Review of mini meat chicken breeds. Mini chickens are a great option for a small farm

Today there are quite a few breeds of chickens. Owners of small farms prefer to breed mini meat chickens. This is a universal breed that can provide its owner not only with meat, but also with eggs. In order to keep and breed mini-chickens, you do not need large investments. These birds are completely unpretentious; they consume not a large number of food, but at the same time quickly gain weight.

For the first time, mini-meat chickens were bred in Russia. Later, these birds became popular in Europe. In order to achieve a wide range of plumage colors, scientists used the following breeds of chickens when breeding:

1. Rhode Island.
2. White Plymouth Rocks.
3. Cornish.

The breed of mini meat chickens has its own advantages and disadvantages.

To their benefits can be attributed:

There are not many disadvantages to mini meat chickens, however, they still exist:

Description of mini meat chicken breed

Characteristic appearance mini meat chickens:

Breeding mini meat chickens

In order to breed mini meat chickens, you do not need to spend a large amount of money. These birds quite easy to maintain. If you add a Cornish rooster to the stock of mini-chickens, the chickens will be quite strong and massive.

The young grow very actively and rapidly. Chicken survival rate is almost one hundred percent. However, we should not forget that small chicks who have not yet had time to get stronger need to be provided with a warm room. In the first weeks after they hatch, the temperature should be around 35 degrees Celsius. In the future, every week you can lower the temperature by a few degrees.

Maintenance and care of the breed of mini meat chickens

If you follow all the rules of keeping and carefully care for these small birds, they will reward their owner with good quality meat and eggs.

There should be bedding on the floor in the poultry house. It will absorb excess moisture and help avoid colds. The litter needs to be changed twice a month.

A house with birds should be thoroughly cleaned several times a year. The poultry house is cleaned with boiling water, a brush and laundry soap.

It is necessary to disinfect a room with miniature birds regularly. This is done using a two percent Lysol solution.

Feeding mini meat chickens

These birds not picky eaters and consume very little food. For the first month, it is recommended to feed young chickens with compound feed that is specially designed for meat breeds. Next, you can feed the birds with ground grain, to which you need to add various additives. Also, the food should contain fish or meat and bone meal, chalk and finely ground eggshells.

Drinking bowls with clean water must be in the house at all times. It is advisable to change the water regularly so that various bacteria do not breed in it.

Description of the productivity of mini meat breed chickens

Despite its miniature size, mini chickens are quite weighty. The average weight of these small birds is about three kilograms. Females weigh slightly less than roosters.

The meat of these chickens is juicy and has a pleasant and tender taste.

Despite the fact that these birds are meat breeds, laying hens have good egg production. One individual can lay up to 170 eggs per year, whose weight is about sixty grams. The eggshell is brown and very strong.

Common types of mini-chickens

Let's look at a few of the most popular varieties of the breed.

Characteristics of the breed Dwarf Leggon or Mini-chicken B-33

Chickens of this breed are bright yellow in color, but adults are white. The survival rate of young animals is almost 100%.

TO main characteristics of the breed can be attributed:

These chickens are quite inexpensive to keep, since they consume almost half as much feed as the largest breeds of birds.

Leggons are distinguished by an active, non-aggressive and friendly character. Occasionally, conflicts may arise between roosters.

These miniature birds able to adapt to any climate and conditions.

To breed mini-chickens, you will need to purchase incubators, since laying hens do not have the brooding instinct.

The food of mini-chickens must be balanced. Improper feeding can lead to various diseases, and also chickens may stop laying eggs. One hen can produce more than 200 eggs per year.

Description of the mini-chicken breed Rhode Island or P-11

These chickens are distinguished by their red plumage and miniature size. The weight of a rooster can reach three kilograms. The weight of the chickens is about two and a half kilograms.

These small birds have a peaceful character.. Roosters are absolutely not aggressive, do not get into fights and are quite caring towards laying hens.

These birds are in food not picky, are able to digest food well. They need a little more than 100 grams of food per day.

By the age of six months, mini-chickens reach puberty. The duration of egg production is 16 months. Rhode Island cats are bred using an incubator. One individual can produce about 160 eggs per year.

From the description of the breed of mini-meat chickens we can conclude that these birds are ideal for keeping in small households. These birds require minimal care and expense. They digest food well and, when properly maintained, are not susceptible to disease. Another of their advantages is their peaceful and completely non-aggressive disposition. It is also worth noting that representatives of this miniature breed get along well with other birds.

