KEEPING AND FEEDING SHABO CHICKENS AT THE KYIV ZOOLOGICAL PARK

Abstract

Chickens are the most common type of domestic poultry raised in the world. Demand for chicken eggs and meat continues to grow, but one of the negative consequences of this trend has been the preference for highly productive hybrids, which has led to a decline in the breeding of purebred poultry. At the same time, a significant share of total poultry egg production in Ukraine belongs to backyard farms, where both hybrid chickens of modern crosses and purebred chickens are raised. In particular, in 2024, farms of all categories produced 11597.9 million domestic poultry eggs, of which 5531.4 million were produced by private households (47%). Chickens, which are notable for their significant diversity of breeds and differ in plumage structure, color range, and coloring, are also kept for recreational and aesthetic purposes. Amateur and decorative poultry farming, which has a long tradition in global practice, has been growing in popularity in recent years. At the same time, miniature chickens (bantams) are also common. In most cases, bantams are about two to three times smaller than their larger counterparts. However, there are breeds of chickens that are classified as «true» bantams, which have no counterparts among full-size breeds. Such varieties are formed as independent breeds, and this group includes, in particular, Japanese bantams (the Shabo or Chabo breed). The aim of the study was to investigate the conditions of keeping and feeding Shabo chickens at the Kyiv Zoo. The results of the studies have shown that the Kyiv Zoological Park keeps Shabo chickens, which are used not only as decorative birds, but also for incubating pheasant eggs and small representatives of waterfowl. They are kept in open aviaries, indoor sections, and cage blocks. An assessment of the live weight of Shabo roosters and hens shows that males are characterized by more intensive growth. The average live weight of roosters was 1431.0±46.2 g, while that of females was 1145.0±44.6 g. Thus, the live weight of males exceeded that of females by 25%, which corresponded to a difference of 286 g. All eggs obtained from Shabo chickens were used for incubation, except for those that did not meet the established quality requirements. According to the results obtained, the average egg weight was 32.6±1.03 g.