Sunday, January 30, 2011

Interesting facts about chicken

We are familiar with chicken. Perhaps, we often eat the chicken, say three times a week. Chicken contain protein that is essential for our body. You should know the fact of the chicken.

Chicken has been domesticated for more than ten of thousand years. Our ancestors raise them in the cage, or the free range. They feed them with cereal, seed, grain, and vegetable. In human hand, the meat production and egg production have been increasing. Some chicken hen can lay up to 300 eggs in a year; while, jungle fowl can lay only 50 eggs in a year. The domesticated chicken weighs up to 12 pounds. The scientists also have developed some chicken breed from various chicken breed in order to get the best breed which can lay much eggs and grow fast.

The ancestor of domesticated chicken is red jungle fowl. Now, the chicken can be found in India, Malaysia, Burma, Thailand, and Indonesia. The rooster is red partridge in color and the hen is dark brown in color. It has single comb, double witted and red earlobes. The chicken weighs only 3 to 4 pounds.


Chicken eggs

Chicken eggs weigh around 50 g. It is a delicious and full nutrient food. There are various shield color, such as, brown, white, blue and green. Most hens lay brown eggs.

Hatch eggs

The hen can hatch dozen eggs. Not all can hatch the eggs. Some breeds do not want to hatch eggs, such as, Sebright bantam, Buff Catalans and others.

Only hen hatch and raise the chick. The rooster will leave the hen alone. The hen hatches the eggs for 21 days or three weeks. The hen raises the chick for two months.

Chicken size

Chicken size is various, ranging less than half kilos to six kilos. The biggest chicken is Jersey giant which weighs 13 lbs. The smallest chicken is Serama Bantam. Serama is a Malaysian Bantam which weighs less than a half kilogram. Malaysian bantam is an ornamental bird due to its size.

Chicken speed

It can run 9 miles per hour. You cannot catch it if they run fast.

Chicken can fly like a bird.

The jungle chicken can fly for short range only. Some domesticated chicken can fly too, for instance, Sebright bantam. The longest distance flown by chicken is 301.5 feet.


Spurs

Most Male chicken has spurs. This is the weapon of the chicken. We can find few hens with spurs too. Black Sumatra chicken has more than one spurs at each legs. This is a pit rooster.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Vorwerk Chicken : Germany dual purpose chicken with beautiful dark golden feather

Oscar Vorwerk, an Germany chicken breeder, has developed a chicken breed that is called Vorwerk. This chicken has wonderful dark golden color. The head, and neck toward to shoulder is dark brown and color. The tail is also brown in color and the remain feather is buff in color. Mr Vorwerk has developed this chicken from various chicken breed such as Buff Orpington, Lakenvender, Buff Sussex, and Andalusian. I think the buff color generate from Orpington and Sussex, while the dark color is generate from Andalusian.

Like Europe Chicken Class, Vorwerk is fat with thick plumage. The feather can cover the chicken skin from the winter. This chicken is well-adaptable with bad weather. The rooster is 2.5 - 3.2 kilogram, while the hen is 2-2.5 kg in weight. Vorwek is also available in Bantam version, which is 650-765 in weight. The chicken has wide and long breast. It also produce much meat.

Vorwerk also produce much eggs so this chicken is  dual purpose chicken breed. A hen can lays approximately 170 eggs in a year. The hen also start laying eggs at day 165 or six month. This is a fast layer like Rhode Island Red.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Jacobin Pigeon : The pigeon whose has uniqueneck feather


Jacobin has unique feather at the neck that fan from upper neck toward to shoulder. It takes a monk name, Jacobin. This pigeon is a fancy pigeon that have been developed from pigeon that have been mutation. They have color variation such as brown, white black spot, pale gray, black, white and more. Some Jacobin has unique color, for example white head with black color neck or brown color neck. They have small head relative to its body. The feet are red and have no feather. Jacobin is raised for ornamental bird.
The body is longer and more slender than the ancestor, rock dove.

