chest and muscular legs immediately attract attention. The tail of chickens of this breed is large and fluffy, and the head, on the contrary, is small and neat. The beak is small, the earrings are bright and beautiful. The eyes are red or orange.

The external power of a bird is not an optical illusion. Chickens of the Hercules breed are really strong in health, practically do not get sick, and develop well. They are hardy to harsh climatic conditions, easily endure weather changes, because under their feathers they have a large amount of dense fluff. The immunity of Hercules chickens is very strong and various infections rarely affect this breed. However, do not abuse this, it is better to try to keep the birds clean.

Hercules is a breed of chickens characterized by rapid growth and precocity, as can be seen from the description and productive characteristics. Laying hens already in the first year of life are able to lay a sufficient number of large eggs. The main rule is high-quality and balanced. They perfectly eat compound feed, vegetables and greens.

Breeders have noticed that Hercules chickens grow well on such feeds, namely:

• ground grain and grain mixtures;
• corn;
• a variety of vegetables;
• top.

It is important to include in the diet of birds and mineral supplements, such as calcium and nitrogen.

Reviews of breeders about the breed of chickens Hercules

Poultry farmers who have birds of this breed on their farms highlight the following advantages of Hercules birds:

• unpretentiousness in care;
• fast growth;
• precocity;
• excellent taste characteristics of meat and eggs;
• increased egg production;
• low feed intake.

The experience of each breeder is different, so this list can be supplemented. Additional information about these chickens can be left in the comments to the article.

We offer you to watch a video about breeding Hercules chickens:

The fact is that Hercules chickens, description, photo which are given above, many breeders in our country dream of buying. The cost of acquiring this unique breed quickly pays off, and soon you can get a good profit. Continue reading on the site

The breed of chickens Hercules, the photo and description of which give an idea of ​​its uniqueness, is deservedly popular with Russian and foreign farmers and villagers. The reason for this is high productivity and undemanding to feed.

The hen is on the left, the rooster is on the right

In Russia and neighboring countries there are many fans of these beautiful and unpretentious birds.

Origin story

Chickens of the Hercules breed are bred by Ukrainian poultry farmers. The purpose of breeding is to obtain individuals that quickly gain muscle mass and carry large eggs. Many business executives mistakenly consider Hercules a breed. In reality this the result of a 4-line cross-breeding of representatives of four meat and egg breeds.

The selection process lasted more than 10 years, hundreds of attempts were made to obtain highly productive individuals. Scientists from the Research Institute "Borki" and the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine took part in the creation of the breed group. The initiator of the selection is Professor Yu. V. Bondarenko.

Hercules hens have been widely touted as the best in terms of egg production and weight gain. For this reason, around these birds at the beginning of the second millennium there was a rush, accompanied by high demand. Gradually, the surge in popularity subsided, but there are still quite a few fans of this breed. Its important characteristic is fast puberty chickens and, accordingly, early egg production.

Description of the appearance and characteristics of the cross with photos

Hercules are colorful individuals with a large physique and a sedate gait.

There are 5 populations of this group, each of which has its own feather color:

• White;
• golden;
• silver;
• cuckoo;
• pockmarked.

All representatives of the breed are characterized by a strong skeleton and a wide chest. The body is massive, with a flat back and tightly pressed wings of medium size.

The plumage is lush, but not loose, the face is unfeathered, red. The crest is leaf-shaped, with 4–6 pronounced teeth. The beak is pale yellow, slightly curved at the end, the legs are of medium height with massive hips. The description of this breed indicates that the birds develop according to the broiler type.

Hercules roosters have a more toned body with a wide chest and back. A typical chicken of this breed looks heavy, has a large rounded belly and large thighs. The average body weight of one-year-old roosters is 4.3–4.5 kg. This confirms the experience of domestic poultry farmers. But advertising leaflets claim that males of this age weigh at least 6 kg. Chickens are smaller than roosters, but not by much.: by the end of the first year of life, they gain from 3.2 to 3.5 kg of live weight.

Hercules chicken at 2 months of age weighs at least 2 kg.

Productivity of Hercules

Hercules chickens are highly productive. They start laying eggs early: at 4.5–6 months. Hercules egg production is 210-220 dark cream eggs per year. Average weight each - 65–70 g, which is a good indicator of productivity. A distinctive feature of the breed is 2 or 3 yolks in an egg in chickens of the first year of life. Moreover, the yolks are large and bright yellow.

About the quality of meat good feedback. Many people think that it is very tasty.

Hercules are grown both to obtain a large number of large eggs, and for slaughter.

The meat of roosters is more tender and juicy than that of chickens. The taste characteristics of the product are higher than those of broilers.

