Rooster and everything connected with it. How long do they live, where do they live, what breeds are there?

What does a rooster look like?

Initially, you need to understand that each rooster looks different. However, characteristic features are still present in appearance. The first is bright plumage, although it varies among all individuals, even within the same species, it is certainly bright.

The second is the tail. They are long and fluffy, and the color of the tail is as colorful as the whole body. The head of this bird is decorated with a crest, popularly called a crest. Its color may vary, but in most cases it has a red tint. The beak is small, but sharp and slightly curved towards the bottom. Under the beak and on the sides of it, the rooster has fleshy flaps called a beard.

These birds have quite long, relative to their height, and strong legs with three toes and a spur on the back of the paws, which they use for defensive purposes. The number of fingers varies among different species. A rooster can hardly be called a small bird, since adults are capable of growing up to 30-50 centimeters in length, and reaching a weight in the average range of 2-4 kilograms.

Rooster photo

Who are dominant people?

Dominant (from Latin dominans “dominant”) is a term used in different subject areas: Dominant in music is the dominant tonality or its level, contrasting with the main one. Dominant in architecture is a building or structure that dominates the architectural environment.

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Differences between females and males

In these birds, there are many differences between female and male individuals. Externally, these birds can be distinguished by gender by the following differences:

Appearance. Females have simpler and more modest colors, which most often have one shade. Chickens have a less pronounced comb and beard;
Size. Chickens are significantly smaller than their feathered companions, both in weight and height. The difference in weight can reach two kilograms;
Behavior. Roosters are much more aggressive than hens. During the mating season, fights often occur between roosters, in which one of the birds may well die.

Peculiarities

Decorative chickens and roosters have decorated farmsteads for decades. Let's look at the main features of these birds.

Unusual color. This is the first thing that catches your eye. Such birds may have multi-colored feathers or a monochromatic unusual color. For example, the Ayam Tsemani breed, very rare in our time, has black plumage, crest, eyes and even bones!
Dwarfism or gigantism. The size of ornamental chickens may also differ from the standard one. They are often tiny - their weight does not exceed a kilogram. And, on the contrary, huge, with a weight approaching broilers.
Interesting feathers. The feather shape of ornamental chickens may differ from the feathers of their counterparts. For example, the Chinese Crested Chicken has feathers that resemble fluff, and from a distance they look like chickens or fluffballs.
Additional decorations. Often this type of chicken has a comb, a crest, leg cuffs made of feathers, and a particularly long tail. All these elements clearly emphasize the difference between ordinary chickens and decorative ones.

Where do they live?

These birds can be found almost anywhere in the world, as they are completely domesticated birds. Although in theory it is possible for them to live in the wild, provided there is a warm climate. However, they cannot survive in nature for two reasons:

Roosters cannot tolerate cold weather, and most likely will not be able to survive their first winter in the wild;
These are not flying birds, which means that in the wild they become easily accessible prey for all predators.

A larger number of the total population live on industrial farms. Another small part is from private breeders in households. And the smallest part is found in houses. It is possible to keep decorative roosters at home.

These birds are distinguished by their unpretentiousness to living conditions. To carry out their own life activities, they only need minimal living conditions. Some species live their entire lives in cages, while for others they build chicken coops, where these birds create small nests for themselves.

Video

Long-lived record holders

A chicken from Ukraine of the dwarf breed Gannusya, who lived to be eighteen years old, became a record holder. But this was only until 2010, when a new bird appeared in China, living to be twenty-two years old. If you convert the years to chicken age, she was four hundred years old. During her life she laid five thousand eggs.

Experiments by Japanese scientists have shown that domestic chickens are long-lived. The birds were deprived of food for a month - they were given only water. Each individual survived, and later many of them lived to be eighteen years old.

What breeds of roosters are there and their differences. Types of breeds

In nature, there are many species of roosters, which are divided into five groups:

Meat. These birds are heavy. They are bred for meat;
Egg. This group is for fertilizing chickens and increasing the number of livestock;
Egg and meat. Such roosters are endowed with the positive aspects of egg and meat;
Fighting ones. This group is bred for cockfighting;
Decorative. These birds are very small and are kept at home as pets.

However, among the most common are the following types:

Australorp

Lives in Australia. All other types of roosters included in the meat group originated from this species. This bird is characterized by its absolute unpretentiousness to living conditions. Their plumage is colored in shades of green and purple. Against such a dark background, the earrings and bright red comb look even more impressive. They have a very calm disposition.