Photo by : jim.gifford

Friday, January 21, 2011

American Giant Homer : The greatest Pigeon

American giant Homer is a best American pigeon bird for meat purpose. As guess its name, the giant has large body and wide breast. Weighing 22 to 27 ounces, this bird is heavy as French Mondaine or Giant King. They must have much delicious meat.
This bird is the descent of rock dove or rock pigeon which is smaller than the Giant. American breeder has been success to produce this breed.
The head is round and big with proportional beak. The feet are red in color. The nostril is small like their ancestor rock dove. They have color variations such as, White, Black, Brown, pale gray with two black bars on each wing, and more.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Anatomy of duck

Ducks is the fowl that we can see almost everywhere. They have body that is suitable for swim. They breast is longer than chicken but the small feet of duck can stand their slender body. Most ducks can fly even some domesticated duck like Indian runner, Muscovy duck and others. The spread of wing is wide.
The beak is thin and wide that is good to find the food at the water. When ducks eat the fodd, they will throw the water beside the beak. The duck as some "teeth" at the beak that is very important to catch the fish, snail, water insect, mollusca, and other water things. We know that the fish skin is so smooth.
In human care, the duck got grain, seed, concentrate and other poultry feed. It is not difficult to care duck.
The feet of duck are short. On the other hand, the duck has long neck.
Duck has thick feather that is able to cover the skin from water. The oil keeps the feather dry. The drake or duck male has more beautiful feather than the hen. The drake uses it to attract the hen.
The duck will nest at hay, or nest box. They can lay 7-15 eggs in a clutch. Some hen goes broody. Only hen incubates the eggs for 28 days or four week. The eggshell is thicker than chicken



Read also : Bali Duck

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Cayuga Duck : A Native American Duck

Cayuga is an origin American breed duck that has beautiful green beetle color. This bird is almost black in color include the bill and the feet. As where is gets name, The Cayuga origin is Cayuga Lake. Now the duck is everywhere.

Beside the black beautiful color, the duck is also care for its meat and egg. The drake is quite heavy, weighing three kilogram while the hen is two half kilograms. The hen produces big egg, which size is 50-60 grams or similar to Rhode Island Red eggs. Due the hen lays around 200 eggs in a year, it is good for laying egg duck. The hen will go broody.

Photo by : Fabio Verenesi

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Lady Amherst Pheasant : Colorful Pheasant from Asia

Lady Amherst Pheasant is a pheasant family to like Golden Pheasant. The hobbyist often crosses the lady with Golden pheasant.  The performance is similar to other pheasant family which has slim and slender body. The tail feather beyond two-third of the bird long.
Male Pheasant
Female Pheasant


The feather is beautiful with beautiful long tail feather. It is hard to explain the color of the bird.  The upper head is red light in color. Below eye and the beak, we can see black color like bread. The front neck feather is black edge green light in color toward to breast, while, the back neck is black edge silver. The shoulder is blue light in color. The wing that covers the body color is black beetle in color; while the breast is white in color.
The iris eye is white in color. The beak and feet color is gray. The male has spurs like rooster.

Male Photo by: Chapmank75
Female photo by : JustChaos

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Frizzle Chicken or curly Chicken : Bird whose has uncommon feather

Some chicken has uncommon feathers with common chicken. Each feathers is curved back or curly. Frizzle chicken is not a chicken breed but it is a mutant. The genetics change the types of feathers.

All Chicken breed has frizzle feathers. The Frizzle genotype is recessive to common feathers. If you want to produce frizzle chicken, you should cross breed a normal chicken with other chicken. I had two Frizzle chicken i.e. naked neck frizzle and indonesian native chicken frizzle. The color of naked neck is red partridge; while the other chicken is silver duckwing pattern in color. The Naked neck had been killed by diseases. I thought it was snot.
In my country, a breeder also develop Frizzle bantam. The bantam looks geek and funny.

Photo by bandita

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Bali Duck : crested duck from Bali, Indonesia

As guess its name, Bali duck origin is Bali, the most famous tourism destination at Indonesia. Bali duck is pure white in color either male or female. They have unique crested at upper head that similar to a white ball.
They have long and slender body that is similar to a bottle. That is why Indonesian people also call this duck bottle duck or Itik Botol.  Like other common duck, it has long neck. The bill and is orange in color. The bill is long and wide so they can find food below the water.
Bali duck is an Indian runner duck too. It is descendant of wild mallard.
Bali duck is an ornamental duck but we can raise this duck for egg production. The eggs production is very high. A hen can produce 200 eggs in a year so this is also good for commercial duck layer.

Photo by : qwwrty

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Cut the Polish Chicken hair

Polish Chicken is a unique ornamental chicken whose has crested. The crested often cover the eye so they difficult to walk. Some polish chicken owner cut the hair. I think it is a funny activity.
The Crested hair is long. The owner supposedly cut the hair


The owner is better to cut the hair so they can find the food easily. If you want cut the crested, you can use a sharp scissors. You do not have to go to pet salon to cut this chicken hair. Order your friend to hand the chicken. You cannot cut the chicken hair alone. Do not hold the chicken hard because it can make the chicken stress.

Photo by : justchaos

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