Content of broiler-type hybrids

Hercules chickens are distinguished by a calm character, non-fussiness and non-conflict.

They are undemanding to the conditions of detention, but the owner needs to provide the birds with a normal microclimate in the chicken coop:

• Full lighting and high-quality ventilation.
• Eliminate the possibility of drafts.
• Dry pad.

There are some peculiarities of keeping Hercules in the private economy. The first will have to be faced when buying chickens. Their price is almost 2 times higher than that of other breeds. This applies to both chickens and adults.

Thanks to the lush plumage, the Hercules breed tolerates low air temperatures well. But they must be short-term, otherwise the chickens will develop slowly and may become sick. In the cold season in the poultry house, it is necessary to ensure the optimum temperature for these chickens - + 17 ° С.

Bird care

The breed of Hercules chickens will not cause difficulties in care. For these birds, a less troublesome way of keeping is best suited - outdoor. At the same time, chickens need high-quality, fairly thick bedding. This is especially important for chicken coops with concrete or dirt floors.

Creating comfortable conditions for birds will allow you to get the productive qualities characteristic of this cross.

It is necessary to walk chickens daily in a spacious area, avoiding their crowding. An important characteristic of the breed is a tendency to obesity. Concerning birds need to move more, which corresponds to their sufficiently high activity.

Feeding and diet

In order for Hercules to grow quickly and gain weight well, they need to be properly fed.

It is necessary to remember 2 rules for the content of this cross:

• chickens need food rich in nitrogenous substances;
• requires constant mineral supplementation.

For feeding poultry suitable for the following products:

• herbal flour;
• grain mixture;
• boiled fish;
• fish and minced meat;
• cottage cheese;
• legumes;
• grated fresh vegetables.

Chalk and egg shells are added to the grain mixture and other food, as they are saturated with calcium. These additives must be present in the diet of laying hens.

It is important to regularly give sand, sifted and cleaned. It helps birds get rid of food debris in the goiter, which is the prevention of its diseases, blockage and the occurrence of inflammatory processes.

In the cold season, it is necessary to regularly give steamed legumes, which are a source of vegetable protein.

Breeding on a personal farm

• the ability to tolerate sudden changes in temperature;
• they tolerate the summer heat just as well, so they feel great in regions with a southern climate;
• the character is friendly, sociable;
• not shy;
• calmly endure temporary inconvenience with contaminated bedding;
• have good immunity.

But Hercules have 1 significant drawback, which for many farmers and large poultry farms is the reason for refusing to breed these chickens. The fact is that this is not a breed, but a cross. So it is very difficult to get offspring that fully inherits all the qualities of parents.

So far, only 1 way out has been found: crossing chickens not with Hercules roosters, but with representatives of the Cornish breed.

In this case, strong and hardy chickens are obtained, with good resistance to diseases and an equally friendly character.

Often, 1 more purchase of cross eggs is required to update the livestock.

raising chickens

You can get Hercules in 3 ways:

• buy adults and get offspring from them (it is fraught with the loss of the main advantages of this cross);
• purchase Hercules eggs and get chickens on your own;
• buy hercules chickens and raise them.

These methods require knowledge of the rules for rearing the young of this cross. With the purchase of eggs and delicate transportation to the farm, and the correct content in the incubator, the hatchability is high - more than 87%.

Hercules chickens have a good survival rate, but their immunity is weaker than that of adults.

Youth care is as follows:

• in the first month of life, you need to give the chickens oatmeal porridge daily, to which finely chopped boiled chicken eggs, fresh cottage cheese and small cereals;
• starting from the third week of life, pre-cleaned sunflower cake is introduced into the diet;
  cake can be replaced with seeds;
• at the end of the first month of life, they begin to introduce complementary foods in the form of finely chopped greens and vegetables (nettle, carrot, dandelion).

It is important to remember that grain mixtures cannot be steamed, as the food will lose most of its nutritional properties. There is a ban on foods rich in fiber and flour. Such food can cause a blockage of the goiter.

Frequent illnesses and their prevention

Hercules have good immunity, but in order to prevent diseases, young animals are kept separately from adults. Chickens are regularly given oatmeal porridge, which increases their resistance to any diseases of chickens. Young people are vaccinated in a timely manner.

Compliance with the rules of hygiene and sanitation, the right diet are the best preventive measures that exclude negative conditions under which chickens and chickens can get sick.

Advantages and disadvantages of the breed

The main advantages of this breed are high productivity and endurance. There is only one drawback - the difficulty of obtaining full-fledged offspring that inherits all the advantages of the cross.