Rooster Australorp

Moscow black

This is a large species that can reach 3.5 kilograms in weight. The color is impure black, as the name might suggest, but with red patches. You won’t get any conflicts from this bird with any inhabitant of the yard, and they don’t even care about severe frosts.

Moscow black

Cochin

This is another frost-resistant species, thanks to its thick plumage of various colors from golden and white to bluish and blackish. These birds are larger than the previous species, as they can reach a weight of 5 kilograms. The basis of their diet is various soft foods. It has an unusually shaped small tail, with sickle-shaped feathers overlapping the tail feathers.

Rooster Cochin

Brown

This is an artificially bred type of rooster, which appeared as a result of crossing a white rooster with a red one. The meat of these roosters is considered one of the most delicious.

Brown rooster with hens

Pushkinsky

This species was born after crossing three species: Leghorns, Australorps and Moscow Whites. Relative to the species, these are small birds weighing only 3.5 kilograms.

Rooster Pushkinsky

Orpington

This species has short legs and a straight, short tail. The color of the feathers has different shades. In terms of living conditions, they are real picky people. They need regular exercise outside the coop, and special attention should be paid to the bedding, which needs to be changed or cleaned regularly.

rooster Orpington

Leghorn

This small rooster weighing 3.5 kilograms is found in Italy. This species is one of the few in the family that is capable of flight. Although not for long distances, they are capable of flying to the top of a tree. Their plumage is variegated with black or gold splashes.

rooster Leghorn

Brahm

Another selective species, to obtain which the Malayan species and Chittagong Grays were crossed. They do not require special care to reach a weight of 4 kilograms. This species does not like heat, so they live in northern latitudes.

rooster Bram

Hercules

This is one of the largest species, the weight of which can exceed 3.6 kilograms. Plumage can be varied. They are grown in most cases in cages.

rooster Hercules

Dorking

These birds first appeared in Ancient Rome. They differ in that with the approach of winter, for the purpose of insulation, they are able to increase the volume of plumage, and with the end of the cold weather, get rid of it.

cock dorking

Master Gray

It is still not known for certain which species were crossed to create this species. They have very beautiful silver plumage. This is the largest species, weighing up to 7 kilograms.

Rooster Master Gray

Azil

This typical representative of a fighting group has a cruel character. The bird reaches a weight of 3.5 kilograms and has multi-colored plumage. His only requirement for living conditions is the absence of dampness.

rooster Azil

Hairy Bantamk

These birds do not even reach a kilogram in weight, so they are classified as dwarf roosters.

Hairy Bantam with a chicken

Dominant

These roosters were bred in the Czech Republic and are very picky about their living conditions. They reach a weight of 3 kilograms, have long legs and a light color with a light spot on the head.

cock Dominant

Orlovsky

These roosters survive well in the difficult northern climate, but they do not take root in warm places. Therefore, when arranging a place of detention, it is necessary to install a canopy. They are large in size and have dense plumage in six different color options.

Rooster Orlovsky

Phoenix

These roosters are easy to recognize by their luxurious long tail and gray legs with a beak. The bird is not large in size and weighs only 2-3.5 kilograms.

rooster phoenix

Eleventh place

Our rating continues with a truly natural wonder. We are talking about Bald Israeli chickens, specially bred by Professor Avigdor Kohaner. The professor explained his research by saying that in the Israeli heat, chickens don’t need plumage at all, and after 25 years of vigorous activity, he managed to “turn off” the unnecessary gene. Of course, bald chickens with reddish skin are unlikely to decorate any chicken coop, because their appearance, to put it mildly, is specific.

So far, the meat breed is not at all widespread. After all, some breeders are wary of them, and conservationists even rebel against such experiments on birds.

What do they eat?

First of all, it should be understood that the diet for different groups of rooster species and the purposes of their breeding differs. So, breeding roosters need a large amount of protein food and vitamins. In addition, various special additives will not cause harm. And, for example, for the meat group you will need more food of animal origin. In addition, roosters can be fed with mixed feed, which will also not cause any harm.

Photo of a rooster from behind

Cochin

Rooster breeds: description and photos

The Vietnamese breed is very similar in appearance to Brahma chickens. Due to low productivity, it is almost not used for breeding in Europe and Russia.

