Rhodonite is one of the most egg-laying crosses of poultry. Chickens lay eggs even in the most unfavorable climatic conditions. This is the most popular cross among poultry farmers. Red-brown laying hens managed to win the heart of the most picky farmer; they, like no other, are suitable for the Russian climate, because Russian breeders worked on it.
A little about the origin of the cross
Two highly productive breeds were taken as a basis - Loman Brown and Rhode Island. This explains why newcomers to poultry farming often confuse the “parents” with this cross-hybrid, bred by crossing a rooster of the same breed (in in this case American breed Rhode Island) with chickens of another highly productive breed ( German breed Loman Brown).
Comparison of parent breeds and hybrid in the table below:
| Loman Brown | Rhode Island |
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| Focus | meat-egg |
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| Male weight, kg | |||
| Female weight, kg | |||
| Egg mass, g | |||
| Egg production, pcs./kg | |||
| First egg | at 4 months | at 5.5 months | at 6 months |
| Cellular content |
Spreading
Red chickens have adapted well to Russian climatic conditions. The latest line of Rhodonit-3 was developed by breeders in Yekaterinburg, who sought to create a well-bearing breed at low (minus) temperatures environment.
At first, the cross was designed for industrial cultivation, but it was soon appreciated by private farmers and poultry farmers. Therefore, this cross can be found in many farms in various areas Russia, especially with cold and long winters.
Rhodonite standard
These are chickens with light brown or fawn plumage and cream spots. The feathers fit tightly to the body. The inclusions are located at the ends of the feathers of the wings and tail. The body of rhodonites is small, the chest is noticeably convex. The small head has medium-sized earrings and a leaf-shaped flat comb of bright red color, which should not fall to one side. Beak yellow color with a characteristic brown stripe in the middle. The legs are light yellow in color, without feathers.
Another advantage is that the female and the male can be distinguished after hatching within a day. A newborn cockerel is easily recognized by its light yellow color of fluff and noticeable dark spots on its head. Their eyes are surrounded by a yellow rim. The chickens are darker in color, and you can see a light stripe on the back. The eyes are surrounded by a dark brown rim.
If we talk about older individuals, then a rooster weighs more than a laying hen - 3.5 and 2.5 kg, respectively.
Character
Birds have a balanced, calm, fearless disposition. They prefer an active lifestyle and are very mobile. “Movement is life” is their motto. They need to constantly move, so they make a larger walk for them to give them this opportunity.
They behave friendly with other birds and with their relatives, it is alien to them aggressive behavior. They quickly get used to new conditions, do not experience anxiety or stress when moving, so they immediately begin to lay eggs as soon as they settle in. permanent place. They quickly get used to their owner, are not afraid of her and do not run away when she appears.
Productivity of rhodonites
This is a cross that is characterized by high egg production. Laying hens can produce up to 350 eggs/year, with an average of 280 to 350 eggs. They begin to lay eggs early; the first eggs can already be collected from four-month-old young hens.
Eggshells are colored brown, in light or dark colors. Some poultry farmers describe the color of the shell as brown with a burgundy tint. They are small in size, one egg weighs on average 60 g.
The greatest productivity is observed in the first year and a half. In two-year-old laying hens, egg production begins to decline quickly, so on poultry farms the stock is usually changed after 1.5-2 years; on private farms and farmsteads they are kept for up to 3-4 years. However, laying hens are given a so-called “rejuvenation” vaccine, and their productivity is restored for another 80 weeks.
Raising cockerels for meat is not practical because taste qualities leave much to be desired. Weight Limit males reach only 3.5 kg. The meat is tough and is only suitable for cooking broths or soups, and for industrial processing.
Pros and cons of rhodonite
Rhodonites have a number of advantages:
- Early and high egg production.
- Frost resistance - laying hens can withstand frosts down to -20 °C and continue to lay eggs at sub-zero temperatures. To maintain good productivity in winter, the temperature in the chicken coop should be maintained above -2 °C. When the temperature rises above +28 °C, egg production also decreases.
- High vitality. The hatchability of chickens is 87%, the survival rate of young animals up to 17 weeks is 99%, the survival rate of 17-80 week old females is 97%.
- Quick adaptation to new conditions.
- Birds are easy to care for.
