Many poultry farmers are thinking about owning Faverol chickens. Chickens are known for their docile nature, tasty meat and high egg production. From this article you will learn about the main types of the Faverol breed and signs of non-breeding, about the feeding and maintenance features of such birds, and read reviews of people who kept this breed. All this will help you decide whether the Faverol breed is right for you.
History of breeding
Chickens of the Faverol breed were bred in the 18th century. To obtain this species, 5 breeds were taken (Brama, Manta, Gudan, Dorking, Cochin). The breed was officially registered in 1886. By the end of the 19th century it was widespread throughout France. It was one of the best views at that time. At the same time, Faverols were brought to Russia, and they appeared in America only in the 20th century.
On the neck there is a visible mane of loose feathers, smoothly flowing into the back. There is a distinct collar at the base of the head
Later, in England, exhibition chickens were first bred and the external characteristics of the bird were determined - its standard. And German breeders improved the productivity of the species, while maintaining the decorative nature of the breed.
Feeding the chicks
The traditional diet of meat-egg young animals is quite suitable for French cubs. At a very early age, babies are fed yolk with fine corn grits and greens. Cottage cheese and yeast are added to the diet periodically (at least once every 2 days).
The younger generation needs to be given warm water or warmed glucose syrup. Subsequently, suitable feed mixtures with a high protein content are selected, and boiled vegetables are gradually introduced. In addition, vitamin and mineral supplements are regularly given to growing organisms.
Description of the Faverol chicken breed
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Faverol birds are distinguished by their well-built physique and light bones. The muscles are well developed. The back is long and level. The chest is round in shape, slightly protruded forward. The wings are located high and pressed tightly to the body. The legs are properly developed with abundant feathering.
The main important feature of the breed is five-toed
The neck is of medium length. The head is small, slightly flattened, but beautiful. The beak is strong, short, and the color can range from white to pink or yellowish. The comb is leaf-shaped, stands erect, and is red in color. The eyes are round, medium in size, red-orange.
Interesting!
The main important feature of the breed is its five-fingered feet. The fourth and fifth toes should be well separated, with the claw of the fifth toe pointing upward.
Creamy skin. The plumage is abundant and loose. The feathers are soft. On the neck there is a visible mane of loose feathers, smoothly flowing into the back. There is a distinct collar at the base of the head.
Signs of poor breeding
It is very important to monitor the purity of the Faverol breed. The offspring obtained from mixing with other breeds of chickens will be less hardy than the previous generation, and in the future may lose their characteristics.
The main sign of poor breeding of a Faverol hen or rooster is underdeveloped muscles. A very squat or, conversely, very tall body, a thin or insufficiently long neck, an uneven back (for example, too arched), a long sharp tail - all this leads to the culling of birds from the pedigree herd.
It is also worth paying attention to the paws: birds without a fifth toe, with a “hawk’s heel”, or with an incorrect position of the fourth and fifth toes will not be able to pass standardization.
The absence or insufficient size of a chicken's hairstyle, and slight plumpness of plumage on the neck and sides of roosters are also a sign of poor breeding. A yellow beak, a disproportionate crest, and an excessive number of feathers on the metatarsals indicate a mixed breed.
Varieties of Faverolles chickens
There are only three varieties of Faverolles chickens.
Photo of Blue Faverolles chicken breed
- Blue Faverolle is fixed in the standard of the species. The color can be blue in combination with salmon. The appearance of birds of this species is elegant and unusual. Faverolle blue chickens are not found often and are more expensive than other varieties.
Important!
It is very easy to distinguish a rooster from a hen, because the male most often has a different feather color and is larger in size.
Photo of a chicken of the Salmon Faverol or Lachshuner breed
- The Salmon Faverolle or Lachshuner is a breed whose hens are light in color and whose roosters are black with ivory feathers on the loins. Outwardly it is a very beautiful bird, bright and pleasant. Salmon Faverolle is often grown as an ornamental plant.
- The Colombian breed Faverol can be either Colombian or silver. The main color of the pen is white with a black tip. Roosters and hens of this variety have the same color, but the males are brighter, have lush plumage and are larger in size.
Photo of Colombian Faverolles chicken
Method 4 “Ventsexig” or “Japanese”
Without professional skill, it is better not to undertake this method of determining the sex of one-day-old babies. The essence of the method is based on the difference in the structure of the genital organs. In the anus, very close to the surface, in cockerels a small genital tubercle is formed, which is not present in hens. Currently, most European and all Japanese factories use this method, since its accuracy is 92-98%.