Raising chickens at home is an excellent opportunity to increase the production of eggs and meat, which can become a source of additional income for the family. This allows for more efficient use of garden and kitchen waste for feeding birds. In addition, poultry products have high nutritional value.

Chicken eggs contain 12-13% crude protein, as well as many vitamins. Availability different types poultry makes it possible to obtain a wide range of meat.

It is chicken meat that belongs to the dietary category. It contains 18-24% protein, which contains a significant amount of complete amino acids. Poultry by-products, such as fluff, feathers, and afterbirth, are very valuable. Pillows, feather beds and blankets are made from the first and second. But the afterbirth is used as fertilizer for garden crops.

For homestead farming, it doesn’t matter what kind of bird you raise. For example, chickens can be kept in any natural and climatic conditions.

Mini

Also important is the issue of savings when managing Agriculture. That is, how to reduce feed consumption? This problem can be solved by breeding a mini meat breed, of which there are many varieties. Mini chickens are unpretentious. Feed consumption is only 130 g per head. You can keep more of these birds than ordinary chickens. You can breed them in a cage or aviary.

Chickens of this breed are very calm. You can let them go for walks without fear. They will not harm your yard. Although the mini breed belongs to the meat category, their eggs are very good quality and quite large. And chicken meat is valued for its excellent taste.

On average, mini hens weigh 2.6 kg, and cockerels - 3 kg. The color of feathers can be very different: white, red, dark red, dark gray and even black. For a long period of time, these chickens were bred for decorative purposes and as brood hens. Today, they are increasingly grown for meat purposes and for eggs.

Breed varieties

Prominent representatives of the mini chicken species are the following breeds:

• Cochin
• Welsumer
• Dorking
• Corniche
• Brahma

This type of chicken was introduced to Europe in 1843. This breed gained the greatest popularity in France and England. In our country, Cochin chickens are bred by amateur farmers. Due to the high cost, not every farmer can afford to purchase them. The hen weighs 3 kg, and the rooster weighs about 4 kg. Egg production is not high, about 110 eggs per year. Feather colors can be white, black, yellow. Taste qualities meat deserve the highest praise. Through breeding work, several subspecies of the Cochin breed were developed:

• Black Cochin
• White
• Blue
• Fawn or yellow
• Partridge
• Dwarf

Feeding these chickens is very easy as they have a good appetite. When breeding them, it is important to take into account the fact that they love cleanliness very much, and not only indoors, but also in drinking bowls and feeders.

Welsumer

Chickens of this breed are very active. They are distinguished by very good laying hens. At the moment, the Welsumer breed is the most exported in the world. They are distinguished by their small head size. Their body is strong with a wide sternum. Legs yellow, without feathers. The color of the plumage is most often reddish-red. Welzumer hens begin to lay eggs very early. At 5.5 months we get our first eggs. Welsumer chickens love to walk in nature. You can let them out into the fresh air even in winter. Hens weigh 2.2 kg, and roosters weigh 2.9 kg.

This breed is the best in meat production. She was brought out in the English city of Dorking. These chicks are very demanding in maintenance and care. The breed is divided into two types: white and colored. The former produce very tasty meat, but are not particularly fertile. The live weight of a chicken is 3.3 kg, and for a rooster, good care, - 4 kg. Egg production per year – 130 eggs.

Chickens of this breed gain weight very quickly. They are also very hardy. Most often you can find Dorkings in white, silver, blue and golden colors.

Mini chickens of this breed are not raised on large farms today. They are more often used as genetic material. They make excellent hybrid broiler breeds. Such chickens are characterized by good adaptability to weather conditions and unpretentiousness. Mini chickens can be raised simply in a fenced area or in special cages. The young grow very quickly. But the only drawback of the breed is poor plumage, i.e. Mini chickens' feathers grow very slowly.

Interestingly, these birds were bred by the British and they were selected from fighting breeds.

The breed was bred in North America. Brahma mini chickens are amazingly beautiful, strong and robust birds. Compared to their relatives, they look like real giants. Males of the Brahma breed can reach a weight of 4 kg, and females - up to 3.5 kg. Birds have excellent maternal instinct and mature late. An average hen can lay about 110 eggs per year. The main feature of their maintenance is the requirement for low perches, which should be located no more than 30 cm from the ground. Birds are distinguished by great intelligence and a calm character; they are highly trainable, which delights everyone who has ever dealt with them.

We told you about the most unusual breeds of chickens, which are actively raised by amateur poultry farmers and large farms. The world is full of amazing animals.

