The incubation period of Chinese silks is 18 days. Overview of the Chinese silky chicken breed. Characteristics and differences between a rooster and a chicken

For a long time, people have kept household exotic birds and animals. One such exotic breed is the Chinese silkie chicken. The article describes the breed of these chickens, their origin, appearance, breeding features, and also includes photo and video materials that give a more complete picture of the breed.

Black Chinese chickens have a thousand-year history. Silk birds have always been popular due to their exotic appearance. This video talks about the Chinese breed of silk chickens and the features of their maintenance.

Origin

The silky chicken breed originates in China. Over time, Chinese silk chickens spread throughout different countries. Aristocrats wanted amazing crested birds with caps and almost weightless feathers that resemble silk to live in their gardens. Aristotle also wrote about Chinese silk chickens. The scientist mentioned that the fur of chickens is similar to that of a cat. In the ancient writings of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, these chickens are also mentioned, but the breed was called “snake”.

They were also noticed by the traveler Mark Polo. In the 13th century, he first met silk chickens, which had amazing feather colors. On the territory of Russia they were first mentioned in the 18th century. The breed has adapted well to the peculiarities of the Russian climate. Nowadays, silk chickens are found in private farms and poultry farms.

Appearance

Chinese silk chickens have a very distinctive appearance, so it is impossible to confuse them with another breed. Black chickens that have black skin and internal organs, have delicate shining feathers visually reminiscent of fluff. There are no hooks on the feathers, so they have an elegant, attractive appearance. The Chinese silky chicken breed resembles a poodle with a tuft in the form of a cap on its head. Silk roosters are decorated with sideburns and a goatee. The photo shows a white and red chicken.

Chinese silk chickens have a round body shape. The shoulders have protrusions, while the back is short but wide. Birds have short legs that are covered with feathers. In the tail area you can see tail feathers and long braids. The eyes are almost black. The earlobes are a rich turquoise color, and the comb and beak are painted blue.

The feather color of silk birds is mainly black, but also comes in blue, white, golden and gray. A rooster with down weighs approximately 2 kilograms. Chicken - about 1.5 kilograms. At any exhibition, silk chickens of this particular breed are the center of attention, as they have very beautiful and unusual feathers, and receive the most enthusiastic reviews.

Productive characteristics

Chinese chickens are bred mainly because their meat has dietary properties. The Chinese learned that the meat of chickens of this breed contains calcium, phosphorus, amino acids, nicotinic acid, and various vitamins. Substances have also been found that regulate the functioning of the spleen and urinary system. In Chinese medicine, the meat of these chickens is used as a remedy for the treatment of migraines, tuberculosis, kidneys and other diseases.

It is worth noting that the Chinese silk chicken has delicate fluff. High Quality. Few birds can boast that they have good and valuable down. But the snare belongs to this breed. These birds are sheared similarly to sheep, approximately once a month. For 2 haircuts, a chicken produces about 140 grams of fluff.

Chinese Silky chickens can bring joy to any owner simply by their presence. It's interesting to watch them as they move awkwardly.

Silks have a calm and friendly character. They are so friendly that they allow themselves to be petted.

Chinese downy hens are also bought as brood hens. Individuals of this breed are purchased for incubating eggs and subsequently raising chickens, which will later hatch. A chicken can hatch not only the eggs of chickens, but also pheasants, partridges and other breeds. During the year, representatives of this breed produce about 150 eggs with a total weight of about 40 kilograms. The shell has Brown color. Eggs have high nutritional value.

Breeding Features

The cost of ornamental chickens is slightly higher than regular ones. The price of 1 egg is approximately $5. For a chicken you will need to pay at least $7, for an adult chicken - about $45. You can purchase an ornamental breed in a special store, at a poultry farm, or at large agricultural markets.

