Saturday, July 30, 2011

Famous layer hen chicken breed

People has been chicken for egg production. They build a in large scale farm. Eggs is delicious and good food for human being.

There are some favorite layer hen. People domesticated the strain for finding the best layer. When I college at animal husbandry, an office administrator in my campus challenged anyone to produce any hen which can lay two eggs in a day. Off course, he must be crazy. Rarely, we find a hen lays two eggs in a day. If a hen can lays two eggs, the second eggs must be damaged. It because the eggs is lack of nutrition. A hen need interrupted to lay. Here are some famous layer hen.

Photo by: Putney Pics

White leghorn Chicken
This is the most famous domesticated strain layer hen. Actually this hen come from Italy. The color of white leghorn is white, but other leghorn has variety color like buff, black, red, dark brown, light brown, black tailed red. light brown, buff columbian, barred, exchequer and silver. This hen can produce eggs up to 280 eggs a year.

Plymouth rock
The chicken is domesticated in New England, United States. The breeder cross dozen strain chicken to get Plymouth rock that can produce good meat and eggs. The color of skin is yellow. I have cared barred old Plymouth rock and it can lay some eggs. The color is beautiful especially the cock has the beautiful train tail. Plymouth hen can lay up to 285 eggs a year.

White Cornish
This is a good meat chicken. It weight could reach 8 lbs so it is enough for four people. The chicken look strong with wide chest like a bodybuilder. The plumage color is white, red, dark, and laced red. The White Cornish is risen for eggs and meat. It has beautiful plumage to and it is good for pet too.

Read Also:
Rhode Island Red
Chantecler Canadian Chicken breed
New Hampshire Chicken
Orpington Chicken Profile

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Mutation in chicken produce some unique chicken

Gallus gallus bankiva or red jungle fowl is the ancestor of most domesticated chicken in the world. Have been domesticated by people, some chicken psychic is changed. A domesticated chicken cannot fly as the ancestor does. The domesticated chicken has different feather, weight, toes and comb. The gene might change by human threat.

photo by: fireflythegreat

Some people care it because the mutation is very unique. The mutation of chicken are:

Crested head

Some domesticated chicken also has crested behind the comb. The crested is not beautiful.

Frizzle or Curly feather

Like human, some chicken has curl feather. The feather cannot cover the chicken skin. It generates to descendant too. Some people think the chicken goes to bridal and salon.

Silky feather

A common hen sometimes has silky feather chick. It is a mutation too. Some norm chicken has silky hair like Chinese silky bantam. The tail feather is not perfect and short.

Bantam or dwarf

Dwarf is the shorter chicken than the parent. It could happen because the egg is small or the child suffer a disease. In Malaysia, Breeder cross breed some bantam to get smaller chicken. They also limit the diet so the chicken become shorter.

Five toes

A normal chicken has four toes. Some chicken also has five toes: four in front and one in back although the parent has four toes.

Sharp feather

Some chicken has sharp feather like sword. The feather is similar with sharp porcupine hair. Same like curly, the sharp feather cannot cover chicken skin. The hen is difficult to hatch her eggs.

Featherless

This is the naked chicken because it has no feather. The featherless must be sensitive with sunny or cold. Eating this chicken is very easy because we do not have to remove the feather.

Tailless

Some chicken has no tail so the chicken looks strange. The saddle plumage cover the chicken bottom. Tailless chicken looks shorter than common chicken. When the chicken walk, It looks like a clown who has big bottom.

Some people like the mutation chicken. They take care for it to get a new strain.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Green Java Peacock : The East Java mascot bird

Java Green Peacock (Pavo Muticuus) is a beautiful bird in the world. They are found in East Java Savanna. Green peacock is also found in Myanmar and Malaysia Peninsula. Java Peacock has beautiful green light plumage and it is different to Indian and Chinese peacock which has blue plumage.

Photo by: orin Zebest
The Java has longer neck, longer legs, longer crest and slender body than other peacock. Peacock use its long shanks to expel the predator like snake.The color of the bird is green hence with its name; meanwhile the female color is dull green-grey. The neck plumage is golden green. The train tail is very beautiful. The cock exhibit or fan the train tail like fan to attract the hen. The train pattern like green eyes. That is why only beautiful color male can get the hen.