In addition to the 700 breeds of chickens known today, there are many unrecognized options, hybrids and crosses. Every year scientists add new, improved species to the list. But breeders are especially interested in dwarf breeds, or mini chickens - they have minimal body weight and are advantageous in keeping and breeding. What is the difference between miniature chickens, what breeds to choose for farming and how to care for them - further in the text.

Origin story

Mini chickens are not new in breeding science. It is known that they were bred long before the advent of modern ideas about genetics. A variety of dwarf chickens is the result of breeding work using the so-called dwarfism gene, which in science is called by two letters - dw. In Russia, the development of this direction was carried out by scientists from VNITIP.

The goal of creating miniature copies of popular breeds was to reduce maintenance costs and increase the profitability of commercial poultry farming. Ultimately, domestic breeders were able to create types of mini-chickens that are popular both in poultry farms and in private farms.

Mini chickens

Description

Dwarf breeds are a separate direction in poultry farming. Although each variety is different, they all have general characteristics- light weight and compact build.

Note! Most dwarf breeds are different high percentage survival and strong immunity. Requirements for maintenance and feeding are individual.

Varieties

There are several hundred dwarf breeds in the world - recognized and not standardized.

The most popular varieties are:

• mini-meat chicken breeds;
• mini eggs.

There are dwarf representatives of the decorative trend, but in terms of population size and popularity they are not able to compete with practical laying hens of the meat and egg production type. Below are brief reviews of the most popular mini breeds.

Mini meat breed P-11

The variety bred by breeders from VNITIP received the code name P-11. This species is the result of crossing Rhode Island with carriers of the dwarfism gene. P-11 is a mini-meat breed of chickens, the description of which repeats the characteristics of standard Rhode Island representatives with only a few differences:

• body weight up to 2.3 kg in a male;
• chicken weight - up to 1.8 kg;
• shortened metatarsals;
• a miniature, erect comb.

Mini chickens of breed P-11

There are 2 color options for the P-11 plumage:

• red;
• pale yellow.

Attention! The P-11 rooster is distinguished from the hen by the black-green tint of its flight feathers and tail braids.

A thoroughbred rooster completely replicates the traditional Rhode Island rooster in appearance, has the same physique, developed skeleton and wide chest. Chickens are distinguished by a less pronounced breast and belly, and a dull shade of plumage.

Fawn mini meat chickens are distinguished by increased egg production rates - they produce up to 200-240 eggs per year. They begin to lay eggs at 22-24 weeks of life. But the qualitative and quantitative indicators of the masonry directly depend on nutrition.

Mini egg breed B-33

Chickens obtained by crossing carriers of the dwarfism gene and Leghorns. Exterior differences between the male and female dwarf leghorn B-33 are presented in the table.

Important! If there is even a small colored mark, or if the body weight exceeds 1.7 kg, the birds are subject to culling. They are not used to produce offspring, but are used for meat.

Decorative dwarf chickens

The decorative type of chickens is an area of ​​increased interest for collectors and breeders of exotic breeds. Among the representatives of dwarf varieties there are the most popular.

1. Millefleurs are French bushy chickens with an unknown breeding history. The birds are distinguished by their variegated, multi-colored colors and miniature bodies. Weight from 700 g to 1.4 kg, egg production - 120 eggs per year.
2. Cochin is a Chinese dwarf copy of the famous representatives of the meat type. There are about 10 different colors. Distinctive characteristics- developed skeleton and muscles, curvaceous shapes and rich feather cover. The dwarf Cochin's paws are covered with feathers to the tips of the toes.
3. Chabot is a Japanese bantam, no larger than a pigeon. Weighs about 500-800 g. There are different color variations, so there are no strict requirements for the color of feathers. The difference is a long tail sticking out above the back at a right angle. The body is miniature and elongated.

Additional Information! Fayumi is recognized as the oldest dwarf breed. The Egyptian bird existed long before our era, but received official recognition only in 1940. Fayumi is small in number and is on the list of protected species, so incubation material can only be obtained from gene pools and private collectors.

Mini chicken of Fayumi breed

1. They occupy a minimum area - the permissible planting density is 2 times higher.
2. Birds are unpretentious in nutrition.
3. Consume 30% less feed.
4. They get sick less often.

The cellular type of content is a last resort. This approach to housing the bird will reduce its productivity potential and life expectancy. A good option- free range, or poultry house with a limited but spacious yard.