After purchasing a chicken, you need to help it get comfortable in the new territory. Regarding temperature, it is worth saying that for the first few days it is necessary to maintain the temperature in the habitat of the young animals not lower than +30 °C. Then every week it is necessary to reduce the temperature by 3 °C. When the chickens grow up, the thermometer should be at +18 °C. IN winter time the chicken coop needs to be maintained warm temperature. If the room is warm and bright, then chickens can lay eggs in winter.

During the first days, silky chicks need to be fed every 2 hours. Over time, it is necessary to increase the time between eating sessions. By the age of 1 month, the interval between meals should be increased to 1 time every 3 hours.

The main method of breeding is incubation of eggs by a hen. Alternative way is the use of an incubator. Because of sudden changes temperature, the bird can catch a cold and get sick, so you need to maintain constant temperature in the chicken coop. When the chicken is in a room with high humidity she is withering and weakening.

This breed does not tolerate rainy weather, so you need to make sure that the silk chickens do not get wet.

In order for chickens to develop well and be strong, it is necessary that hygienic and sanitary standards are observed in the room where they live. Another important factor is the possibility of walking: you need to provide a place where the chicken could walk. To do this, it is necessary to equip a special fence against predators. Although the lack of walking does not harm Chinese silk chickens.

Diet

You need to start with boiled yolk, semolina, ground corn grits or millet, low-fat fermented milk products, for example, kefir. Then, as the chicken grows, you need to make the chicken menu more varied by adding crushed shells and shells, greens, meadow clover or alfalfa, ground barley, meat broth, a little fish oil, and various mixtures that are enriched with vitamins.

It is necessary to ensure that wet food does not sit for a long time and the fermentation process does not begin.

Grain products should make up about 55% of the diet. Be sure to feed green and boiled vegetables. You need to drink clean boiled water, which is poured into the drinking bowl. The water should be changed daily.

Do you like unusual products? I do, yes, but I didn’t think that such a thing existed... Now I live in China, where there are a lot of interesting and entertaining things (more about which at www.v-evrope.com). Recently I saw a black chicken in a store. Chicken with black skin and black meat. After a quick look on the Internet, I realized that I needed to try this chicken not only out of curiosity!

The first thing that catches your eye is that the chicken is white and fluffy on the outside, but black under the plumage and inside... The second thing is the description useful properties meat like this chicken.

Chicken is bred in many countries, but very often for decorative purposes. It is eaten and revered for its health benefits mainly in Asia.

In China, black meat from chickens of the “Chinese silky” breed has been used for medicinal and health purposes since the 7th century.

The Chinese use the meat of silk chickens to treat migraines, tuberculosis, kidney diseases, “women’s” and many other diseases. Oriental medicine places the meat and eggs of these birds on a par with ginseng.

Bonn zoologists who studied the composition of black meat found that it contains many amino acids, calcium, and vitamins; It contains phosphorus, nicotinic acid and substances that purify the blood and activate the functioning of the kidneys, spleen, and genitals.

The feathers of silk chickens look so elegant due to the absence of hooks on them. Therefore, the feathers do not adhere to each other and appear downy.

I bought half a carcass, which cost me 21 yuan (Approximately 210 rubles). The skin color of the silken chicken is blue-black, the meat and bones are black.

According to tradition, a chicken’s leg is not cut off... (The Chinese eat chicken feet, they can even be bought separately fresh or in packages as a snack (like chips)).

How to cook black chicken?

Black chicken meat is usually used to make an amber broth or stew it.

“To give a dish more medicinal properties, traditional Chinese medicine recommends adding ginseng, orange zest, ginger, and white yam to chicken (down) soup.”

I decided that I would cook the chicken with fresh ginger. I also added a little curry.

When cooked, the meat turns gray. But the insides remain black.

I liked the taste of black chicken meat. 🙂 But it seemed to me that it looked more like seafood than meat. However, meat is more nutritious and filling. Feels heavier in the stomach than seafood.

The ginger turned out to be very helpful; without it, I think the broth and meat would not have been as tasty. Therefore, if you suddenly decide to cook such chicken, keep ginger in mind.

