Today, when choosing a breed of chickens for keeping in their yard, many people pay attention to crosses (hybrids) and bypass domestic species of birds. And in vain, because among a large variety of Russian breeds, you can find species with good egg production. Moreover, it is the domestic breeds that are best suited for keeping in the harsh northern climate, they are distinguished by better health and unpretentious content. In addition, among the Russian chickens you can find these decorative species. Let's look at the most popular breed of domestic chickens.
Russian white
This species of birds boasts a very beautiful by appearance: a long, wide, harmoniously folded body, a massive, deep chest, the head is medium in size, decorated with a bright red comb: the roosters have five teeth, an erect one, and the hens subside to the side. The beak and legs are yellow, the legs are powerful, not plumed, shortish. The plumage is snow white in both sexes. 
| Rooster weight (kg) | Chicken weight (kg) | Productivity (pcs / year) | Egg mass (g) | Colour |
| 2-2,5 | 1,8 | 200 | 55 | White |
This type is widely distributed in private farmsteads due to unpretentiousness in care and feeding, as well as quite good indicators of productivity. In addition, the owners liked their calm, friendly nature, thanks to which chickens get along well with other varieties of chickens. However, the instinct of hatching is underdeveloped.
Learn more about the breed of chickens Russian white.
Russian crested
The peak of popularity of this breed comes at the end of the XIX century. Russian crested has a beautiful, outstanding appearance, so today it contains not only with the aim of obtaining meat and egg products, but also for decorative purposes. 
According to the standard Russian crested has such external characteristics: The head is elongated, set on a short, curved neck, the body is oblong, wide. Comb and earrings are well developed, painted in bright red color. The wings are large, lowered, the tail is erect, the roosters have braids. Legs short, not covered with feathers. The color of the tail in most cases is white, but other shades are possible. The peculiarity of the breed, from which the name originated, is the presence of a tuft. In females, this attribute is more developed than in males. 
| Rooster weight (kg) | Chicken weight (kg) | Productivity (pcs / year) | Egg mass (g) | Colour |
| 2,7-3,5 | 2-2,2 | 150-160 | 55 | Cream |
Chickens of this variety are excellent hens, which is very valuable for breeding. By the nature of it is moving, curious, noisy and noisy birds, they can attempt to leave the patio for walking, if the fence is below one and a half meters. Attachment to people is also characteristic of them.
Did you know? Until the beginning of the 20th century, the pedigree diversity of Russian chickens consisted of more than 300 species. However, after the revolution and the Second World War, the popularity of domestic varieties declined sharply, and the tendency to breeding foreign species was firmly rooted.
Russian black bearded (galan)
This breed belongs to the meat-egg varieties, however, to find young today for breeding is extremely difficult in Russia. Representatives of the black bearded are distinguished by a large and powerful physique. The head is rounded, large, decorated with a lush beard, under which the earrings are hidden, goes into sideburns and a massive neck. The chest is convex and massive, the body is large, the tail is set high. Both males and females have identical plumage color: black with a greenish tint. 
| Rooster weight (kg) | Chicken weight (kg) | Productivity (pcs / year) | Egg mass (g) | Colour |
| 4 | 2,5-3,5 | 150-200 | 70 | Light brown |
The ability to egg production occurs at the age of 4-5 months. The advantages of this type include unpretentiousness, endurance, excellent adaptability to life in the north, developed instinct of hatching. In addition, meat breed has excellent taste characteristics. The nature of the birds is calm, friendly.
Did you know? The hen of the Galan breed was awarded the leading role in the magic tale. "Black Chicken, or Underground Residents" Russian writer A. Pogorelsky. In the work the feathered became the conductor of a lonely boy from a boarding house to the underworld.
Zagorskaya salmon
This variety is the result of crossing several domestic and foreign breeds, from which the chickens inherited some advantages: resistance to the northern climate, unpretentiousness in food, good egg production rates and rapid growth. 
Possess such by appearance: body elongated, deep, with a convex, wide sternum. One can observe significant differences in the shade of the feathers of females and males: the roosters have a black tail, wings, chest and belly, the mane is white, the back may be white or red-brown. Chickens in plumage have almost no black shade. The wings, back and neck are light brown, the chest and belly are white, the tail is of a dark shade. 
| Rooster weight (kg) | Chicken weight (kg) | Productivity (pcs / year) | Egg mass (g) | Colour |
| 3 | 2,3 | 170 | 45-60 | Cream, brown |
Zagorsky salmon hens are good hens. By the nature of the hens are good-natured, peacefully get along with all the feathered in the yard. In general, the bird is unpretentious, easy to care for, so even inexperienced owners can keep it.
It is interesting to get acquainted with the collections of breeds of chickens: the largest, most unusual, red color, winter-hardy; egg, meat, decorative, fighting.
Kuchinsky anniversary
The little blocks were born as a result of crossing 6 species of chickens. After a long breeding work, the breed acquired such external characteristics: The head is medium in size, the catkins and the comb are small or medium in size. The body is elongated, wide, chest deep, legs short, wings large, well developed, tightly pressed to the sides of the body. Legs and beak yellow. The tail is well developed, set high, braids are observed in roosters. The color of plumage in males is red on the mane and body, the tail is black. Females have a shade of feathers lighter, golden brown. 
| Rooster weight (kg) | Chicken weight (kg) | Productivity (pcs / year) | Egg mass (g) | Colour |
| 3,7 | 2,6 | 180 | 60 | Light brown |
Significant advantages of the breed are the ability to acclimatize, good adaptability to the conditions of detention, high taste and dietary indicators of meat. Chickens have a very calm, peaceful nature, get along well with other species, trusting and tame, besides excellent hens.