The main disadvantage of rhodonite is the lack of a “brooding instinct,” which entails the loss of eggs. Chickens can lay eggs anywhere if they are free-range. When breeding, the incubation method is used, but the characteristics of this cross will not be transferred to the chickens, moreover, they will be weak, small and lay little eggs. Experts also note one of the disadvantages - low meat yield.
Unpretentious rhodonites only one thing is required, this is the absence of drafts in the room where they are kept. However, if you want to get more eggs, favorable conditions are created for them to satisfy their few needs.
Chicken coop or barn
A barn or chicken coop is suitable for growing and maintaining rhodonites, but in any case there must be a yard for walking; cage housing is unacceptable for this active bird.
These birds simply need space, so when buying a population of birds, they calculate the size of the room as follows: each 20 birds must be provided with an area of 10 square meters. m, the height of the walls varies from 170 cm to 190 cm.
The floor in the chicken coop is sprinkled with sand, wood shavings, sawdust or peat.
The air in the room should not stagnate, so provide ventilation. To do this, it is enough to equip the shed with a window or a hole, which is covered with a dense mesh so that rodents do not get inside (it is better if the window is located from the south), but there should not be a draft walking around the room. It is necessary to provide chickens with free access to the street.
Perches are installed in the barn, which are located 1 meter from the floor and opposite the exit. Roosts are not made near windows, as the chickens may catch a cold. Feeders (they should be separate for dry and wet food) and drinkers are well secured to the walls so that birds cannot turn them over. Drinkers are located at a low height from the floor to prevent debris from getting into them.
They equip nests - they must match the size of the laying hen; one nesting place is enough for 2-3 females. They are filled 1/3 with hay and placed 80 cm from the floor.
Although chickens can withstand winter frosts to -20 °C, this does not mean that the barn should not be heated. IN winter time The indoor temperature should not fall below 0 °C. In summer, do not allow the temperature to rise above +28 °C. To cool the air, some poultry houses use wet sheets that are hung on the walls of the coop. Rhodonites do not tolerate heat and cold well, they quickly lose weight and stop laying eggs.
The walking yard is surrounded by a high fencing - a mesh, since chickens can easily reach a height of one and a half meters and fly over. For normal life they need communication not only with their relatives and birds of other breeds, as well as daily walks in the fresh air.
When properly maintained, chickens lay eggs regularly and feel satisfactory. If their productivity drops or they begin to get sick, then care and maintenance rules should be reconsidered.
What to feed?
Since rhodonite is an egg cross, it is necessary for laying hens balanced diet. Only receiving good nutrition, they will lay eggs well and produce eggs rich in nutrients.
Be sure to introduce foods rich in calcium so that the shell is strong - this is chalk, ground shells and shells, limestone. The chickens are provided with fresh herbs and grass every day, and in winter - dried nettles and vegetables. The basis of the diet is grains - wheat, oats, corn. Fish or meat broth is added to the mash to replenish proteins in the body of rhodonites.
They also purchase ready-made feed; they already have a balanced composition of minerals and nutrients.
Feed the bird 2 times a day. The serving size should be such that the chickens eat everything in half an hour. If after this time there is food left in the feeders, then it is worth reducing the volume of portions, since overeating has a bad effect on the health and egg production of laying hens. If the birds managed to eat everything faster than 30 minutes ended, then there is not enough food for everyone, it is necessary to add more.
It is necessary to have a clean drinking water, it should always be in drinking bowls. They change it every day; if it’s hot, they do it more often.
For normal operation The birds' stomachs and intestines are filled with small pebbles or gravel. More information about proper feeding you will find laying hens.
Breeding
As mentioned above, laying hens completely lack the “brooding” instinct. They are bred by incubation or eggs are placed under other hens.
The fertilization rate of eggs is 97%, so it’s a shame to complain about the cockerels here. For getting quality eggs For incubation there should be 1 rooster per 4 hens. If there are not enough roosters, then to increase the fertilization of eggs, a “family” is planted separately - 1 rooster and 4 females, and within a week their eggs are collected, which are then used for breeding.
But when breeding, remember that this is a cross, which means that from its eggs you cannot get high-quality young animals with the same characteristics as the parents. When hatching, the chickens will be weaker and significantly worse in egg production.
Diseases and prevention measures
Rhodonites are hardy chickens that have good immunity To various diseases. If the maintenance and care of the bird is correct, then they rarely get sick.
Timely whitewashing of walls and wooden components in the room and weekly cleaning will also help avoid the development of infections.