Such an unexpected gastronomic encounter awaited me in China. Until that moment, I didn’t know that such meat even existed.

Maybe you, too, have discovered Chinese silken chicken for the first time. And if you have known her for a long time, tell us in the comments about your impressions!

The Chinese silky chicken is an exotic bird. It's common around her a large number of legends and interesting facts. In appearance, these chickens are mesmerizing to look at.

Origin of the breed

The breed is very ancient, its descendants came from distant China. Many who have visited China have described Chinese silk chickens. For example, Marco Polo, who visited this country in the thirteenth century, described this beautiful bird in detail in his memoirs. In China, this breed was immediately identified as decorative, but was also used in medicine. Chinese silk appeared on Russian territory at the end of the 18th century and was brought through the lands of Siberia and Astrakhan. Already at the end of the 19th century, the standard of this breed was recognized in America. When did Chinese silk chickens first appear? European countries Legends and various facts instantly began to form around them, which were often simply invented by people.

Description of Chinese silk chicken

This breed has its own individual external features and is unlike any other. Birds have their own unusual features, which immediately indicate that the chicken belongs to this breed. They are primarily called chicken with crow bones. In reality, the bird has black bones, black-brown skin, and gray-black muscles. This feature arose as a result of the fact that this bird’s body contains a natural pigment, eumelanin, which is located in bone and muscle tissue. Also, chickens of this breed have 5 toes on their limbs, which are well separated and functional. The feather cover is soft and very silky, in appearance it is more similar to the fur of various fur-bearing animals. Because the pen shaft is not strong enough. When the breed first appeared in European countries, people thought that it was formed due to the crossing of rabbits and chickens. But in reality this is just a myth. Now it is bred for decorative purposes because of its stunning and incredibly bewitching appearance.

Characteristics of Chinese silk chickens

By their structure they have a strong and dense constitution. The body is completely covered with feathers and down. The limbs and metatarsals are feathered. Roosters have a small head, on which there is a bluish beak and a warty-shaped crest of a pinkish tone. The crest present on the head looks back, the eyes are brownish-black, deep set on the face, the earlobes are blue, slightly rounded, the earrings are red-blue, sometimes in some subspecies they are not developed enough, the neck is short, the back has a shortened appearance, but rises up. The tail is short and fluffy; it is not visible due to the long feathers hanging from the back. By general appearance the bird is a round fluffy ball. Hens are smaller (if you compare them with cockerels), but in appearance they are just as fluffy with a proud posture. The body of the chickens is tilted forward and the head is small. The breed has unacceptable characteristics such as: coarse and sparse feathers, the fifth finger is either missing or for some reason underdeveloped, the tail is long, the skin color differs from the established one.

Chinese silks have a number of subspecies and they depend on the color of the feather. There are: white, black, red, blue, yellow and many others. The subspecies is named based on the main color in the plumage. The chicken that has a different color, shade or inclusions in the overall color is subject to culling. But the main characteristic of this breed is not the color of the feather, but its silkiness.

Productivity of silk chickens

Although the breed is quite small in size, cockerels can reach up to 1.5 kilograms of body weight, hens gain between 0.8 and 1.2 kg. The egg production of representatives of this breed is good, amounting to one hundred eggs per year, the average weight is 35 g. Poultry farmers note an excellent brooding instinct in chickens. They treat their offspring very carefully, not only their own, but also their foundlings. Therefore, hens can be used to hatch quails, pheasants and for their further care. The chickens are very friendly and quickly get used to their owner, they are very affectionate, they allow themselves to be petted and picked up.

The bird willingly makes contact; when it gets used to it, it runs into his hands. It is worth noting the meat quality of Chinese chickens; they note its high taste qualities. It contains a large number of useful amino acids and vitamins. On South-East Asia the meat of these birds is considered a delicacy, and the pharmacological industry produces medicines from products obtained from this breed. Feathers and down are used in the textile industry. To obtain a feather, it is sheared, in total about 150 g of down comes out, which can be sheared once a month.

