When we hear the word "broiler", we immediately recall the delicious tasty chicken. The meat of such birds can be bought in a store or on the market, but you can also grow them yourself. However, not all farmers are able to distinguish broilers from their usual relatives. In this article we will look at the features of these chickens and learn how to choose chickens when buying.
Description of broiler breed
Broiler Chicken is a meat bird artificially bred by crossing different breeds. Active distribution of broilers began in the 60s of the twentieth century in America. Since then, they are popular with both owners of factories that grow birds for the mass sale of meat, and ordinary people who want to have their own chicken farm. 
Did you know? The word "broiler" derived from english broilwhich means "fry on fire".
Such chickens grow in a fairly short period of time (about 70 days). It is not profitable to keep a broiler for more than two and a half months - the bird will not grow much more than the achieved size, and there will be a lot to eat.
Because of their rapid growth, these hybrids are very voracious; eat birds every 2 hours. Break at night should not exceed six hours.
The advantage is also the ability to live in a small space. The only condition is that it should be warm and clean.
Broilers do not breed at home. If this happens, the next generation loses its meat qualities. 
Features of the breed standard: appearance
Hybrid birds differ from their egg relatives in a number of visual and physiological features.
Body structure
Since broilers are a meat species, their body structure is more meaty than that of egg chickens.
It will be interesting for you to get acquainted with the list of the most meaty breeds of chickens, as well as to learn about the peculiarities of keeping such a meat breed as the "Jersey Giant".
- Rectangular body with a wide breast.
- The thighs of such chicks are elastic and muscular.
- The paws are shorter than other breeds, but more stable and thick, so that they can easily withstand a rather heavy weight.
- The wings are also shorter than the relatives.
Important! The head of a weekly broiler will seem awkwardly large in relation to the body, but with time everything will normalize and become proportional.
Color
Adult broilers are completely white, but the chicken must be completely yellow. If the proposed chick has color spots, then it is representative of egg breeds.
The egg breeds of chickens include the Moravian Black, Russian White and Minorca.
Broilers have very small, unremarkable scallops and no earrings. This is due to the fact that this species is not predisposed to the continuation of the genus.
Weight
The usual weight of a newborn chick is 40 g. This is significantly more than that of egg breed chicks; their weight is from 30 to 35 g. If the weight of the chicken is greater than the standard, then it is likely to grow into a very large individual.
After 10 days, the feathery weight approaches 180-200 g.
Monthly chicken gains weight about 1 kg. 
An adult individual weighs 2-3 kg, while at the same time, an ordinary hen is no more than a kilogram.
Behavior features
Broilers not only externally but also differ in behavior from other chickens. This species is very voracious and constantly in search of food. Little chickens are actively responding to noise. They immediately move to the source of the sound, thinking that they will be fed.
Despite the activity in search of food, the rest of these birds are quite calm. They can stay in one place for a long time. For their breeding does not require a large area. Even in small rooms, these birds feel good.
Broilers are not sociable, but not aggressive. In contrast, egg chickens are more sociable. 
Did you know? Broilers can be not only chickens, but also turkeys, geese, and even rabbits.
Selection rules when buying
It is necessary to think in advance where to buy chicks, how to choose them, and how to distinguish them from other birds.
It will be helpful for you to learn how to raise and maintain broiler chickens, how to feed broiler chickens correctly, and how and when to feed nettles to chickens.
Where to buy
Here are the most common options:
- On the market - The advantage is that you can buy birds around the house. But the positives end there. When buying chicken from hands, one cannot be sure that this is a broiler, as farmers, as a rule, cannot confirm the "pedigree". In addition: buying on the market, one cannot be sure that the chicks were kept in appropriate conditions and received all the necessary vaccinations.
- At the poultry farm - guaranteed to get exactly the claimed breed, but the health status of the chick remains in question. There are frequent cases when the poultry farm sells rejected, weak birds. The price of such copies can be very attractive, even lower than in the market.
- At the incubator station - buying chicks, you can be confident in their breed and health. Such stations closely monitor the condition of the young. The disadvantage is that batches of chicks are limited and can be reserved in advance.
How to identify
It may be difficult for an inexperienced poultry farmer to recognize the chick of the desired breed among many others. And yet it is possible.
Small broilers should be pure yellow with no spots. Outwardly unsightly, with a wide breast and an overly large head. The paws, on the contrary, are shorter and thicker than other chicks. Scallop small, earrings are missing.
It will also be useful for you to find out which diseases of broiler chickens are classified as infectious and which are non-infectious, why broiler chickens die, than to treat diarrhea in broilers.
What to look for when buying
When buying birds, you should pay attention to the following factors:
- the chicken must be active enough;
- stand firmly on the legs;
- visually the nestling should be "pulled up", the skin should not hang anywhere;
- there should be no traces of blood or litter on the skin and feathers;
- legs and beak grayish tint;
- in general, the chick should look healthy - clean, without external flaws;
- to check the behavior of the chick, you can gently knock on the box - active, healthy individuals will immediately head towards the sound.
It is advisable to check with the seller whether the birds received the vaccinations.
Important! Do not forget that the price of good meat birds will be quite high. It is not necessary to chase the cheap, because this may be hiding defective, sick chicks.
If you want to breed meat chickens, you should first determine the place of purchase, and then carefully select each individual. Following the simple tips outlined in the article, you can buy excellent, healthy broilers, which in two or two months will give a lot of good chicken.
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