Young animals are at greater risk of getting the disease, although adults are also the immune system may fail. A sick bird should be immediately isolated and the cause of its poor health should be determined.
In terms of raising chickens, everything is simple, you only need to adhere to the basic rules:
- The vitality of newly hatched chicks is high, so the entire brood almost always survives to adulthood. From the incubator, the newly born chick is immediately transferred to a heated box or brooder. For heating, it is better to use an infrared lamp, but if the brood is small, then use a blue one.
- The bottom of the brooder is covered with sawdust, and the bottom of the box is covered with white cotton cloth.
- Dried “newborn” chickens are first given a finely ground hard-boiled egg. As soon as all the chicks have eaten, the remaining eggs are immediately removed to prevent food spoilage.
Next enter wheat cereal. The container with it can be left in the room with the chickens and added as needed. A day later, variety is added to the menu - cottage cheese mixed with fresh nettles (finely chopped) or garden herbs, for example, green onions. Ten-day-old young animals are fed food rich in proteins - fish and meat. - In the first days of life, chicks are given a lot of water. weak solution potassium permanganate, which is changed several times a day.
- Babies begin to be taken out for walks from the age of two weeks, if it is warm and dry outside. At first, the walk should not take more than 2 hours. They can be left for the whole day from 1 month in good weather.
Where to buy and what are the prices?
Some private traders sell rhodonites based on photos. It is better to refuse such a purchase, since this bird is appearance similar to many crosses of the egg direction, but in terms of egg production the latter are much inferior to them. Usually red chickens of other breeds or yearling Loman Browns are passed off as this bird. Therefore, experts recommend purchasing livestock from large farms that specialize in this cross. Preference should be given to young animals.
The price for one individual varies from 350-450 rubles; chickens that are only a day old are cheaper - 30 rubles per head.
Chickens were one of the first birds domesticated by humans. Thousands of years have passed since then, but even today they are the main poultry, which are bred not only on an industrial scale, but also in personal backyards. They are divided into the following varieties: breeds, hybrids and crosses. And according to productivity, all varieties are divided into meat, meat and egg.
This article will talk about the egg breed of Rhodonite chickens, which are actively bred in many countries around the world. Rhodonit chickens, in fact, are not a breed, but a cross, the history of which will be outlined below.
General information about the breed
Breeders from Germany have developed many varieties of chickens with improved performance indicators and greater ease of care. They also created crosses, one of best representatives which are chickens of the Rodonite breed (an erroneous version of the name is Radonite chickens). This industrial cross was created on the basis of Loman Brown and Rhode Island - highly productive crosses for egg production. Experts from Germany have developed two new strains. At the beginning of this century, Rhodonite chicken came to our country. At the Sverdlovsk Breeding Poultry Farm, located near Yekaterinburg, they began to improve this cross. The task of the breeders was to adapt these poultry to the weather conditions of different regions of Russia.
The new strain Rhodonit 3, which was bred at this breeding plant, and began to be bred in Russia both on an industrial scale and in private farms. The date of official recognition of this cross is considered to be 2008, when it was included in the State Register.
Characteristics and description of the Rhodonite chicken breed
Representatives of this cross took many positive traits from their “parents”, including the color of the plumage. The presence of certain characteristics in specific individuals is determined by the genes that they received in greater quantities.
Chickens of the Rhodonite breed
Females have a medium-sized head with a yellow stripe running down the center. The beak is yellow. The head is crowned with a larger-than-average leaf-shaped comb of rich scarlet color. The earrings are well developed and have a characteristic yellow color. The plumage is dense and fits well to the body. Its color is light brown, and the feathers on the tips of its wings and tail are light gray. The skeletal structure is compact and not large in size, and its weight is also small.
Important! This cross is autosex - in such individuals the sex of the chicks can be distinguished already at one day of age.
The fluff of newborn cockerels is light yellow, visible on the head. dark spot, around the eyes there is a characteristic light rim. Distinctive features day-old chickens: fluff light color along the back and head, and the rims around the eyes are darker.
Like all other breeds of egg production, Rhodonite, white and colored chickens, have a relatively low weight, while being distinguished by their high egg production, which they inherited from their “parents”. The weight of an adult male can reach 2.8-3.1 kg, and the weight of an adult female is no more than 2.1 kg.
Characteristics of egg production: Rhodonit laying hens can lay up to 290-310 eggs per year. The eggs are quite large - the weight of one can reach 55-62 g. The shell is durable, its color is dark brown.