Advantages

Excellent bird appearance, resistant to low temperatures, not picky about living conditions, the resulting egg products are highly valued for their beneficial qualities.

Flaws

The disadvantages include low productivity and a high purchase price; on average, an egg can cost up to $7, an adult bird over $50.

How to keep and care for Chinese silks

Since the bird is not picky, caring for it does not require much physical effort. Feeding is carried out with the same feeds that are fed to ordinary poultry. Chickens are flightless and do not require a roost. Application of sanitary requirements for this bird as for all other birds. In order for the bird to have good egg production throughout the year, it is necessary to create good conditions, a warm chicken coop and a fairly long daylight hours. If desired, you can create a special paddock and fence it off to protect it from predatory animals and birds. The walking yard is fenced top part, install a protective mesh.

Breeding Chinese silk chickens

They are raised like regular domestic chickens. If you have special incubation equipment, you can buy eggs and independently obtain day-old young, or you can purchase already adult birds. These methods have both their advantages and disadvantages, so you need to independently choose the best option for yourself. When using an incubator, there are some peculiarities, since chickens are smaller in size than ordinary chickens, so they react strongly to temperature changes, especially in the first days of life. For them, the temperature is set at no less than 30 o C, after 7 days it is reduced to 27 degrees, after 4 weeks the temperature is set at around 18 degrees.

Feeding is carried out according to a schedule. In the first 4 weeks, feed once every two hours, after which feeding is carried out once every 3 hours. If the chicks are raised by a hen, then there is nothing to worry about, as hens take very good care of their offspring and the chicks will help keep warm under the hen in the first weeks of life. There has been an increased interest in Chinese silken chickens among poultry farmers. Many people use poultry to produce meat and egg products for sale; some grow Chinese silk in their backyards for beauty.

Chinese silk chickens have a history of thousands of years. Homeland China. The chickens were called snares. The feathers of silky chickens do not have hooks and therefore cannot be interlocked.

There is no juvenile molt in Chinese silky chickens. The chickens look woolly. They immediately attract attention with their attractive appearance. The normal structure of the feathers is characteristic only of part of the flight feathers of the wing and tail feathers.

In addition to silk plumage, the Chinese silk chicken has a characteristic blue coloration of the skin, periosteum, peritoneal integument, crest and meninges. In this regard, they received the name - blacks (negris).

Black chickens were brought to the Astrakhan province from Perm, to Siberia from China, and to St. Petersburg from England.

The Chinese silky chicken is a decorative light breed, quite large in size and quite agile. Has a dwarf shape.

Chinese Silk chickens have five toes. This trait is persistently transmitted to offspring. Legs and toes are feathered. The head has a crest, beard and sideburns. The comb is small, pink-shaped, without teeth. The rooster's crest is directed backwards. Plumage color: white, black, wild, blue. Skin – black. The lobes are turquoise, the beak and comb are blue.

The live weight of Chinese silk roosters is 1.5 kg, chickens are 1.0-1.1 kg.

Chinese silk chickens lay up to 80 light brown eggs weighing 40-41 g per year.

Chinese silk chickens have very tender and tasty meat, although the carcasses are not attractive in appearance due to their black color.

Nowadays, the Silki breed is bred by poultry lovers all over the world. There is information that silk chickens are used to obtain fluff, which is sheared from them like sheep. For 2 haircuts, 120–150 g of fluff is obtained from one chicken. After shearing, the feathers grow back in 30–40 days.

Chinese silk chickens were first mentioned in the four hundredth century BC by Aristotle. He describes them as “chickens with cat hair.” The Chinese Tang dynasty also left a memory of the “black Cochin chickens”, telling about them in chronicles.

In the 13th century, Marco Polo described domestic chickens as having black skin. These were Chinese downy chickens. This poultry appeared on Russian territory in the 18th century. At that time they met in Siberia, Astrakhan, and Persia. Many myths have been invented about this breed. Thus, Dutch breeders told customers that the breed was the result of crossing a rabbit and a chicken. Many believed that downy chickens had real mammal fur. But that's not true.