Chickens of the Hercules breed, bred relatively recently, immediately attracted the attention of poultry farmers. Having appeared at the beginning of the century, these birds moved from their native Ukraine to Europe, actively populating the farmsteads of Russia, Belarus, and Poland. However, the geography of the presence of poultry of this breed is of secondary interest to us. And in the first place, why did foreigners like Ukrainian chicken so much? What is in it from the namesake - the hero of Greek myths and Soviet-era oatmeal?

Indeed, these birds are a kind of Hercules among chickens of other breeds and can even compete with broilers. Yielding to the latter in the rate of weight gain, Hercules surpass them in the quality of meat. Wateriness - a "sin" that is found in broiler meat, is completely not inherent in Hercules chicken.

As for the growth dynamics, already in half a year the females of Hercules weigh 3 kilograms, and the weight of six-month-old roosters reaches all six kg!

Not only meat is valuable, but also Hercules eggs. In numbers, it looks like this: the yolk, which has greater nutritional value than protein, occupies a third of the total volume of Hercules chicken eggs. In domestic chickens of other breeds, the size of the yolk is barely one-fifth. Without exaggeration, Hercules chickens are a unique breed. Who is its author?

Origin

The young breed appeared in the year of the millennium - 2000. Its creator is called a professor with a "very Ukrainian" surname Bondarenko. But, of course, breeding a highly productive breed cannot be the result of the work of only one person. Or even the entire staff of the Institute of Animal Husbandry of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, within the walls of which breeding work was carried out.

The basis on which theories and laboratory experiments were confirmed or refuted by practice was farming in the Kharkiv region. The village of Borki, where this farm is located, is the birthplace of our Hercules.

Appearance

Chickens of the Hercules breed are represented by five feather colors:

• white;
• golden;
• pockmarked;
• silvery;
• black-striped (or cuckoo).

The attractive appearance of the bird makes not only the variety of its plumage, but also to become. Although the breed is still very young, it seems that we saw exactly such cockerels and hens in our children's books. - Some 20, some 30, and some even more years ago. As in this photo: well, why not a pockmarked chicken?

By the way, it has been noticed that white individuals are larger than their counterparts with multi-colored plumage!

Hercules chickens should not have scallops. This is what the chicks should look like.

To match such a spectacular appearance of chickens - their temper. In their reviews, poultry farmers characterize these birds as unpretentious, unpretentious, calm. According to the description of the owners, Hercules chickens behave friendly not only among “their own”, but also get along well with turkeys, geese, ducks.

Productive characteristics

Productivity indicators are traditionally evaluated in comparison with similar characteristics of one of the similar breeds. They don't call Hercules chickens for nothing. unique breed: we managed to find only one analogue breed -. Here's what these "competitors" look like.

And here comparison table productivity parameters:

Comments on the table:

1. Among the "Ukrainian" chickens, some individuals can fatten up a mass of up to 9 kilograms!
2. The quality of the meat is excellent both in one and in the other breed.
3. If in terms of survival rate “Hungarians” are ahead of “Ukrainian” chickens, then in terms of “live weight” they are significantly behind.
4. The value of an egg in Herculean chickens is very high: the mass of the yolk is related to the total mass of the egg as 35: 100.

The maturation of Hercules chickens occurs at the age of 155 days. Customers like large eggs with rich, bright yolks and cream-colored shells.

Breeding features

Amazing chickens are not demanding on the conditions of detention. What does it mean?

1. These hens have a good ability to acclimatize to their habitat.
2. To breed them, it is enough to perform standard set activities for the care of domestic chickens.

Regular inspections, isolation of sick birds, cleaning the chicken coop, always fresh water and at least three meals a day - this is the list of necessary conditions for keeping chickens.

One of the main areas of farm work is taking care of chickens in the first days and weeks of their life. In order for losses to be as small as possible in the room where the chicks are kept, it should be warm.

You should adhere to the following temperature regime:

• up to 30 °С - for 1 - 5 day old chickens;
• 26 ° C - for six-day-old chicks;
• 23 ° С - for two-week-old chicks;
• 21 ° С - for three-week-old chicks;
• 18 ° C - for monthly chicks.

In the first few days of life, the space (usually a box) where the chicks are located should be illuminated around the clock. For the proper development of babies in the first month of life, they are fed with the same name (oatmeal) porridge. Chopped greens, grated cottage cheese, hard-boiled and finely chopped eggs are added to food. Gradually introducing grain, the latter is not boiled so that the cereals do not lose their nutritional value. From the fourth week, young animals are given seeds.

What should not be given to chickens? Until the seventh week of life, one should refrain from including flour in the diet of chicks, since this can lead to blockage of the goiter.

To strengthen the body of chickens, they are fed with chopped vegetables, green onion feathers, dandelion stems, nettle leaves. Do not leave unused food in the feeder. Fresh food should be added each time.