If you want care it, you need to build a large pen. The bird need at least 400 square feet. Provide them with shelter that keep them from rain and sunny.

The male length is 3 meters including train plumage, weight five kg (11 lbs). The female is 1.1 meter, weight three kilogram (6 lbs). The hen can lay 4-8 eggs a season. Only the hen incubate the eggs for 26 days.

The male often repeated a loud call ki-wao; meanwhile the female has call aow-aa.

They are found in savanna. It lives with Java wild bull (Boss Javanicus). It finds food at it like grain, grass edge, fruit, and insect.

This species is endangered species and protected by Indonesian law because the number of species is becoming rarely. The IUCN also lists this species including as vulnerable to extinction. Indonesian government built Meru Betiri National Park In East Java for Peacock and wild bull habitat. We can watch the bird play in savanna. People hunts this bird for meat and beautiful plumage. The plumage is traded at market.

Rarely we find the breeder raise the bird in Indonesia. It because the fowl is so expensive. On the other hand, American is success to breed this bird.

Read Also:

How to raise peacock
How to feed peacock
Maleo Bird
Malayan Peacock
Palawan Peacock

Friday, July 22, 2011

Fantail pigeon: The most famous fancy pigeon in the world

 The fan-shaped tail at the back of the bird, makes this bird different with other fancy pigeon or pigeon. It has 40 sheet tail feather; while, the other pigeon just has dozen tail feather. In my opinion this bird has similar shape tail with chicken hen.


Photo by : Awayukin

I have ever fan the rock pigeon. I thought the tail will grows like the fantail. I was wrong. We cannot make rock pigeon tail like the fantail pigeon due it has fewer tail feather.

The head is round and the beak is long and curve at the edge. The color of beak is pink for white fantail pigeon and black for blue pigeon. There is small nose upper the beak. The feather is thick that covers from head to the feet while the toes has no feather. As common pigeon, it has red blood feet.

The feather color of fantail is white. The fantail also appears in blue, saddle, brown, black, black-white, and others.

This bird origin is India. The bird was found in 16 centuries. The fantail is a genetic mutation of the rock pigeon. British people brought the bird to their homeland at 1889. India was the British colony at that time.

British has developed the fantail pigeon at their land that is called British fantail. United States also developed the fantail that produce American Fantail pigeon. Thailand also has the fantail that is called Thai fantail pigeon.

Fantail is very docile pigeon. We can raise it as the fancy pigeon only due its unique tail and beautiful feather. The bird has no ability to fly high or fast like racing pigeon.

We can raise the bird at the backyard or loft. Build a pigeon house for some fantail couple. They will breed on your pigeon house. Provide the feeder or waterer at your backyard. Do not forget to provide a water basin for bathing. This bird like bath to bath.

If you have small backyard, you have better to provide pigeon loft for a couple only. Provide small feeder or waterer inside the loft. There are various loft from various material such as stainless steel, wood, and bamboo. A couple bird must need a nest box that you can place at the corner of the loft.

Fantail has various diet such as seed, grain, fruit, and vegetable. Some people said they like lettuce. Perhaps I will feed them with lettuce someday.
Read Also:
Jacobin Pigeon 
Modena Pigeon 
King Pigeon
Carneau Pigeon
America Giant Homer

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

What is auto sexing bird

Can you sexing little chicken or chick? I am sure you can do that. Even an animal husbandry student will be difficult to sexing the chick. Only the expert can do that. They hold the chicken and open the cloaca. They know whether the chicken male or female by seeing the cloaca. It is not an easy jobs. Some breeder dare to pay high for the experts.
Sometimes sexing the chicken waste the company times. That is why they produce auto sexing breed. The breeder company cross the chicken with other chicken that bear different color chicken. We can recognize the male chicken or female chicken with the color.
The first autosexing is Rhodes Island Red with Light Sussex that bear light male chick and Red female chick.
We know the cream legged is auto sexing breed too. The breeder cross 
The United States also develop auto sexing pigeon. They cross some Pigeon breed that is called Auto Sexing King. The pigeon is raise for utility.
Read Also:
How to sexing pigeon
How to attract pigeon to your pigeon house
How care baby pigeon
Bird Pest Control
American Swiss Mondaine Pigeon