Important! Which type to choose depends on the individual characteristics of the bird. Mini-egg chickens are more mobile and do not tolerate closed spaces, so they are recommended to be kept in free-range conditions. A sedentary lifestyle negatively affects their productivity.

A chicken run yard should be equipped with:

• feeder;
• drinking bowl;
• a container with sand and ash;
• a canopy or shelter in case of heat or rain;
• container with small stones.

The basic feeding rules are the same, but taking into account the specifics of the breeds, the following nuances should be taken into account:

• Three feedings a day are recommended due to accelerated metabolism;
• the winter diet consists of 50% energy feed;
• during seasonal molting, it is necessary to increase fat in the diet by 10-15%;
• in spring and summer - increased protein and calcium content.

Breeding

Note! The brooding instinct of mini-chickens P-11 and B-33 is weakened - this is the result of genetic changes to which they were subjected. To obtain offspring, they use an incubator or place eggs under an active hen from other breeds.

Mini chickens of breed B-33

Secrets of success in breeding:

• select only the best representatives of the breed for the parent herd;
• lay the largest eggs for incubation;
• check each egg with an ovoscope;
• provide the hen with everything necessary to prevent leaving the nest.

The chicks hatch at 20-21 days. Further care and feeding of the offspring is carried out according to standard rules.

Advantages and disadvantages

The pros and cons of mini chickens are relative. Compared to standard hens, they have the following features:

• fast growth;
• early maturation;
• calm character;
• increased activity;
• omnivorous;
• minimum body weight;
• short metatarsals;
• small mass of eggs.

Mini chickens are the best option for commercial and private farms. Breeding dwarf chickens does not require special skills and knowledge. These are breeds with high conversion feed, minimum maintenance requirements and maximum survival potential.

Mini meat breeds of chickens are unpretentious and easy to keep. They are bred both on farms and in households. Poultry farmers highly appreciate mini-chickens for their ease of care and high productivity. The chickens produce a lot of meat and lay eggs actively. Keeping such birds is an excellent choice for those who want to have a universal breed on their farm.

Two varieties of miniature birds are popular among farmers: P-11 (dwarf Roy Island) and B-33 (dwarf Leghorn).

Characteristic

Features of mini-chickens of the P-11 breed:

• the plumage is white, red or fawn. Mini meat fawns are found on farms less often than others;
• the weight of an average rooster is 3 kg, a chicken is 2.7 kg;
• the body is dense, the back is wide, the chest is round and convex;
• legs are 20% shorter than regular full-size species.

Features of the B-33 breed:

• mini chickens of the B-33 breed are white, white-tailed, with a small red head;
• The weight of a chicken is on average 1.4 kg, a rooster - 1.7 kg;
• the crest has a leaf-like shape. In roosters it stands upright, in chickens it is inclined to one side;
• earlobes are light in color, without colored inclusions;
• the legs are short and have no feathers.

There are other breeds of dwarf birds: New Hampshire, Russian Whites. But in livestock farms they are less common. P-11 and V-33 are optimal for breeding for economic benefit.

If egg production is important to a breeder, it is better to purchase chickens of the B-33 breed. They produce more eggs than P-11.

Setting up a chicken coop

A special chicken coop is equipped for breeding miniature birds. The room needs to be warm. If there are cracks, the walls need to be covered with thermal insulation material. Mini-meat chickens cannot tolerate cold or drafts, so the chicken coop should always be warm.

Feeding

The mini-meat breed of chickens eats the same things as other types. The difference is in quantity: mini chickens need 40% less food to be satisfied. On average, this is 130 grams of grain mixture per day.

Newborns are fed compound feed intended for weight gain in meat breeds. From the second month of life, a grain mixture is gradually introduced.

For more nutritional value Vitamin premixes are added to the feed:

• ground fish bones;
• chopped greens;
• fermented milk products (cottage cheese or yogurt).

The bird should have gravel freely available. It acts as a mineral supplement. Fresh water is a must. It must be changed regularly and the drinking bowls must be washed thoroughly to avoid the growth of bacteria.

Walk

Due to the structural features of the breed, mini meat chickens get very dirty. They have short legs, so the body is set strongly and often touches the ground. Such a bird should not be allowed outside in the cold or rain to prevent illness from hypothermia.

When walking daily, the bird will independently find its own food: insects, grass, small stones. In this case, you can not add vitamin premixes to the food and reduce the amount of food.