Diet

The best performance indicators in the form of good muscle growth dynamics and high egg production can be obtained by doing the following:

1. Set concentrated feed in the amount of 30% of the total diet.
2. Enrich the diet of chickens with minerals.
3. Include calcium in the menu (including in the form of shell rock). The fact is that with a lack of feathered calcium in the body, it will begin to extract it for itself. Not found in a chicken coop, in a summer aviary or on a free pasture, a chicken can start extracting calcium from ... its own eggs!

The winter table of chickens should be diversified with clover or nettle flour, vegetables, alfalfa. These additives are most rationally offered for poultry breakfast.

Already from the seventh week, the chicks can be fed from a common feeder and feel great at the same time. The survival rate of the young of these chickens is simply excellent!

It seems that Hercules chickens have no flaws. At least we can't remember any significant ones. Perhaps the only disadvantage of breeding this poultry is the high cost of live eggs.

Since ancient times, people have sought to domesticate birds and animals. Chickens are no exception. Egg production and tender meat make the hen a favorite of poultry farmers. Among the many breeds, Hercules chickens stand out - photos, descriptions and reviews of which you will find in this article. What distinguishes them from other birds? Let's talk about it now.

Breed overview

While breeding chickens, many farmers sought to ensure that these birds were as "prolific" as possible, physically healthy and large in size. The appearance of this breed was greeted with a bang, because finally such a population was obtained. Juicy meat, excellent eggs with a large yolk, survival even in difficult weather conditions - all this distinguishes them from the "feather sisters". Due to their resistance to diseases, Hercules chickens quickly gain weight, which allows them to produce healthy offspring, which are also large in size.

It should be noted that the young also have an enviable survival rate. Considering that chickens of other breeds do not even live up to several months, the chicks of Hercules chickens will definitely not have to be “counted in the fall”. According to the description of experts, "kids" have excellent health.

Many chickens are known to be aggressive. Fortunately, this does not apply to chickens of this breed. Paradoxically, despite their warlike name, these birds have a calm disposition. In their characteristics, one can easily write down such qualities as curiosity and good nature.

Origin

Cute chickens and cockerels Hercules appeared in 2000 thanks to the efforts of Professor Bondarenko. The Ukrainian scientist and his team worked tirelessly, and only after 10 years their painstaking work bore fruit. As a result of crossing broilers and chickens of a gene pool species, charming chickens were born. Their rapid growth and development amazed the scientist, as well as the fact that adult chickens reach large sizes. It is for these reasons that the breed got its name - Hercules.

Appearance

Like the famous Greek hero, chickens of this breed are distinguished by amazing power. According to the characteristics, they have a large chest, a massive, well-knit torso, powerful legs and well-developed muscles. On the hips of chickens, as a rule, lush plumage. In the photo you can see a long tail with a rounding at the end, which distinguishes them from other breeds. The wings of these birds are securely hidden under thick plumage.

The head is usually small and the beak is curved. These hens most often have red eyes. Like other breeds, Hercules chickens have a scarlet comb. The right and left sides of the head are decorated with earrings to match the scallop.

As for color, hens and cockerels differ in color variety. This is due to the fact that many species of birds took part in the "creation" of this breed. If you look at the photo, you can see different plumage: silvery, brownish, gray, yellow-black. It is the thick fluff that allows the Hercules chickens to endure the cold.

Productivity

In the characteristics of this breed, it appears that the laying hen produces over 200 eggs per year. Each testicle has a large yolk, it weighs about 60 grams. Chickens themselves reach 3.5 kg - 4 kg, and roosters - more than 4.5 kg. Since it meat and egg breed, then the increase in body weight is achieved in a short time. Roosters are distinguished by endurance and strength, and hens begin to lay eggs in the first year of life.

It is important to note that, unlike their feathered "sisters", Hercules chickens are less demanding in terms of nutrition and maintenance. According to the description of experts, there are a number of rules that must be observed. First of all, it is important to understand that chickens need foods that contain nitrogen, calcium, and minerals. If the bird lacks something, it will begin to peck at something that is absolutely unfit for food, in particular, plaster. There are cases when a chicken, which needed a sufficient amount of trace elements, pecks eggs.

It is necessary to feed the chicken with compound feed, but it is too early for chickens to give such food. In order for fluffy lumps to look good and stay healthy, finely chopped boiled eggs, cereals, ground cereals, and vitamins should be present in their diet. Be sure to eat foods rich in fiber. Unlike adults, babies tolerate temperature changes worse, so it is important that they are kept in a warm room.

The health and weight of a rooster also depends on nutrition. Most often, males are fed broiler food so that they "grow" in centimeters and kilograms. By watching the tutorial video, you can get Additional information about how to care for this breed.