Ventsexig has side effects. Often, with rough intervention, the thin mucous membrane of the cloaca is injured, infections are introduced - as a result, the chicken gets sick and dies before it reaches the age of one week. The method is effective for several hours after hatching. But in one hour, up to 800 babies can be checked in this way, if you have sufficient dexterity. So, let's look at the description of the method:
Remove feces
The chick's abdomen is carefully squeezed with three fingers of the left hand over a special container for feces. If it is liquid and not all is removed, you need to wipe the anus with a cotton swab. Fix the chicken
To do this, the chick is taken with all five fingers of the left hand and turned upside down. Lightly hold the head, spread the legs with the right hand and fix them. The cloaca is opened. At the same time, spread the hole and press on the tummy towards the legs, carefully inspect the hole for the presence of a genital tubercle.
Character of chickens
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Chickens of this breed have a calm disposition. They get along with other breeds without problems, quickly get used to the owner (in 2-3 days), and are very trusting. Birds are curious, inquisitive and observant. They can simply stand still and look at what interests them for a long time or run around the area squealing for goodies.
The rooster is strong, but not aggressive, does not start fights and usually does not even defend territory. This is both a good and bad trait, because more cocky roosters of other breeds can literally peck at him. So you need to carefully monitor this and do not put roosters of this species in the same coop with fighting males.
The rooster is strong, but not aggressive
Important!
Faverol chickens are not found in poultry farms and poultry farms in Russia, so you can only purchase high-quality, purebred individuals abroad. The birds sold on the market under this name are most often just crossbreeds.
Identifying chickens
There are several methods to find out the sex of a chicken. But each of them gives no more than 80% accuracy. So the risk that he will grow into a rooster and not a hen, or vice versa, is still quite large. But then how do they carry out culling at poultry farms, because there the accuracy is 100%. How were they able to achieve this?
How to distinguish chickens in poultry farms
There, the problem of determining gender is solved very quickly and simply. The fact is that factory chickens are crosses specially bred for production. Thanks to selection, already at one day of age they have excellent sexual characteristics, which are expressed in the color of the chicken. That is, all beige chickens are hens, and white ones are future roosters.
You can also find information on poultry breeding forums that back in Soviet times, some poultry farms used one experimental method. It also gave 100% accuracy. They say that it involved the use of ultrasounds. They selected an ultrasound that would attract the hens and scare away the cockerels, or vice versa.
Then all the livestock gathered in a large area or in a large room. There were speakers on one side and they emitted this ultrasound. The floor they were luring gathered around them, and the rest crowded further away, namely against the opposite wall. Poultry farmers could only redistribute the chickens into cages.
Chicken color
By the color of the fuzz of chickens, you can accurately determine the sex not only of factory crosses. There are breeds of chickens that are called autosex. That is, sexual differences manifest themselves from the very first days. These breeds include: Legbar, Leghorn, Rhode Island, Italian Partridge, Silver Adleria, etc. Thus, in most of these breeds, day-old cockerels have a striped color, and the hens are uniformly white, gray or black.
If we talk about other breeds, then each has its own characteristics. For example, brahma hens have clear stripes on their backs and clear dots on their heads, while cockerels have blurry stripes. You can recall in more detail the breeds of Rhode Island and New Hampshire. On the second day of life, dark spots and stripes on the head are clearly visible in females, while in males they are absent.
As you can see, there is no single correct distinction for all breeds. Some have males that are more colored, while others have females. But if the breed is autosex and you know what color each should have, then distinguishing a cockerel from a hen will not be difficult. Therefore, if you want to buy chickens on the market, it is better not to rush and look for literature for a more detailed acquaintance with the proposed breed.
We distinguish by the wing fan
Another method that works well in practice. But unfortunately, it is not 100% accurate. But this method is also used quite often. It consists in the fact that the female’s wing fan should be red with a white tip. And males have a white spot in the middle of the wing.
Japanese method
Another one hundred percent method for determining the sex of chickens already at 15 hours of age. The fact is that cockerels have a small genital tubercle near the cloaca. Females do not have it. Making a diagnosis is very simple. You need to take the chicken and carefully examine the area around the cloaca. If you find a characteristic tubercle, it’s a male, and if not, then it’s a female.