Pros and cons of raising miniature birds

Mini-chickens have more advantages than disadvantages. TO positive aspects relate:

• fast growth. The bird easily gains weight, while being unpretentious in food;
• delicious meat. It has an interesting feature: fat is not localized in individual areas, but is evenly distributed in veins between the muscles. Dishes made from such meat are juicy and tasty;
• ability to thrive in small spaces. This allows breeders to keep more birds. It is cost effective;
• calm disposition. Mini-chickens do not dig up the field on the run, do not bite humans, and are quiet in the chicken coop. The cockerels are also calm and get along with several individuals in the enclosure;
• In addition to meat, owners also receive eggs from mini-meat chickens.

The breed's disadvantages are associated with certain care features. Most breeders do not consider these to be negative qualities. You just need to be prepared for such breed traits as:

• intolerance to cold and draft;
• rapid hypothermia due to low body position;
• Chickens need to be kept at a temperature of at least 35 degrees.

With good care and a properly equipped chicken coop, the shortcomings are invisible. It is not difficult to provide the bird with a warm room. And in cold and wet weather you can simply not let him go for a walk.

How to choose a mini chicken to buy

An adult bird is selected for purchase from a poultry farm or from friends and neighbors. You should not buy from strangers in markets: unscrupulous people may offer sick chicken. The disease in the incubation stage cannot be determined by eye, but such a chicken can infect others in the farmstead.

It is better to purchase livestock from a specialized poultry farm. In many regions there are farms that breed these breeds for sale. There are no sick birds there, as the owners carefully monitor the health of their pets. The addresses of such farms can be found from familiar poultry farms or found on the Internet.

You cannot keep chickens of different colors on the same farm. Crossing breeds is possible, but in addition to the appearance of new colors in the plumage, this will negatively affect the health of the offspring. Survival rates will decrease and chicks will be smaller in size.

Economic benefits

Miniature birds eat less than other breeds.

• The weight of roosters reaches 3 kg, and hens 2.7 kg. It is profitable to breed such breeds both for sale and to meet your own needs.
• Mini meat chickens can be used as laying hens. One hen P-11 produces an average of 170 eggs per year. Moreover, they are large in size - 60 grams. The B-33 breed has a higher egg production, about 250 eggs per year. This good result, comparable with the indicators of specialized egg breeds. At proper care And balanced diet hens also produce more eggs.
• The brooding instinct of these breeds is not sufficiently developed, so for breeding you will have to buy an incubator.

Mini meat chickens - a good choice for experienced farmers and beginner poultry farmers. They are unpretentious in nutrition and maintenance, and feel comfortable in small areas. At the same time, the owner receives delicious meat and eggs. If you have any doubts about what breed of poultry to get, meat mini-chickens will be the best solution.

In most cases, farmers are engaged in diverse activities, because it is much more profitable for the chickens to not only be good laying hens, but also, if necessary, to get more meat from them. Therefore, enterprising village workers are well versed in several breeds at once and try to give preference to mini-meat chickens (in particular, types P11 and B33).

The breed of mini meat chickens was bred in our country - the first individuals appeared at the Zagorsk Institute, which studies bird breeds and develops domestic poultry farming. “Minishki” immediately became popular in Russia; moreover, even some European countries, such as Great Britain and France, decided to use this breed instead of classic broilers. After all, their “meatiness,” as reviews indicate, was approximately the same, but our chickens also laid much better.

Livestock breeders are confident that mini-meat chickens P11 and B33 should still be classified as meat breeds of birds, despite the fact that farmers consider them universal. Like all representatives meat breed, “minis” have a strong body and at the same time they are quite compact in terms of size. Among other features of the body structure, it is worth noting shortened legs, a small crest (which, by the way, is not susceptible to frostbite in the cold) and plumage of increased rigidity and density. In modern livestock farming, three color standards for these chickens have been developed: fawn, red and white.

How to breed chickens of this breed

This breed is equally suitable for both growing on a poultry farm and for home breeding in a small area.

If at least one sick chicken is noticed in the chicken coop, you should immediately isolate it from the rest and then show it to a veterinarian. Signs of a sick bird: lethargy, inactivity, refusal to eat, feather loss. If a sick individual is not quarantined in time, then after a while all her neighbors will also begin to get sick. A visit to the veterinarian is necessary in order to find out the cause of the disease and be able to prevent it in the future.

In this regard, one more important point for beginning farmers: never buy chickens from strangers. It is quite possible that the disease is still in the incubation stage, and it will manifest itself only after a while. It is best to buy chickens from neighbors, if there is no doubt about the health of the birds, or from large poultry farms, where sick chickens are never kept.

