Do broilers lay eggs at home and bird keeping rules?
Broilers are bred to produce tender chicken meat in the shortest possible time. Breeders have bred a special breed of chickens that are gaining weight in a record 1.5-2 months. The meat is fragrant, juicy and with fine fibers. Those who think about breeding such birds inevitably ask themselves whether domestic broilers lay eggs, whether the breed can be used to obtain all types of chicken products.
Do broilers lay eggs at home?
The broilers obtained by crossing two breeds (Cornish and Plymouthrock) were conceived by breeders in order to quickly get the maximum carcass weight. Chickens are rapidly gaining weight and at the age of 1.5-3 months go to meat, having 1.5-4 kilograms.
Broiler breeds begin to rush later than ordinary chickens, not earlier than 7-9 months, while the taste characteristics of meat become worse. Productivity also leaves much to be desired - 2-3 eggs per week.
Eggs are much larger than normal eggs, since they have a mutation - 2 yolks. Due to their large size, when passing through the oviduct, they often get stuck, chickens need help. The offspring from two-yolk eggs practically do not hatch or are greatly weakened.
Summing up, we can say that you can get eggs from broilers in small quantities, and also later than from real layers. When the owner decides to slaughter the poultry, the quality of the meat will be low, and not the same as that of a young broiler.
How to get eggs from broiler chickens
In poultry houses, owners try to get both products from chickens. Especially for such purposes, breeders improve broiler breeds, creating crosses with an expanded set of advantages.
Crosses with improved egg production and viable offspring were bred - ROSS-308, ROSS-708, Smena-8, Gibro-6, Broiler-M. These broilers start laying at 5-6 months. They give 150-180 eggs per year.
To help broilers run better, you should:
- maintain a balanced diet;
- carefully monitor the conditions of detention;
- it is necessary to observe the bird, as large layers have difficulties in hatching eggs.
Owners should also remember that even if the chick can be bred, it will not inherit its parental properties. Broiler qualities are not transmitted.
Important: vaccinations and special food developed for broiler breeds help to avoid diseases.
What are their eggs good for?
The eggs obtained from crosses differ in an impressive size - 60-65 grams. Double yolk is always present, which is very rare for simple layers.
For food
Eating is the main way to use broiler eggs. The taste of the products is excellent, not inferior to the usual ones. Studies have shown that the beneficial properties are also preserved.
Due to their size and difficulty in passing through the oviduct, the shells may crack. Therefore, the integrity should be checked before storing, wipe the shell with a rag, remove dirt and adhering debris.
For incubator
In the process of breeding, the parental properties of the crosses were lost, broilers do not incubate. You can only breed offspring from them in an incubator. The eggs are collected and stored at temperatures up to 18 °. The recommended air humidity is no more than 80%.
The process of hatching crosses is complex, but the chickens will turn out without the ability to quickly gain weight, that is, not broilers. Experienced poultry farmers prefer to buy ready-made chickens, since independent breeding of crosses is impossible.
Collection and storage features
Sedentary chickens often peck, stain or crush eggs, so they collect the produced product twice a day. It is best to do this after the first feed and in the middle of the day.
When collecting, they try to hold eggs in their hands less so as not to damage the protective shell. Store products in a cool place.
The eggs are best consumed within 5 days, as the quality is steadily decreasing in the future.
The specifics of keeping broiler egg-laying
Those who decide to combine obtaining meat and eggs from broilers need to know the basic rules for caring for poultry:
- It is important to maintain a balanced diet for chickens - a lot of greenery, shell rock.
- Feeding in small portions 3 times a day.
- Rushing chickens are not allowed to sit constantly - they are encouraged to move more. This makes it easier to release.
- Do not overfeed - the bird is prone to obesity.
- Monitor your health - broilers are often sick, as they are bred for a short period of life. Protect the bird from drafts, maintain cleanliness in the room, air humidity.
- If the chicken is sluggish or, conversely, too restless, does not eat for several hours, the cause may be a stuck egg. To facilitate the exit, the hens do a prophylactic light massage of the abdomen.
- In order for chickens to form eggshells, foods containing calcium are added to the feed - vitamins, chalk, shells, crushed shells.
When keeping broilers, you need to maintain a full-fledged diet that helps chicks gain weight quickly and carry them well in the future..
Growing crosses is not easy. It is best to buy chicks from well-known, well-established breeders. Many do not combine the production of meat and eggs at home - they grow layers and broilers separately. In any case, you need to carefully choose breeds and heed the advice of experienced poultry farmers.