But at the end of the 19th century there was a whole fashion for these birds in European countries. There is no standard color for the breed; they have white, red, and fawn leading colors. On farms and breeding plants you can find various colors of Cochins.

The body is massive with a small head. The uniqueness of the appearance is given by the feathering on the paws, such peculiar “pants”.

The live weight of Cochin reaches 3.5–4 kg. They lay 100 to 120 eggs per year. It is noteworthy that the southern breed grows easily and lays eggs at fairly low temperatures. For this reason, in pre-revolutionary Russia it was quite popular among chicken breeders.

The birds are calm, sometimes even phlegmatic, prone to obesity, good hens take care of the chickens. Cochins are very expensive. Perhaps this explains their small numbers on European farmsteads and farms.

This bird at home, what to keep, what to feed

Initially, it is necessary to build a place for the bird to live - a chicken coop. It should be quite spacious and bright. However, it must be insulated, otherwise most of the livestock may die in the first winter. It is also necessary to provide them with a place to walk, enclosing it with a fence. However, when creating living conditions, it is very important to take into account the individual requirements of each individual species.

An important role in maintenance is played by the diet, which is different not only for birds of different species, but also for different rearing purposes. However, in almost all species the diet is based on protein foods and vitamins. They feel great after eating many dairy products, meat, and insects. These birds get the necessary vitamins from various types of grains, vegetables and fruits.

Roosters fight

General recommendations for keeping large chickens

Large chickens need a lot of space

When setting up a chicken coop, it is important not to overpopulate it with birds - 1-2 birds are planted per 1 m2. Perches must be strong to withstand the load

They are placed at a height of no more than 60 cm and equipped with ladders - large birds cannot take off due to their weight.

For giant chickens you will have to install several feeders. The length of the feed strip for representatives of meat and fighting breeds is 35 cm. A walking area will have to be built near the chicken coop. Its area is calculated based on the number of livestock - for 10 birds, 20 m2 of free space is enough.

Large chickens need a spacious enclosure

The diet of birds consists of grain mixtures, vegetables and herbs. Meat breed chickens need a lot of protein to build muscle tissue. The feed is enriched with additives - chalk, crushed egg shells, bone meal, yeast. Twice a year the birds are given vitamins, for example Chiktonik.

Interesting facts about roosters

The name of the bird comes from the word “Sing”. Moreover, the origin differs in different languages. For example, in Australia it is “the bird laughing at dawn”, and in France it is “the singing dawn”;
Roosters have long served as living alarm clocks for people. Roosters were raised not only in Rus', but also in eras much earlier, for example, in Ancient Greece;
People have long believed that when a rooster crows, it drives out all the evil spirits in the area back into their world;
According to Christian customs, the rooster is a harbinger of the apocalypse. According to legend, the day this bird remains silent will be the end of the world;
The rooster has been a symbol of St. Apostle Peter, and therefore the entire Catholic Church, for twelve centuries;
In Ancient Egypt, roosters were divine creatures, symbolizing the third guardians of the night;
In the Ancient world, roosters were considered symbols of victory for their courage, perseverance and perseverance, and therefore their images can often be found on the shields of those times;
Ancient people determined the outcome of the upcoming battle by the appetite of the roosters. If a bird eats grain with appetite, then you can safely go on the attack, because victory awaits, but if the bird refused to eat, then the warriors did not expect victory;
The Chinese painted the image of a red rooster on the doors of their houses to protect themselves from fire. By the way, this tradition is still alive in some regions of China;
One of Genghis Khan’s generals carried a rooster with him everywhere to check his own biological clock with it. The Russian commander Suvorov did the same;
In Germany, a monument was erected to the rooster because he helped lift the siege from the city. This was in the 16th century. The city was surrounded by foreign troops, and the siege would have continued for a long time if the rooster had not been allowed to walk along the fortress wall. The enemies, seeing a rooster on the wall, decided that there was a large amount of supplies in the city and retreated;
In 1783, a rooster, accompanied by several other animals, flew in a hot air balloon for 8 minutes. Despite the fact that the balloon broke at a height of half a kilometer, the entire company descended to the ground safe and sound;
The rooster found its place on the coats of arms of Kenya and Trinidad and Tobago, and became a symbol of France, Portugal and Sri Lanka;
Roosters are true polyglots, since in different countries they crow in different languages;
In 1945, one rooster was able to live without its head for 18 months because it still had one ear and the base of its brain still in place. After this, many farmers tried to repeat this experience, but not a single individual lived more than a couple of days.