The breed is highly decorative. The feathers of silk chickens look so elegant due to the absence of hooks on them. Therefore, the feathers do not adhere to each other and appear downy. The breed is very beautiful. It is impossible to pass by such charm indifferently. Many people admire the breed of “Chinese silk chickens”; the photo conveys their similarity to small white poodles, but with wings and a beak.

This is exactly what those who saw this bird at the exhibition write about this breed. The crest on the head resembles the “cap” of a poodle. Chickens and roosters have beards and sideburns. Their comb is small, made in the shape of a rose without a tooth. In roosters, the crests are directed slightly back. The color of the plumage is very diverse: white, blue, black, yellow, gray. The lobes are turquoise in color, the beak and comb are blue. Interestingly, the skin color of this bird is always black. That's why they call her black.

These chickens, unlike other chickens, have 5 toes on their paws. Moreover, the fingers and toes are feathered. Their chest is covered with down and quite wide.

The Chinese use the meat of silk chickens to treat migraines, tuberculosis, kidney diseases, “women’s” and many other diseases. Oriental medicine places the meat and eggs of these birds on a par with ginseng. There are several recipes for preparing this medicinal delicacy.

The body shape is rounded on all sides, the back is wide and short, with prominent shoulders. The tail has large braids and tail feathers. Their feathered tibiae are short. I would just admire such beauty. But the meat of not only ordinary, but also decorative chickens is eaten, although the appearance of the carcass is not very attractive due to its black color. But the meat is very tender and tasty.

They get down from chickens, shearing it like sheep. After clipping, the birds' feathers grow back in about a month. Therefore, if someone dreams of buying a sheep, but has nowhere to keep it, he might as well buy a couple of these cute birds. Chinese downy chickens will produce 60-75 grams of fluff at one time, and in a month – the same amount. The profit is obvious. In addition to fluff and meat, chickens produce eggs. True, they are brownish in color, but they are very useful, like meat, oh healing power which is even legendary.

One of them says that a man who lived in China had an incurably ill mother. The son helped her get into the cart, and they went to look for a doctor to save the woman. We drove for a long time, but to no avail. They had no choice but to return home. On the way back, the family stopped with a peasant. The owner was hospitable and prepared black chicken for the guests - the most valuable thing he had in the house. And in the morning the woman felt better. The next day she walked briskly, and then completely recovered. That is why it is believed that the Chinese silk chicken, photos of which can be found, for example, on the Internet, heals many ailments.

If the Chinese downy hen does not want to hatch the babies herself, then the eggs can be placed under a regular hen. In order for her to accept the foundlings as her own, you don’t need to breathe on the eggs, but you need to handle them carefully with your hands wearing clean gloves.

Bonn zoologists who studied the composition of black meat found that it contains many amino acids, calcium, and vitamins; It contains phosphorus, nicotinic acid and substances that purify the blood and activate the functioning of the kidneys, spleen, and genitals.

IN Ancient China Silk chicken meat seasoned with white sauce was served at dinner parties. This was done so that the dark meat would contrast with the light gravy.

Japanese, Chinese, Kampuchean, Malaysian, and Korean cuisines consider downy chicken meat to be delicious. Most often, broth is prepared from it or stewed. To give the dish greater medicinal properties, traditional Chinese medicine recommends adding ginseng, orange zest, ginger, and white yam to chicken (down) soup. This soup is given to weakened and sick people. It gives them strength and helps them recover from many diseases.

Previously, in American and European cuisine dark meat was not popular. But now the point of view of cooking in these regions has changed dramatically. Poultry of this breed began to be raised practically in industrial scale. Poultry farmers in many countries also purchased adult chickens for breeding on their farms. Caring for Chinese chickens is not difficult. They eat what regular chickens eat.

