Key Technical Points and Scientific Feeding Management Methods for Black Silkie Chicken Farming

The green-shell laying hen is the standout breed in the 2011 laying hen series; the profit from its eggs is higher than that of other laying lines, and its nutritional value is also higher, which is determined by its genetic makeup. The purebred Five-Black green-shell laying hen is not only in short supply. Moreover, its culled chickens fetch 2 times the price of other chickens on the market, and demand exceeds supply.  The Five-Black chicken” has black feathers, black skin, black meat, black bones and black internal organs, and its eggs are green. It is a rare superb poultry that combines natural black food and green food in one, and its green-shell eggs are hailed as the “Oriental Divine Egg, Pearl of Cathay”, making it an extremely ideal nutritional health product.            I. Chicken House Construction The chicken house should be built in a ventilated, sunny place. Along the front and back of the house, a 70 cm×120 cm lighting and ventilation window can be opened every 3 m. On one side of the interior, place perches, drinkers and feed troughs, distributed at equal intervals inside the house. At the same time, open a small door 160 cm high and 70 cm wide on the sunny side, and outside the door set up an exercise yard covered with sand. Ordinary chicken houses are generally suitable for raising green-shell laying hens, and the house can also be adapted to local conditions using an idle room or a simple shed.  II. Incubation For breeding eggs, select those weighing more than 40 g and use artificial incubation. Key points of incubation technology: ① Temperature and humidity: for batch incubation, constant-temperature incubation is preferable, and each batch of eggs should be placed in a staggered arrangement. When setting eggs, place them with the large end up on the egg tray. From day 1 to day 18 of incubation, the temperature inside the incubator (egg surface temperature) should preferably be 37.8°C in winter and 37.5°C in summer, and on day 19 of incubation transfer them to the hatcher. Be careful to place the breeding eggs flat, with the machine temperature at 37.2°C in winter and 37°C in summer. The relative humidity should be 60% from day 1 to day 18, and 70% from day 19 to day 21. ② Turning: turn the eggs once every two hours at an angle of 90 degrees. ③ Hatching: generally hatching begins on day 20, and by day 21 hatching is basically complete. ④ Disinfection: breeding eggs must be disinfected once half an hour after laying and once before setting. After hatching is complete, do a good job of cleaning and disinfection, commonly using formalin fumigation or spraying disinfectants such as Baidusha.  III. Nutrition and Feeding The period within 30 days after hatching is generally the brooding period. The key during brooding is keeping warm; the warming method is the same as for other chicks, generally using an electric brooder umbrella plus an underground flue, while small-scale farming uses infrared lamps for warmth. Within 3 days after hatching, about 33°C is suitable, then lower it by 2°C each week; the principle is that the chicks are evenly distributed around the heat source. Give water first, then feed. Feed full-price chick feed all day, 4 to 6 times per day. During brooding, also pay attention to ventilation, with density generally 40 to 50 birds per sq m at 10 days of age, 30 at 20 days of age, 20 at 30 days of age, and about 10 after 20 weeks of age. After 30 days of age, use quantitative feeding to prevent early maturity and excessive fattening. The body weight of hens at 20 weeks of age is generally controlled at about 1.16 kg, and that of roosters at about 2.01 kg. Breeding chickens can be kept in groups of 100 to 200. In addition to restricted feeding, where conditions permit, light restriction should also be applied to breeding chickens; it is best to start raising them in a dark chicken house after 8 weeks, with 8 hours of light per day. During the laying period, the light requirement is up to 16 hours per day before laying begins at 20 weeks of age, and 16 to 17.5 hours at peak laying. At 20 weeks of age, change the young chicken feed to full-price laying breeding chicken feed, and add water-soluble multivitamins, etc., to the drinking water. Farmers raising them can feed some green vegetables or green grass, generally about 20% of the total feed, but do not mix it into the dry feed for feeding. Feed consumption of laying hens is about 85 g per bird per day. Pay attention to regularly adding medium-coarse sand grains, at 6 kg to 7 kg per 1000 birds. Nest boxes can be set up in the breeding chicken house, using wooden boards to make rectangular laying nests, put in fine sand, and keep the environment quiet and dry.  IV. Disease Prevention and Control Disease prevention should run through the entire feeding process. Newly hatched chicks must be injected with Marek's disease vaccine. Chicks should be given medication once each at 1 to 5 days of age, 12 to 14 days of age, and 35 to 37 days of age when disease is common and management is poor, for 3 to 5 days each time. To prevent bacterial diseases such as Salmonella and E. coli, the preferred drug is enrofloxacin, using 100 ml of a 10% solution dissolved in 100 kg of water for half a day's drinking, or 10 mg per kg of body weight. In addition, drugs such as tylosin and doxycycline are used to prevent respiratory diseases such as Mycoplasma. Regularly use disinfectants such as Baidusha for drinking water disinfection. Around 3 weeks of age, pay attention to preventing coccidiosis. At 7 to 10 days of age, carry out Newcastle disease strain II vaccine by nasal drops or drinking water, and at the same time vaccinate against fowl pox. At 12 to 14 days of age, give the first vaccination against infectious bursal disease by drinking water; it is best to give a booster immunization once 2 weeks after the first vaccination. For breeding chickens, do a good job of vaccination prevention with inactivated oil-emulsion vaccines against Newcastle disease, infectious bursal disease, infectious bronchitis and egg drop syndrome; the specifics can be formulated according to the local chicken immunization program.    

Also known as medicinal chicken and Baohei chicken, it is a natural black medicinal and tonic rare poultry, and a precious rare breed that is the only surviving rarity in our country. Its notable feature is “five blacks and one green”: the feathers are all black, and the skin, bones, meat, internal organs and toes are all black. The hen's feathers are compact, with 5-6 comb teeth, large and spirited eyes, most ear lobes light green, deep and thin wattles, feathery plumage, and thin and short shanks; the adult hen weighs 1.1-1.4 kg. The rooster is robust and crows powerfully, with a single upright comb, dark purple, 7-8 comb teeth, purplish-red ear lobes, neck feathers and tail feathers with a green sheen and upturned, weighing 1.4-1.6 kg, with a V-shaped body type. Its red comb indicates relatively high laying performance, with an annual egg production of 160-180 eggs. In commercial generations raised in large flocks, the proportion of green-shell eggs is about 80%. This chicken breed has a significantly stronger ability than ordinary domestic chickens to resist environmental changes, and can be raised in both the north and the south.

The green-shell black chicken produces natural green-shell eggs that are naturally green, with large yolks, red color, tender egg white, and fragrant egg flavor, and the meat is tender, fresh and sweet, and delicious, with edible and ornamental value. It contains extremely high tonic and medicinal value, is rich in protein, amino acids, vitamins A, D and E, and various nutrients needed by the human body such as calcium, iron and zinc. Its nutritional content is two to three times higher than that of ordinary free-range chickens, while its fat content is extremely low, making it a pure natural high-nutrition health food. For hundreds of years, this chicken has been chosen by local people as an excellent tonic for women to supplement nutrition during postpartum confinement and as an excellent gift for relatives and friends.