Oustra Chicken
Dual-purpose utility chickens
The Oustra chicken is a medium-sized domestic fowl that has been bred to lay many eggs. The owners of this type of chicken have also had success in obtaining meat and feathers from the chickens. Oustra chickens were first bred in Helemia - the capital city of Rothos - in roughly 1059 AW, and were recognized as a new breed of domestic fowl in 1106 AW.
Resources
This fowl is raised first and foremost for its eggs, as its meat is of inferior quality to that of the Ameel chicken. The feathers of this chicken are commonly used for decoration and stuffing for bedding.
Egg Production
The hens of this breed typically lay seven light brown eggs over the course of each nine-day week. This puts the total amount of eggs per year up to 283 or 284 eggs per hen. Oustra hens tend to lay from twenty-two weeks of age until roughly six-and-a-half years old, provided that they are properly cared for. A hen that has just started laying will lay less - an average of 250 eggs per year - but the egg quantity will reach its average amount by the time the hen reaches 1 year of age. The egg production will start to decline after the hen has been laying for five years, ultimately coming to a stop after six years.
Slaughtering
The hens and roosters of this breed are commonly slaughtered at six years of age thanks to the decline of egg production in the hens. Clutches are normally slaughtered together. The traditional time of slaughter is the last week of the Month of Colors. This is because the last week of that month is typically the last week of warmth in the year.
Appearance
The Oustra chicken is a very ordinary bird compared to the breeds of chicken found elsewhere, although it has its own sort of beauty. It has solid black plumage with a sheen of purple in the light. The fowl has a single red comb and two medium-sized, red wattles with matching earlobes. The eyes of the chicken are a dark, beady black. The legs and beak are of a gray color.
Temperment
The fowl from this breed are of a notably mild temperament. They usually cause little trouble for their owners. Even the feistiest of roosters can only be described as "active" rather than "aggressive".
Oustra chickens are commonly described as calm, friendly, peaceful, and even sweet. Although this breed of fowl is known to be quite sociable, there have been shy individual fowl reported who refuse most contact with people and other birds alike. This shyness is seen as an undesirable oddity rather than the normal for this breed. Shyness is undesirable in this breed because the shier fowl tend to refuse given food and rely solely on forage.
Oustra chickens are not excessively broody nor excessively flighty, but they do enjoy roosting in high places such as trees, which can be a problem for those owners who do not have a top to their chickens' runs.
Care
Nourishment
Oustra chickens are able to subsist off of forage alone, but egg quality and production levels increase greatly with Helemia's mass-produced and specialized feed. This feed is made of alfalfa meal, flax seed, dried kelp, fish meal, and ground oyster shell. The alfalfa meal, fish meal, and ground oyster shell are commonly provided combined and in pellet form, with the flax seed and dried kelp separate and simply mixed in before refilling the food dish.
Different specialized feeds are produced and used in different areas of the world, but - for Oustra chickens in particular - Helemian feed has been shown to be the best. This is in part due to Helemia being this breed's place of origin and in part due to the extensive research done on Oustra chickens in the city.
Oustra chickens are to be fed with an open feeder system, where food is constantly available. Water is to be provided plentifully for optimal health of the chickens. This method of providing food and water has been said to produce the best results, according to most owners within Helemia.
Housing
Oustra chickens thrive in groups of 3 or more, with ample-sized coops and runs. The minimum sized coop for 3 chickens is 3 square meters, with an additional 1 square meter added for every additional chicken. Each hen must have its own nesting box, with an additional nesting box for every 5 chickens being a good choice, or squabbles among the hens with certainly ensue. Beams just below the ceiling of the coop are recommended to satisfy the chickens' want for high up spaces to roost.
Oustra chickens enjoy time spent outdoors, although their outdoor space does not need to be particularly large. 0.5 square meters is ample room for a single chicken to roam, with 1.5 square meters being a good space for 3 chickens to live and thrive.
Special Considerations
Predation is a large concern among Oustra chicken owners, as the birds are too calm and friendly to know to defend themselves or run until it is too late. As predation is such a concern, it is recommended to have both fencing and top wiring on the run, and a securely closed coop.
Predation
Predators of the Oustra chickens include: hawks, eagles, owls, other predatory birds, foxes, bears - specicfically the Akioh Bears found in the Dotak Mountains, and wolves. The predators that most commonly prey upon these birds are the birds of prey and foxes that can survive in urban areas.
Scientific Name
Gallus gallus domesticus
Lifespan
7-8 years if not slaughtered
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