Important! Roosters of this breed are quite aggressive, snooty, often provoke fights, get along very badly with the rest of the males on the territory. It is recommended to keep them either separately from the main livestock or to be sent for slaughter upon reaching the desired weight.
Leningrad golden gray
Universal (meat-egg) breed of chickens, artificially bred about 50 years ago. For this breed is typical tall stature, large constitution, wide body. The head is medium in size, decorated with a leaf-like comb and small ear rings. The color of the plumage on the head and neck is golden, on the chest, back and tail closer to gray. Legs are not long, strong, wings are small, tightly pressed to the sides of the body. The tail is well developed, planted vertically. 
| Rooster weight (kg) | Chicken weight (kg) | Productivity (pcs / year) | Egg mass (g) | Colour |
| 3,2-3,5 | 2,5 | 180-200 | 60 | White |
The disadvantage can be considered later maturation of chickens - they are capable of wearing eggs at the age of 6 months. The advantage of Leningrad golden-gray poultry is meat: it is distinguished by its nutritional value and high taste characteristics. 
Birds also have excellent health, well adapted to the northern climate, calm and friendly in character. These hens produce bad chickens, so an incubator will be required for breeding.
We advise you to read more about the Leningrad golden-gray breed.
Moscow black
Universal domestic breed of chickens, bred about 40 years ago. External signs of birds: The head is wide, set on a short neck, which passes into a convex chest, and an elongated, well-developed body. The comb is erect, together with earrings is painted in a red shade. The wings and legs are of medium length, the tail is set vertically. The color of the plumage in chickens is predominantly black, the roosters have a brighter appearance - their mane and loins are decorated with golden splashes. 
| Rooster weight (kg) | Chicken weight (kg) | Productivity (pcs / year) | Egg mass (g) | Colour |
| 3,5 | 2,5 | 200-210 | 60 | Beige, speckled brown |
This variety is valued for endurance, good health and immunity, tasty meat, good productivity and docile, peaceful nature.
Important! It is possible to breed Moscow black only by incubating, because the incubation instinct is almost completely absent.
Pavlovskaya
Originally Russian, one of the first and oldest breeds of chickens, which has been used in Russia for 300 years. Decorative, very beautiful species of birds, which is also perfectly adapted for living in the harsh northern climate. Differs in the presence of the tuft and beard, the body is wide and short, the legs are feathered, the tail is set vertically. The color of the plumage distinguishes golden and silver varieties. In the first case, the plumage is golden-black, in the second - black and white. 
| Rooster weight (kg) | Chicken weight (kg) | Productivity (pcs / year) | Egg mass (g) | Colour |
| 2,3 | 1,7 | 160 | 50 | Cream, white |
As can be understood from the exterior and productivity indicators, the main purpose of the content of this type in its compound is decorative and aesthetic. 
The nature of chickens and roosters varies greatly: the hens are calmer, slower, even imperturbable, but roosters often show aggression towards other males, sometimes even to humans. Chickens Pavlovsky breed are excellent chicks, so they can not even hatch their offspring.
Read also tips on keeping and breeding Pavlovsk gold and Pavlovsk silver.
May Day
Was born as a result of crossing 3 varieties of chickens, because of this, the birds have higher than average productivity indicators, a large constitution and good endurance. The head is wide, small, comb and earrings are small. The neck and chest are thickened, massive, the body is powerful, horizontally set. The tail is small, the roosters are decorated with short braids. Birds of May Day breed attract spectacular plumage: the snow-white main cover is decorated with silver inserts on the neck and tail. 
| Rooster weight (kg) | Chicken weight (kg) | Productivity (pcs / year) | Egg mass (g) | Colour |
| 3,5 | 2,5 | 180-200 | 55-60 | Brown |
Representatives of the breed are distinguished by a peaceful, friendly disposition, even aggressive aggression and cockiness are unusual for even male males. Of the other advantages of the breed: a good instinct nasizhivaniya, quick weight gain, endurance and resistance to disease.
Check out a more detailed description of the May Day breed of chickens.
Yurlovskaya vocal
The breed got its name from the name of the village Yurlovo and the ability of roosters to broach singing. The breed standard is distinguished by such external characteristics: the body is oblong, wide, deep, the head is large in size, the superciliary arches are pronounced, which makes the look harsh. The color of the iris is brown or orange-red (depending on the hue of the plumage). The neck is long, legs strong, well developed. The color of the plumage is different: most often there are specimens with black color of plumage, black-silver, dark yellow or brown feathery are also common. 
| Rooster weight (kg) | Chicken weight (kg) | Productivity (pcs / year) | Egg mass (g) | Colour |
| 3,5 | 2,5 | 150-160 | 58-60 | Cream |
The instinct of incubation is developed well. Yurlovskaya vociferous differs hot-tempered, impulsive, sometimes even aggressive nature, and this is typical of roosters and chickens. Temperament feathered should be considered when the content. Be also prepared for the melodiousness of birds - most likely, not only you, but also neighbors within a radius of 20 meters will enjoy their singing.
Did you know? The value of the Yurlov vocal breed lies in the long-drawn, cock-ringing singing. The quality of singing used to be determined by the duration: the best birds could stretch the song to 22 accounts, if the rooster did not reach 18 accounts, he was considered mediocre. For many generations, specimens with a low, drawn-out, strong voice were selected for breed breeding.
Video: rare Russian breeds of chickens
Among domestic breeds of chickens there is a great diversity, however, in general, the hens of Russian breeding have productivity indicators slightly lower than foreign ones, and therefore less economic benefits of breeding and popularity. The breeding of cross birds was especially negative on the population and diversity of Russian breeds. To date, the Russian bird species are found predominantly in private farms by connoisseurs of the breed.