Another interesting method
This method, although not 100% accurate, has a very impressive accuracy of more than 70%. It involves taking the chicken by the legs and lifting it upside down. If it is a chicken, then it will hang with its head down. Well, if there is a cockerel in front of us, then he will try to raise his head. But at what age this method works most effectively, opinions among poultry farmers differ. Therefore, decide for yourself whether it is worth using it.
Gender test: on the left is a cockerel; on the right is a chicken
Breed characteristics
The Faverolle chicken breed is distinguished by its productivity, so many breeders choose this species.
- A rooster weighs up to 4.5 kg, chickens - 3.5 kg.
- The meat has a delicious taste, is tender, and contains little fat. It tastes a little like pheasant.
- The carcass can be plucked without any problems; usually it is not even singed. The skin is of commercial quality, like the whole carcass as a whole, with well-defined muscles.
The meat has a delicious taste, is tender, and contains little fat.
- Egg production per year is 180 pieces. The bird's eggs weigh up to 60 g, the shell is brown with a pink tint.
Interesting!
The most delicious meat is found in those Faverol chickens that were raised free-range and consumed not only grains and mash, but also pasture.
The fifth reason is gastronomic
If the first four reasons are not enough, then there is another reason to fall in love with this breed of chicken - white tender meat, which has a rich taste and fine-fiber structure. In France, restaurateurs especially value free-range faverolles: their meat is more aromatic and tastes like pheasant.
The carcass of a 4-month-old cockerel has a very appetizing appearance, has a large breast with thin and light bones
Firewood meat at the age of 6-7 months is just as tender and juicy, and cooks in the same time as that of young broilers. Another significant advantage of the breed is that there is no need to singe the carcass; feathers are plucked easily and quickly.
In France, there are still dishes that are prepared exclusively from poultry of this breed.
We offer a recipe for one of the simple traditional dishes of Faverolles - tender chicken breasts for a festive feast.
Ingredients:
- chicken breast (fillet) – 4 pcs.;
- apple (large) – 2 pcs.;
- mushrooms (champignons) – 200 g;
- Calvados (apple vodka) and sour cream - 6 tbsp each. l.;
- butter – 50-70 g;
- salt and pepper - to taste;
- greens (parsley) – 1 bunch.
Cooking algorithm:
- Salt and pepper the breasts.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan, fry the meat over high heat on both sides until half cooked (about 10 minutes), place on a plate.
- Cut the apples into slices (4-6 parts) and core them.
- Add oil to the pan and fry the apples until a crust forms. Add them to the chicken.
- Fry the mushrooms (large ones can be cut into pieces first) over high heat, stirring, for 3-5 minutes.
- Add meat and apples to the mushrooms and heat.
- Pour Calvados into the pan and set it on fire. After the flame goes out, add sour cream little by little, mixing the ingredients with the sauce. Reduce heat and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Place on a plate and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley.
Boiled potatoes, rice or homemade noodles are perfect as a side dish for this delicacy (and don’t forget to pour dry red wine into the glasses!).
Features of maintenance and care
It is recommended to raise Faverolle chickens using the floor method. There should be approximately 4-5 chickens per square room. Comfortable perches are made in the chicken coop at a distance of 50-60 cm from the floor, but a ladder is placed on them so that the birds can easily reach their sleeping place. They also set up nests for laying hens, a place for feeders and drinkers. It is advisable to install a basin with sand and ash for cleaning feathers.
Comfortable perches are made in the chicken coop at a distance of 50-60 cm from the floor
Dampness and drafts are unacceptable. It is necessary to ensure ventilation, good lighting and warmth in the room (preferably heating). The bedding is made of straw, sawdust or peat, in a layer of 10-15 cm. This breed requires cleanliness due to its abundant plumage and feathered legs. So cleaning is carried out every day and once a week the litter needs to be partially replaced, removing dirt.
Important!
Faverolles chickens are prone to obesity. If you do not need to fatten them for meat, then it is worth providing the bird with daily walks in the fresh air. Such physical exercises will allow them not to gain excess weight and avoid illnesses.
The bedding is made of straw, sawdust or peat, in a layer of 10-15 cm
The walk is spacious. If there is not enough space in the chicken coop or on the run, egg production will decrease - chickens of this breed are very sensitive to cramped conditions. If it is not possible to have a walk, you can simply let the chickens out into the garden for walks. These chickens usually do not dig, so the crops will not be damaged. And since this breed does not fly, chickens do not need a large fence.