In addition to gastronomic, downy birds will also satisfy the aesthetic tastes of the owner. I want to admire these chickens every minute. In the summer you can build them a run and after work on personal plot admire such beauty. Selling eggs and chickens will be profitable. Now one Chinese down chick costs 200-250 rubles, so the business is profitable.

If everything is done correctly, then in 3 weeks funny chicks will hatch. They need to be surrounded with care, placed in a warm room, fed properly, and very soon the little ones will grow up and become gorgeous birds - the pride of their owner.

Why are they grown?

Chinese silky chickens are bred for several reasons:

Dietary meat. The Chinese have found out that the meat of Chinese silk chickens contains phosphorus, calcium, B vitamins, amino acids, and nicotinic acid. Substances have been discovered that regulate the functioning of the organs of the genitourinary system and spleen. In Chinese medicine, the meat of this breed of chicken is used to treat tuberculosis, headaches, diseases of the female genital area, kidney diseases, etc.

Valuable fluff. In poultry farming, you can count on one hand the breeds that are kept to obtain soft, high-quality fluff. Silkies are one such breed. Birds are sheared like sheep. One chicken gives from 120 to 150 g of fluff for two haircuts. No more than 40 days will pass and the feathers will grow back.

For the soul. Downy Chinese chickens decorate any poultry house with their presence. Watching the slightly clumsy, sociable birds is a pleasure.

Hens and cockerels are so friendly that they allow themselves to be petted. A calm character is another plus for the Silki breed.

Like a mother hen. Chinese downy hens are excellent hens and caring mothers. In poultry farming, individuals of this breed are often used for incubating eggs and raising hatched pheasant chicks, other breeds of chickens and partridges.

Eggs. The egg production of this breed is at the level of 100-120 eggs throughout the year. Egg weight is up to 40g, shell color is brown. Eggs have sufficient nutritional value.

Buying chicks

The cost of decorative chicken breeds is higher than regular ones. The price of 1 egg, on average, is from 4 to 7 $. A chicken costs from $6 and above; for an adult you will have to pay almost $50.

A small selection of videos, for those who didn’t have enough article and photos :)

It will not be a discovery to anyone that chickens are bred to produce eggs, meat, feathers and down. But among huge variety There are also quite exotic breeds of meat, egg and meat-egg production. Chinese silk chickens are an ancient Asian decorative breed, which even today can surprise even experienced poultry keepers with its appearance. What is so unusual about these poultry?

We will try to tell in detail in the article about this interesting and ancient breed poultry.

A little history

The first to mention Chinese silk chickens in his writings was the Greek philosopher Aristotle, who described them as birds covered with cat hair. The same breed, however, called “Cochin black chickens,” is described in the chronicles of the Chinese Tang dynasty. In the 13th century, the Venetian traveler Marco Polo wrote about similar birds with blue beaks and black skin in his notes. In Russia, the Chinese silk breed of chickens appeared in the 18th century and was found in Siberia, Astrakhan and St. Petersburg. IN late XIX century, the standard of this breed was officially recognized in the USA.

Breed Features

If you have never met a Chinese silkie chicken, the photo below will allow you to appreciate the unusual and exotic nature of this bird.

Representatives of this breed are distinguished from all other chickens by a number of unique features:

1. In China, silken chickens are called wu gu ji, which means “chicken with raven bones.” This name is not accidental, since the body of a bird of this breed contains a huge amount of such natural pigment as melatonin. It is because of this that their skin and bones are colored blue-black, and their meat is gray-black. The unusual turquoise color of the beak, crest and lobes is also due to the presence of this pigment.
2. Unlike other breeds, the Chinese silkie chicken has not four, but five distinctly separated toes on its feet. In addition, all the bird's fingers are covered with feathers.
3. Silk chickens, also called downy chickens, have feathers in the structure of which there are no hooks that connect the fibers to each other. Because of this, the feather covering of these birds looks more like fur or wool.
4. On the head, the Chinese silk chicken (the photo below clearly demonstrates this) has a crest, sideburns and a beard.