A special bedding with good moisture absorption will be of particular convenience for this breed. It should be changed once a month - this will help maintain the health of the chickens, allowing them to maintain the beautiful and dense plumage of the birds.

General cleaning of the chicken coop must follow all the rules. First, the cells are doused with boiling water and then cleaned with a brush and soap solution. As disinfection measures, cells are treated with a Lysol solution with a two percent concentration. You can use denatured alcohol instead of Lysol. Just follow the instructions, read the description of the drug! General cleaning is carried out annually.

Now it’s worth saying a few words about the productivity of mini-meat chickens of varieties P11 and B33 in good conditions content. So, on average, one hen weighs 2.7 kg, roosters - 3 kg. The meat of this bird is considered very tender and juicy in taste. The fact is that the fat in such chickens is distributed evenly over all muscles and does not accumulate in any particular place. For such successful uniformity in meat, this chicken is sometimes even compared to marbled beef.

Nutrition

Mini-meat chickens P11 and B33 can not only be successfully bred in a small chicken coop area, but they also eat little. Their diet is the same as that of ordinary laying hens, but still, in the first weeks of life, in order to gain weight, it is better to feed the young animals with special compound feed, which is aimed at meat chickens. When the bird is one month old, you can switch to feeding grain mixtures, and to improve health, premixes are added to them: fish bone meal, chalk.

Chickens of the P11 and B33 breeds also happily eat chopped greens, fine-grained cottage cheese and yogurt. As mineral fertilizing The coop should have gravel.

It is better to walk an adult bird in its own area. She herself will find food in the form of larvae and greenery, relying on own needs. If walking is daily, then the food may generally consist only of waste grain crops.

Advantages and disadvantages of the breed

One of the main advantages of this breed (in particular, P11 and B33) is its rapid weight gain. Mini meat chickens grow quite actively, although a little slower than broilers. Therefore, if a farmer’s goal is to raise a batch of birds in a short period of time to sell meat, then this is great option. Even the carcass will look very beautiful, attracting potential buyers.

Mini meat chickens are unpretentious in feeding; all types of feed are suitable for them. Their digestion allows them to assimilate almost any food as efficiently as possible, so keeping such birds is cheap. Of course, if there is a desire to further accelerate weight gain, then simple grain waste is alternated with special feed.

These birds feel great even in a small room. Some other breeds of chickens may not lay eggs well if their coop or cage is small, since for these species too limited space is a stress factor. “Minies” feel calm even in small cages and at the same time lay normally. These chickens can also be bred in enclosures.

The P11 mini-meat breed is one of the calmest. Many farmers allow these chickens to roam the field, as they hardly dig up the soil. They are also less likely to peck at human hands, even when they are impatiently awaiting food. And in the chicken coop itself it will be much quieter, since these birds are less “talkative”, unlike the ever-cackling laying hens.

It is especially worth noting the size of the eggs that these chickens lay. They are quite large, despite the fact that “minis” are not a breed of laying hens. At the same time, the meat of such birds is very tasty and easy to prepare. So mini meat chickens perfect option universal bird for home keeping in any conditions.

A chicken lays about 170 eggs per year, each of which weighs 60 grams. The shell is brown in color and quite durable. Therefore, even an egg accidentally dropped from a small height has a good chance of surviving the fall.

If necessary, you can easily change the external qualities of the offspring. For example, if a rooster with red and black feathers is added to white P11 mini hens, the offspring will have different combinations of these colors, ranging from striped to red or black and white. But experts do not advise adding “new blood” to this breed, as this negatively affects the immunity of future offspring and can reduce its beneficial hereditary qualities. Moreover, the latter can result in a bird that is smaller in size or one that lays eggs worse. As an option, you can breed broiler chickens. To do this, a Cornish rooster is placed next to the minis.

By the way, separate word it is worth saying about roosters of this breed. Despite the “male” genes, they are not pugnacious; even three roosters can live in the same cage and not conflict.

The breed can be bred both on a large farm and on the territory of a small private house. Provided there is sufficient heating and no drafts, 100% of the chickens can survive.

Mini-layers have only a few disadvantages, and even those are not particularly significant. As already mentioned, these chickens do not tolerate drafts and cold. At low temperatures, mortality among birds can significantly increase, so it is better not to skimp on insulating the chicken coop. Particular attention should be paid to chickens - they require a temperature of at least 35 degrees to keep them. As they grow older, this temperature can be lowered a couple of degrees each week.