Productivity
The bird has tender white meat without fiber. The skin is thin, feathers are easily plucked. The young individual grows quickly. Active growth begins at 2 months of age. Usually, at 5-6 months, the bird goes for meat. At this age, the cockerel gains 3-4 kg of weight, and the hens gain about 3 kg. It is worth noting that the meat of Faverolles is highly valued.
The bird begins to lay eggs at the age of six months. In the first year of life it produces about 180 eggs. Its average weight is 50-60 grams. After a year, productivity decreases, dropping to 120-130 pieces per year.
There is no standard shell color. It can have a pinkish tint, yellow and even brown. In order to increase egg production, it is necessary to provide the bird with at least 13 hours of daylight. For this purpose, chicken coops are additionally equipped with lighting.
However, when breeding this breed, you need to understand that this is not a laying hen, but a meat chicken. Therefore, you should not expect good egg production.
Breeding Faverolles
The Faverolle chicken breed is usually bred using an incubator, but females have maternal instinct and can sit on eggs. For breeding, eggs are taken from hens one year of age or older. And for the eggs to be fertilized, it is necessary that there are approximately 5 females per rooster in the chicken coop.
Hens have maternal instinct and can sit on eggs
Important!
Inbreeding can lead to degeneration of the breed, the appearance of defects, and deformities in chicks. For this reason, professional breeders divide the herd into different pens according to age.
After birth, chicks are usually raised in a brooder. They grow quickly, gain weight well and usually do not get sick if the brooder is clean and high-quality, nutritious food is fed. At first, the chickens are given a boiled egg and steamed corn porridge. From day 5 you can include chopped greens and vegetables, bran, and yeast in your diet. From 2 months, birds should already eat whole grains and crushed corn. You can also give feed for young animals. At 3 months, the young animals move into the main herd.
Chickens grow quickly, gain weight well and usually do not get sick
Hatching instinct
The presence of the brooding instinct in laying hens and the degree of its development is one of the most controversial topics. Half of the farmers claim that the hens cope well with their maternal responsibilities and tenderly care for the offspring, while others note the restlessness of the hens and a weakly expressed maternal instinct.
Only one thing follows from this - the maternal instinct is not well developed in all hens, and it is necessary to carefully select candidates for the “position” of the main hens.
There is a simpler method - you can use an incubator, which is what many farmers do, especially if we are talking about a large number of eggs.
How to feed chickens
The diet is complete, otherwise there will be a lack of vitamins and minerals and the birds may develop a wide variety of diseases. Every day they need to be given dry grain and wet mash of greens and root crops and vegetables. With normal feeding, the female produces approximately 2 eggs in 3 days. If productivity is lower, then feeding needs to be improved.
To simplify this task, use simple feed. But it is not cheap, it is much more profitable to give simple feed - grain and mash, adding crushed chalk, meat and bone meal, silage, vegetable cake, premixes.
For normal digestion, there should be a bowl with crushed shells, gravel and sand in the chicken coop and on the run. Drinkers are installed on the run and in the chicken coop so that the birds can always drink enough. It is best to change the water every day so that it does not stagnate, does not get dirty and is always fresh.
In winter, instead of greens, you can give herbal flour or herbal granules
Important!
In winter, instead of greens, you can give herbal flour or herbal granules. Silage or sprouted grain can also be a good alternative.
Diet
In order for chickens to develop normally, they need to be provided with a balanced diet. The bird's diet must include:
- Sources of calcium. Sources of calcium include bone meal, fish meal, crushed shell rock, crushed eggshells, and chalk. It is worth noting that crushed eggshells are not the best option, since chickens can recognize an egg in it, which will subsequently provoke pecking. Chalk is also not an ideal source of calcium, since if consumed frequently, it can clump in the gastrointestinal tract and lead to blockage.
- Mash. They are very good because they contain all the elements necessary for chickens. The mash can be cooked in meat broth; you can add table salt, vegetables, cereals, grains, etc. to them.
- Cereals. Grains are the basis of a chicken's diet. Grains should account for at least 50% of the food consumed. They can be given either whole or crushed. In addition, many poultry farmers practice feeding sprouted grains. It should be given to the bird when its egg production is unsatisfactory. Cereals are best given in the morning and evening.
- Yeast. They need to be included in the diet only when the chicken is lagging behind in development and needs to gain weight.
- Fresh grass. Fresh grass is a good source of nutrients for chickens. In addition, fresh grass will significantly reduce the costs associated with feeding poultry.