Appearance

Birds of this breed are characterized by a dense, strong and rounded body on all sides. The body, legs (rather short), and metatarsals of these chickens are feathered. The tail, consisting mainly of tail feathers, is fluffy and short, almost completely hidden under the long plumage of the back. The heads of these birds are small and graceful, decorated with a small blue-turquoise beak, smoothly rounded bluish lobes and feathery crests.

Roosters are slightly larger in size than females. In addition, their heads are decorated with a pinkish crest and a crest, as if thrown back. Chinese silk chickens and roosters have brown-black eyes, rather deep-set.

Varieties

Depending on the color of the plumage, there are several subspecies of Chinese silk chickens, or snares, as poultry farmers also call them:

• wild;
• white;
• yellow;
• blue;
• black and others.

We will not list them all, since European standards distinguish slightly different subspecies of this bird than American ones, and only a specialist will be able to understand all the nuances of what colors Chinese silk chickens can be.

The reason for culling from a pure breed for these birds may be spotting or the presence of any color or shade different from the standard, sparse or coarse plumage, underdevelopment or absence of the fifth toe, too big tail, inappropriate color of skin, beak, eyes or comb.

Description of the breed: Chinese silk chicken

Birds of this breed cannot boast of heavy weight. So, roosters can grow up to 1.5, and hens up to 0.9-1.1 kg. But their meat is unusual black-gray In Chinese medicine, it is considered not only a delicious food, but also a medicine that can help with many diseases. Recent studies by German scientists have confirmed that it has a unique composition and contains many amino acids, micro- and macroelements that can support health. No less useful are the eggs of the Chinese silk chicken, of which one bird can lay up to 100 per year. But the unusual thing about birds of this breed is that they are cut to get a soft feather. This does not cause any harm to the chickens, and the owner from each bird can receive 60-70 g of fine feathers, more like down, every month.

Another feature of this breed is its developed brooding instinct. Silk hens are very caring hens, and with proper care they will take care of their foundlings as if they were their own chicks.

Are they difficult to maintain?

There are no special difficulties in keeping birds of this breed at home. Hygienic and sanitary requirements for premises and equipment are the same as for other chickens.

It is also important that these birds cannot fly at all, and therefore they simply do not need perches. Snares are not particularly picky about food. In addition, these birds are quite “frost-resistant” and can overwinter in an unheated room. However, if you want to winter months Chinese silk chickens were flying, their maintenance will be somewhat different. First of all, it is necessary that the room be warm and light for 12-14 hours. Birds of this breed can do without walking, but if you are going to let them out into the street, then you need to properly protect the walking area from all sides, including from above.

Breeding

If you liked the unusual Chinese silk chickens and want to have them on your farm, today this is easy to do in any conventional way. You can buy eggs and, using a hen or incubator, hatch chickens, or purchase young animals or adults. Every poultry farmer knows both the pros and cons of each of these methods and chooses the most appropriate option for purchasing the breed he is interested in.

Chicks from the incubator

If you plan to breed snares using an incubator, then a number of nuances should be taken into account:

1. Chinese silkie chickens are half the size of regular chicken breeds. Therefore, such babies, especially in the first few days, are very sensitive to even small temperature changes.
2. Immediately after they hatch, the chicks should be in a room with a temperature of at least +30 0 C.
3. After a week, you can lower the temperature to +27 0 C and reduce it weekly, but no more than three degrees.
4. Month-old chicks feel quite comfortable even at a temperature of +18 0 C.

What to feed the young?

From the moment the chicks hatch, they need to be fed regularly. Until they are one month old, they are fed every two hours, and then gradually, by 5-10 minutes, the time between meals is increased to three hours. Low-fat cottage cheese, yogurt or kefir are gradually introduced into the chicks' diet, and then boiled root vegetables and fresh, finely chopped knotweed, nettle or dandelion. It is important to gradually include grain in the chickens' diet, starting with finely ground corn, semolina or millet grits. The diet of a growing bird should consist of 50-60% grain crops, fresh herbs and boiled vegetables.