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

English Carrier : A Retiree of Racing pigeon

Photo by : jim.gifford
As guess its name the pigeon is a carrier pigeon that comes from English. The Bird has a good reputation in carrying message to the owner. Unfortunately, this bird has retired as a pigeon carrier and racing bird. The hobbyist raise it for exhibition only. The successor of the English carrier is shorter and fatter and has ability to fly faster. The successor is racing pigeon such as Dragoon and Homer. Perhaps the English carrier is slower due its long body. It is also difficult for the carrier to run from the predator such as peregrine falcon or sparrow hawk.

The Carrier had good reputation in World War II. Alliance forces used the carrier to carry secret messages. Sending message on pigeon was safer than sending message on radio. The enemy could not detect through radio. Some carrier also participated on great invasion D day.

Around centuries ago, Tipu Sultan the leader of Islamic Indian Mysore Kingdom use carrier to send the message. The stronghold has so many pigeon holes as their nest. Along time ago, Egypt people and Persian people used carrier pigeon too.

English carrier pigeon is descendant of Persian wattles pigeon. The Carrier has wattles at the nose and upper the bill. The wattles also surround the eye. The wattle grows until the pigeon old. The young pigeon has smaller wattles than the old. The old pigeon wattles is wrinkled. The bill of the carrier is bigger than rock pigeon. The bill is straight and sharp. The bill is black or pink in color. The eye looks big and surround by its orange wattles. The wattle in the bill is pink in color, while, the older pigeon has iridescent pink wattles.The eye is yellow in color.

The pigeon looks thin. It has slender and long body. It is 18 inches in long. It is taller than bantam chicken. The neck is long like a flamingo bird. The feet is also longer than common pigeon. There is no feather in the feet. That is why the pigeon looks thin. This pigeon is also freak in my opinion due it is different to the ancestor.

The hobbyist who want raise this bird should provide the large loft. You cannot use common pigeon loft for this long pigeon.

English carrier appears in various color such as white, black, dun, blue, white black speckled, red, and other.
Read other pigeon : American Swiss Pigeon
Carneau Pigeon
King Pigeon : The king of Squab
Modena Pigeon
America Giant Homer

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Chicken Feed Types

To support chicken live, the flock owner should provide chicken feed. The chicken can convert the chicken feed to delicious meat and eggs. If the owner feed few chicken feeds, the chicken will be thin or stop to lay the eggs.

We can feed our chicken with commercial chicken feed or organic chicken feed. Most chicken is easy eaters. They can eat anything. Here is the list of chicken food:

Pellet
Pellet is the most common chicken feed. It consist corn, paddy, wheat, grit, concentrate, and other. The mix depend on the mixer appetite.

Mash
Almost similar with pellet but it is not shape as pellet. The farmer mixes the chicken feed that similar to pellet ingredients.

Photo: Macmorgan08

Chicken Scratch
Chicken scratch consist the whole of grain. The farmer mixes the grain to fulfill the chicken need.
Grain or seed
Chicken feed is included cereal or legume such as wheat, corn, paddy, sunflower seed, barley, sorghum, soybean, mung bean, peanut, and more.
Insect
Insect is the chicken feed too. It is important to fulfill the protein need. Some chicken can find the insect like cricket, cockroach, dragon fly, and others.

Green
Most chicken likes grass and vegetable. They can control the grass or weed in your backyard. If you have left-over from your salad or vegetable, you can feed them with salad.

Read also:

How to make chicken feed
How to feed peacock
How to raise free range chicken
How to feed quail
How to raise chicken with fish

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Pigeon Mite : A Mite that can bite human

If you have a pigeon loft near your house or inside your apartment, you have to clean the loft or cage periodically. The things that can live at the dirty cage is red mite. This thing can suck the pigeon blood and make the bird thin.