Reviews about the Faverol chicken breed
The Faverol breed of chickens, according to reviews, has many advantages, but it also has significant disadvantages.
- Olga Yakusheva: “I’ve been raising Faverolle chickens for 3 years now. I am completely satisfied with the birds. They are no different in content from other types. However, starting around January, I put them on a diet so that the chickens lay eggs well in the spring and the rooster is active. If this is not done, the hens and rooster become lazy. I recommend this species to everyone, the birds are productive, although you need to get used to breeding them.”
- Andrey Gorbunov: “The breed is good. Birds not only provide high-quality meat and eggs, but are also sociable and have a good disposition. If you teach them to eat goodies, they will often ask for them at the fence! In addition, Faverolle chickens look beautiful, I breed the Salmon and Blue varieties - they look very original and really decorate the yard. I let my birds roam all over the garden, they help a lot with weeds, and they also destroy pests well!”
- Svetlana Kotova: “I stopped raising Faverolle chickens several years ago. They are certainly beautiful, and there is a good selection of subspecies. But I wasn't happy with the productivity. The eggs are small, the female does not produce many of them, and the bird is of medium size, not of the best meat quality. So in my case, the breeding did not live up to expectations, but as a starter breed, for training, before breeding more productive species, I can recommend them.”
Variety of suits
Salmon faverolles are also called lahschüners. Here there are some differences between males and females. Chickens have feathers that are red-pink in color with a snow-white border. The belly and sternum are decorated with feathers of a lighter shade. This color is called salmon. The feathers have a white shaft. On the tail and neck there are brick feathers with a reddish tint. The predominant color on the belly and sternum is snow-white.
Roosters boast charcoal, brick, whitish and amber speckled feathers located on the sternum, belly, wattle, sideburns, and tail. The back is decorated with ivory-colored feathers. The feather collar is covered with emerald-black or copper-brown shiny stripes.
For further reproduction, it is not recommended to use birds with the following disadvantages:
- males without red feathers in the first order, as well as on the back, without colored spots on the cervical collar, with an excessively mottled belly, with no beard, without white specks on the belly and sternum;
- females that do not have a salmon color, with the presence of black feathers in the beard.
It is important! Breeders who have only brown spots on the neck collar are selected for selection. This feature helps preserve the purity of the breed.
According to the standard, fireballs can have the following suits:
- blue;
- salmon blue;
- white;
- ermine;
- fawn;
- black;
- berken (light – birch);
- splash;
- white-red;
- striped.
As for the silver color, there are no differences in color between hens and roosters. The tail and mane along the feather shaft have blue-black stripes and an emerald tint. Feathers along the contour with a white border. According to the standard, the tail feathers of hens and the large braids of roosters should have the same border.
The flight feather is black with white trim. When the bird folds its wings, the black color is no longer noticeable. Feathers in the second order, as well as down, have no inclusions.
The following are subject to culling:
- hens and roosters with a gray pattern;
- faverolle with solid black feathers on the mane, yellow plumage.
The white suit is characterized by the presence of a pure white color in both males and females.
Blue - a feather of blue color, there may be different color intensities with an outlined outline of the feather.
Signs indicating a breed defect:
- Individuals with underdeveloped muscles, as well as those with a short, squat, very tall body that does not have a trapezoidal shape are subject to culling. This also includes chickens with a convex or arched dorsal region, a sharp and narrow rear half of the body.
- Four-fingered birds, chickens with non-standard coloring of the metatarsus (blue, yellow), incorrect position of the toes (5 and 4), with a yellow beak, a large comb, long tail feathers and too prominent pads in the area of the rump do not take part in breeding work.
- A short, narrow neck, insufficient feathering of sideburns and beard, with cuffs on the metatarsals, and lack of feathering (hairstyle) on the head of chickens are also considered defective.
Possible diseases
Breeders worked specifically on a breed with high immunity, which explains the resistance of firewood to various diseases.
If the care rules are followed, chickens look cheerful and quickly gain weight. Diseases are caused by: wet litter, rotten feed, the presence of small rodents in the poultry house that carry the infection.
Signs of disease are inactive birds and refusal to feed. A weakened individual is transferred to another room to avoid infecting others. It is better to consult a specialist for advice so as not to lose valuable livestock.
You can avoid attacks by lice eaters by timely sanitizing the premises, as well as by having baths with sand-ash mixtures.