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Listen to the rooster crow
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Mechanism of the mating process

Chickens are birds that live only in flocks and never alone. Any flock has its own rooster - the leader. The leader has access to any chicken at any time and can trample them as many times as he needs. If this right is somehow limited by other males, then fights occur, sometimes ending in bloodshed.

Ritual games are an important stage in the mating process. The rooster does not immediately trample the hens, at first he usually spins around the female and begins to lower one wing. After some time he begins to stomp. During the mating process, the rooster jumps on the hen, tramples her and with his beak grabs the female by the feathers on the back of her head.

Chickens reproduce using the cloaca, an expanded part of the intestine that opens outward through a hole under the tail. When a rooster tramples a hen, the birds' cloaca is everted and the rooster's testes come into contact with the hen's cloaca. At the same time, seminal fluid is released, which enters the female’s genital tract. The seed can remain active in the hen’s reproductive tract for about 20 days, and all the eggs she lays during this period will be fertilized and ready to hatch.

Mating proceeds very quickly, this process is repeated quite often. A healthy male is capable of mating up to 22 times a day, and the quality of the sperm depends on the frequency of this process. If a rooster tramples hens too often, the sperm concentration decreases significantly

And, conversely, with a decrease in the number of copulations, the concentration of germ cells in the seminal fluid increases. In order to maintain flock numbers and ensure a high rate of fertilized eggs, it is important to determine how many roosters should be kept in the flock

Popular beliefs

There are many popular beliefs associated with the rooster. Thus, the Eastern Slavs considered singing to be the most important function of birds. It is the crow of a cock that indicates the beginning of a new day, the retreat of darkness and evil spirits. With its scandalous disposition, the rooster is a fairly sensitive creature, capable of predicting changes in the weather. On the eve of a rainy day, even with a completely clear sky, the bird becomes restless, sings randomly, and is scared.

Black roosters are considered quite rare. These birds have long been classified as witchcraft and a direct connection with the other world was attributed to them. But keeping such a bird on the farm is considered a good sign: a black rooster reliably protects property and its owner from thieves and other ill-wishers.

When building a house, the Slavs traditionally sacrificed just such a bird. In the cultures of many nations, the black rooster is considered a symbol of material well-being and prosperity.

Fighting styles

Fighting cocks are classified according to their fighting style. Bird fighting styles can be divided into 4 types:

Straight (sometimes also called riding). This name speaks for itself - the rooster attacks its opponent in a straight line - striking with its beak in the head or chest.
Sent. Consists of intercepting the enemy. Roosters attack from behind, assaulting the enemy with blows to the back of the head, without exhausting him.
Circular. The rooster walks in a circle and strikes the enemy from behind.
Thievish. Not the most spectacular type of fighting, but birds that are capable of fighting like this are very valuable. This is all due to the fact that such roosters dodge blows and hide, protecting their lives.

Feeding

To keep the brood healthy, several rules must be followed:

if the chick eats poorly or rarely, then it must be fed using a pipette, which is filled with egg yolk and milk;
feeders are filled to one third;
the place in which the chickens eat should be well lit;
Birds should always have access to water - for 50 chicks one vacuum drinker is enough;
3 times a week the chicks are given a weak manganese solution;
Feeders should be periodically washed with soapy water, and food debris should be removed daily.

Domestic wrestlers

Orlovskaya. A unique domestic breed, which is currently bred mainly for exhibitions. Roosters are aggressive, very strong. Advantages: high viability, endurance and ease of cultivation.

The distinctive features of Oryol roosters are high, strong legs, a uniquely curved long neck with rich plumage, a spherical scruff, overhanging brow ridges, and a short yellow beak, which gives the bird a predatory appearance. The crest is small, low-lying, overgrown with bristly small feathers. There is a light brown beard and sideburns. The tail is well feathered. Plumage of various tones: scarlet, white, mahogany, calico, considered the most attractive. The average weight of roosters is 3.1 kg; the best specimens reach 4.5 kg and above.

Video “Decorative chickens on the farm”

This video contains an overview of ornamental breeds and tips on their maintenance (author - Main Farming Portal).

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