Eggs are dark brown
Many beginning laying hens are interested in Rhodonite when they start laying eggs. This cross also received precocity from its “parents” - the bird lays its first clutch already at the age of 120 days, and the peak of productivity occurs in the first year and a half of its life. At 2 years of age, laying hens rapidly reduce egg production. But this problem can be dealt with - there is currently an “anti-aging vaccine”. If it is injected into chickens, they continue to actively lay eggs for at least another 2.5 months. Then the herd has to be changed.
Important! Do not be afraid to administer such a vaccine to chickens - it has been tested and does not give side effect. Occasionally, a slight swelling may remain at the injection site, which goes away after a couple of weeks.
According to the description of the Rhodonit chicken breed, they practically lack the gene responsible for the brooding instinct - it disappears in the process of breeding such a cross. But usually crosses are not bred at home - the chicks will not be able to obtain all the breed qualities, and breeding crosses is only possible on an industrial scale, when this process is supervised by specialists.
In the description of Rhodonite chickens, it is worth mentioning their character. These crosses are unusually mobile and active, but are not at all aggressive. They adapt well to new living conditions, get along well with other inhabitants of the poultry house, even young cockerels do not fight with males of other breeds.
Although these chickens survive well even in winter and there is no need to additionally heat the house in winter, it is worth remembering: in order for laying hens to continue laying eggs in winter, the temperature in the room must be maintained at least +3⸰С.
Heating chickens is not necessary
Nuances of breeding
Since these birds are unpretentious, even novice poultry farmers can keep them - it is enough to have a shed on the site without cracks, and also fence off an area for them to walk, where these chickens can actively move. Along the way, they look for food in the area - grass, worms or bugs.
For this chicken cross, you should arrange perches and nests in the barn. Usually the number of nests is calculated based on the number of laying hens - one nest for 2-3 females.
In winter, these individuals feel good even at low temperatures, but the hens practically stop laying eggs. Therefore, the chicken coop should be maintained at a positive temperature in winter, and the room should be regularly ventilated.
When keeping it on the floor, you should take care of the bedding - the floor can be covered with sawdust, straw, or river sand. To keep the room dry at all times, damp bedding is changed at least every 6-8 days.
Chicken coop litter
Feeding for this egg breed must be special. After all, if laying hens do not have enough certain macro or microelements, they will lay eggs worse, and the quality of the eggs and shells they lay will sharply deteriorate. In addition to special feed for laying hens, the diet of the Rhodonit cross should include:
- grain mixtures;
- boiled and fresh vegetables;
- potato;
- chopped herbs (parsley, dill).
In winter, these chickens should also be given dry nettle, which is prepared in advance, into their diet.
Before you start breeding these crosses, you need to have a good idea of how to raise Rhodonite chickens. The chicks are highly resilient; up to 100% of the young survive in appropriate conditions. After hatching, the brood is placed in a box, near which infrared lamps are installed for heating. Soft cotton fabric is placed at the bottom of the box.
When the newborn chickens are dry, they can be given a hard-boiled egg, finely chopped with a broken shell. Chickens get full quickly; after ½ hour all food should be removed so that it does not turn sour.
Hard boiled
But pure water The chicks should always have it in the drinking bowl. They also leave crushed grain for the chickens so that they can eat at any time of the day. Subsequently, the diet of young animals is introduced dairy products(including cottage cheese), greens. From 14 days they can be given meat, fish, and fresh worms. Subsequently, the chickens are gradually transferred to adult food.
Advantages and disadvantages of the breed
This type of crosses has the following advantages:
- excellent egg production;
- chickens of the Rhodonite breed lay eggs even in winter;
- unpretentious and not aggressive;
- high vitality;
- The cost of chickens is much lower than that of young animals of other egg-laying breeds.
But this variety also has a number of disadvantages:
- at slaughter the meat yield is low;
- representatives of the breed are overly active;
- It is necessary to arrange a place for walking.
Despite the disadvantages, this breed is already quite popular among farmers who breed chickens for their egg production. Rhodonite crosses are also kept on an industrial scale, since maintaining them is quite profitable.
Chickens are the most popular type of poultry; humans have been keeping, breeding and selecting them for thousands of years.
One of the popular breeds of these domestic birds in Russia is the Rodonit chickens, bred relatively recently at the Sverdlovsky poultry factory in 2002-2008. In this article we will look at the description and characteristics of rhodonite chickens and laying hens.