Photo by : Mick E. Talbot
This things can been seen with your eyes. The size is similar with the human lice. It is red in color. The population of the mite is increasing when the pigeon raise its baby or pigeon chick.
We can also find the mite beneath the cage bars. They also like the bird feces and nest on it.
To overcome the mite, you can clean the cage. Then wash it with anti mite liquid. This sucker will died in a moment.
The mite also found in chicken cage. They also attack chicken. Perhaps the mite also attack other fowl such as Guinea Fowl, Peacock, Duck, Goose, and else.
The bad news is the mite can suck human blood. When the pigeon leave the nest or when the mite is insufficient blood, they will find other warm blood things such human. The mite could suck the human blood while they sleeping. This mite may not spread the diseases but it disturb you.
Read Also : Pigeon canker 
New Castle Diseases : Kill the bird population
Bird Pest Control at your backyard
American Giant Homer
Jacobin Pigeon

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Pigeon canker : a disease that can caused piegon death

Pigeon Canker is not similar to cancer. This disease is caused by flagellata Protozoa. The Protozoa often attack mouth and neck. Some canker also attack the pigeon liver and it could kill the pigeon dues the liver cannot work.
The diseases can infected the other pigeon. Fanciers should quarantine any suspected canker pigeon. The flagellate can move from the water. The sign of the diseases that the 
For the external canker, we can cure it by glycerin and iodine mix. You can stick at the wounded canker. You can buy the canker medicine at pet shop.
Canker make the bird is difficult to shallow the pigeon diet. The bird must be suffered with it. That is why the weight of the sick bird decrease. They are difficult to shallow the grain. It makes the bird apathy. For pigeon racing, they are lazy to fly.  Some bird is difficult to breath because the yellow stuff in pharyngeal.
Read Also:
How to care baby pigeon
Bird Pest Control at backyard

Sunday, July 10, 2011

How to Sexing Pigeon

Some pigeon lover are often confused to sexing the bird. Both Male or female has similar color. For the experts, sexing the bird is not difficult. Here are some ways to identify whether pigeon is male or female:

Photo By : Swarni Stern
1. The male is usually bigger than the female. It has bigger neck, body, and feet.

2. The voice of male is loud than the female. The male often sing and bow his head to seduce the female. The female often shake the wing that sign she is attractive.

3. The head of the male is usually bigger than the female.

4. The male feather is more beautiful than the female. Most female has dull color. The neck feather has shine color.

5. The female throat can fan while he sing to the female.

6. The V bones of the female is wide, while the male is narrow. This is not easy to sexing with this.

Perhaps you have a tips to differentiate the pigeon sex.

Read Also:
American Swiss Mondaine
Carneau Pigeon: French Squab pigeon
Crowned Pigeon
King Pigeon
Modena Pigeon

Monday, July 4, 2011

Five Famous Domesticated Geese

People has domesticated goose or thousand year ago. This tame animal give benefit to the people i.e the delicious meat and eggs. The Goose is a watchdog too. It can alert us if someone intrude our house. With human care, the bird are protected from predator and bad weather.

The domesticated is more useful than the wild. They produce more eggs and meat. Some region also organize goose exhibition to find the heaviest goose. The domesticated is heaver than the wild. It because human selective to raise the best goose only. There are dozen of domesticated goose. I just explain five famous domesticated goose, like:

photo by: Luciano Guelfi
Chinese Goose
Chinese goose is domesticated goose from China. This is the smallest domesticated goose which is also called Chinese swan. The neck is longer than other goose. The special characteristics of the goose is knob at upper head. Only male has the Knob.

Embden Goose
Embden Goose is a Northern Europe domesticated Goose. Unlike the Chinese, Both gander (male goose) and goose (female goose) has no knob. The color of Embden is cotton white.

African Goose
African goose is similar with Chinese Goose. The color of this bird is white, brown and buff. It gander has knob too upper the beak. The body is more slender than Chinese Goose.

Pilgrim Goose
Pilgrim Goose is domesticated from Europe too. The sexing of this bird is very easy because the color gander and goose is different. The male color is white, meanwhile the female is brown.

Toulouse Goose
The Goose come from Toulouse, French. The color is gray. The special characteristics of the bird is plumage below the beak. This is the most productive egg layer. It can lay up to 160 eggs in a year. This is the progeny goose