To breed the Rhodonit 3 chicken breed, Rhode Island roosters and Loman Brown individuals on the maternal side were used, and therefore the variety obtained during selection has characteristics of both species.
The breed is distinguished by a medium-sized head, a yellow beak with a stripe in the middle and large bright red earrings and a leaf-shaped crest. The plumage, close to the body, has a light brown color with dirty white patches at the ends of the feathers in the area of the wings and tail.
Temperament and keeping characteristics
Rhodonite is characterized by mobility, a high degree of activity, lack of aggressiveness, and adaptability.
Suitable for both industrial breeding and small home breeding subsidiary farming. One of the features of the breed is the unpretentiousness and adaptability of chickens, which allows them to be kept in a regular poultry house without perimeter insulation. This breed tolerates temperature fluctuations well, but to increase egg production in winter, the house should not be colder than 2 degrees below zero.
Fever over 28 degrees in summer time It is also a factor that reduces egg production. At home, it is recommended to keep the poultry house clean by periodically disinfecting the walls and ceiling by whitewashing the room. In a poultry farm, the density should not exceed 20 birds per area of 10 square meters.
Chickens need rhodonite Fresh air provided there are no drafts in the poultry house.
Laying hen rhodonite: weight and egg production
There are five types of chicken separation:
- Egg breeds.
- Egg and meat.
- Broiler chickens.
- Decorative breeds.
- Fighting ones.
Rhodonite is classified as a member of the egg type. Although many breeders raise this species also for meat. In a year, females can lay about 300 eggs, and the egg-laying period begins at four months of age.
Laying hens rhodonite in the pen
The eggs are relatively small in size, weighing about 60g. Eggshell dark- Brown. Most high degree Egg production is observed in the first one and a half to two years. It is noteworthy that there is a special vaccine that can increase the reproductive capacity of a middle-aged laying hen to its original levels for approximately 80 weeks.
The breed is distinguished by its light weight. Rhodonite laying hens reach a body weight of approximately 2 kg, roosters weigh on average about three. The bird's skeleton is characteristic of laying hens, characterized by compactness and lightness of bones. Chickens can be easily distinguished by gender already in the first day of life:
- Cockerel down color yellow tint, chickens have brown down.
- Characteristic for cockerels dark circles around the eyes, in chickens - light.
Feeding
The birds are fed with combined feeds and mash with the addition of fish or meat broth. In addition to compound feed, wheat or wheat cereal can be given as dry food. Rhodonite's diet must contain minerals and vitamins, so even in winter it is recommended to use vegetables and dry herbs (nettle) for making mash.
Ground shells or eggshells, chalk or limestone are given as a source of calcium, since the lack of calcium in the diet leads to thinning eggshells in laying hens, or even its complete absence. To improve digestion, small stones or gravel are mixed into the chickens' food. Chickens from the first to the eighth week of life are fed with combined feed PK-2, with a transition to PK-4 after the young animals reach eight weeks of age.
In terms of feed costs, the Rhodonit cross is distinguished by a slightly higher degree compared to other common varieties of egg breeds. Thus, the average feed cost per head is about 42 -43 kg for 18 months, while the feed cost per 10 eggs is approximately 1.36 kg or 2.10 kg of feed per kilogram of egg mass.
Breeding chickens of this species is only possible using an incubator.
Due to the fact that laying hens have an extremely poorly developed brooding instinct, breeding rhodonite chickens requires the indispensable presence of an incubator. Experts recommend purchasing chicks from large poultry farms.
Due to the high survival rate of young animals, this method is the most appropriate. But even when choosing the Rhodonite breeding method by purchasing chickens, the presence of at least one rooster in the flock is still necessary. Actually, the presence or absence of a rooster does not affect the level of egg production, however, according to the advice of experienced breeders, the presence of a male helps to maintain a kind of discipline in the poultry house.
Chickens of the Rhodonite breed Diseases and treatments
Like other birds, Rhodonite chickens can sometimes get sick. The health of the bird is an indispensable guarantee of high egg production. Some of the most important conditions for this are keeping the poultry house clean with timely disinfection and optimal feeding with saturation of the body with the necessary complexes of vitamins, minerals and nutrients.
Chickens are less susceptible to diseases:
The body of chicks is most susceptible to diseases. However, adults can also suffer from a number of diseases that can lead to a deterioration in the well-being of birds, as a result, to a decrease in egg production or even the death of birds in especially severe cases. Here are some diseases that rhodonite chickens, including cross rhodonite, may be susceptible to:
To summarize, we can separately say a few words about the advantages and disadvantages of the Rhodonite breed. The advantages of the breed include:
- High egg production.
- Ability to adapt to different temperature conditions while maintaining egg production rates.
- Feed unpretentiousness.
- Good survival rate of young animals.
It should be especially noted that it is precisely the high rates of egg production in the harsh climatic conditions of our country that every year make Rhodonite chickens more and more popular among farmers involved in breeding poultry.
The only disadvantages include the lack of brooding instinct in Rhodonite females, which makes breeding chickens impossible naturally with the help of a hen hen. However, the low mortality rate of chicks allows these chickens to be bred using an incubator or by purchasing day-old chicks at a poultry farm.
Thanks to modern developments And scientific research Rhodonite chickens were bred in the poultry industry. The first representatives of the breed were presented at a poultry plant in Sverdlovsk. Varieties of chickens differ in the purpose of use: eggs, meat, fighting and decorative. This breed is designed to produce eggs.
Birds have a lighter skeleton, low weight, and also high physical activity. They have well developed earrings and combs. Chickens begin to lay eggs early age(about 4 months).
Chickens of the Rhodonite breed have one peculiarity: already in day-old chicks, sex differences can be determined. Small cockerels have light yellow down and a brown marking on the head, while hens are brown with a lighter back and head. In addition, in cockerels the area around the eyes is light-colored, while in hens it is dark.
Appearance of the bird
Externally, the bird resembles such breeds as the Rhode Island. She has small head and a yellow beak with a yellow stripe in the middle. Large red earrings. The leaf-shaped scallop is also of the same color.
The feather has a dense structure and fits well to the body of the bird. The color is predominantly light brown with a grayish tint on the wings and tail. The skeleton is light and compact, like other laying hens.
Productivity level
A chicken can reach up to 2 kg, a rooster – 1 kg more. Egg laying begins at the age of 4 months, with an average of 300 eggs per year. The greatest productivity of a bird occurs in the first year and a half of life.
After this period, egg production drops significantly. However, if the bird is given a special vaccine, active egg laying resumes for up to 80 weeks. Laying hens of the rhodonite breed have eggs that are brown in color and weigh about 60 g.
Five years ago, research was carried out at the Izhevsk poultry farm, which consisted of comparing three breeds of laying hens: Rhodonit, Hisek Brown and Hisek White. They were compared in terms of food requirements, egg production levels and egg nutritional value. Several thousand birds from each breed took part in the tests.
As a result, the Rhodonite breed lagged behind the others by 0.5-1%. But what’s interesting is that these birds have the highest egg production at low temperatures. This is an indisputable advantage of the breed due to its resistance to cold winters.
Features of maintenance and care
Rhodonite chickens require the main condition of keeping - the presence of supply and exhaust ventilation in the chicken coop. Most in a simple way This can be achieved by installing a window. Or you can make a hole in the wall of the chicken coop and cover it with a thick mesh to prevent mice and rats from entering.
- Height up to 1.7-1.8 m.
- Temperature conditions from -2 o C to +28 o C.
- No drafts.
- For 10 sq. It is not recommended to keep more than 20 chickens.
Feeders are installed on the floor along the walls, separately for dry and wet food. The presence of sides will minimize feed spillage. Drinkers are installed at a low height.
Disease Prevention
To minimize the risk of avian diseases, it is recommended to regularly disinfect the chicken coop. To do this, dilute 2 kg of lime in a bucket of water, mix everything thoroughly. The resulting solution whitens the floor, chicken perches and walls.
For the same purpose, you can wash the chicken coop with lye. To do this, take 2 kg of wood ash and a bucket of water.
Feeding chickens rhodonite
Chickens of the Rhodonite breed, like other breeds of laying hens, require full feeding. The main diet of poultry consists of vegetables, fresh herbs(dried nettle in winter), crushed egg shells, chalk, grain, etc. Poultry farmers recommend feeding birds special combined feeds.
When using compound feed, it is preferable to give chickens from 1 to 8 weeks of life PC-2, and then switch to PC-4.
Mineral supplements
Laying hens must have in their diet minerals, which are involved in the process of shell formation. Their deficiency can result in eggs with thin shells or no shells at all.
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