Sachsenhuhn

Sachsenhuhn
	Sachsenhuhn hen
Origin:	Germany
Year:	around 1900
Weight:	Rooster 2.5-3.0 kg, ; hen 2.0-2.5 kg
Laying output per year:	180 eggs
Eggshell color:	Light yellow to light brown
Egg weight:	55 g
Breeding standards:	BDRG
List of breeds of chicken

The Sachsenhuhn is a domestic chicken breed . The breed, first presented to the public at the end of the 19th century, whose characteristics were adapted to the climatic conditions of the Ore Mountains by crossing Minorka chickens with Langschan and Sumatra chickens , was published by the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food in the “Red List of endangered livestock breeds 2016 ” classified as“ extremely endangered ”.

With a population of only around 400 animals nationwide in 2016, the Sachsenhuhn is a poultry breed threatened with extinction .

history

prehistory

The breed standard of this breed of chicken was developed towards the end of the 19th century in the Saxon Erzgebirge when more efficient breeds were to be bred. The aim was to obtain a suitable performance chicken for the harsh climate typical of the Ore Mountains. Today Gustav Torges, then a member of the board of the Saxon Poultry Association, is considered one of the intellectual fathers of the breed. For the breeding of the Sachsenhuhn, specimens of the high-performing black Minorka chicken , which originally came from Spain, were crossed with black Langschan chickens (Asian breed), which are considered to be very robust. The first corresponding breeding successes finally came around 1880. The crossbreeding of Sumatran chickens resulted in the comb size of the animals being reduced in both sexes, which prevents frostbite in winter. Other characteristic features of the breed are the short wattles and the small white ear discs.

The overall result was that the Saxon chickens are very robust due to their characteristics, such as their insensitivity to climatic conditions, and, with their strong and somewhat elongated rump, are considered to be real farm chickens. In addition, they are characterized by easy rearing, precocity and their calm temperament. The laying capacity of the chickens reaches 180 light yellow to light brown eggs per year, each weighing at least 55 grams. Even if the first animals of the breed were presented to the public as early as 1884, it was not recognized as a breed until 1914, as the animals lacked the necessary uniformity until then. In addition, the name "Sachsenhuhn" was agreed that year. Two years later a description of the sample was created.

The Sachsenhühner come in several colors . The black color is considered the most original. The other shades of color, such as the striking corked and white shades, came up later in the 1920s. The yellow color was only bred after 1930. However, the Second World War (1939–1945) in particular caused difficulties for these colors, which appeared at the time , because their holdings were almost completely destroyed in the war years.

Today's existence and endangerment

Even if the Saxon chickens are again widespread throughout Germany, they are considered extremely rare and threatened with extinction, since the Sachsenhuhn, as a farm chicken, was no longer able to keep up with other breeds that lay more eggs, among other things, in terms of performance over time.

The black color is predominantly found in today's individual holdings. The occurrence of the sperm and white color varieties of this breed are essentially limited to Hesse, the Vogtland and the Harz Mountains . The Sachsenhuhn was included in the "List of Endangered Domestic Animals" published by the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food . This leads the breed in its last edition from 2016 in the lowest hazard class I (extremely endangered). According to this, there were only 81 roosters and 334 hens in Germany in 2016. At that time there were only 44 breeders in Germany who dedicated themselves to these animals.

The Free State of Saxony and the Upper Lusatian Heath and Pond Landscape Biosphere Reserve are attempting to increase the number of Saxon chickens by means of a corresponding initiative by giving animals to interested breeders in a targeted manner.

Breed characteristics

Rooster

The special association of Sachsenhühner and Zwerg-Sachsenhühner lists the following breed characteristics for the cock on its association homepage:

Trunk: strong; somewhat elongated; horizontal posture.
Neck: medium length; with full curtains.
Back: slightly rising in front of the middle without heels and angles, passing over the saddle into the tail.
Shoulders: broad; little protruding; somewhat covered by the neck hangings.
Wing: firmly closed; close fitting; worn almost horizontally.
Saddle: full; wide; laterally rounded; Passing from the back to the tail without a heel.
Tail: medium length; seen from above, set on broad and slightly rounded; When viewed from the side, set on broadly and narrowing towards the rear, when viewed from the rear, carried slightly open; slightly rising posture; with wide control springs as well as wide main and secondary sickles in as even an arrangement as possible.
Chest: broad; well rounded; something protruding.
Belly: full; wide; pronounced backwards.
Head: small; narrow.
Face: smooth; red.
Comb: small standing comb; regularly jagged; The flag just follows the neckline a little.
Wattles: small; fine in the fabric.
Ear discs: white; almond-shaped.
Eyes: large; lively; For color see under color strokes.
Bill: medium length; vigorous; color based on the barrel color.
Thigh: medium length.
Runs: medium length; not rough; For color see under color strokes.
Toes: medium length; well spread.
Plumage: full; not too hard; but tight fitting.

Breed characteristics hen

The special association of Sachsenhühner and Zwerg-Sachsenhühner lists the following breed characteristics for the hen on its association homepage:

“Strong, elongated shape with a well-filled saddle (moderate padding permitted), which merges without a heel into the slightly rising, somewhat loosely carried tail. The tail should be set on broad from above as well as from the side and narrow towards the rear. Seen from the rear, the control springs are arranged at a slight angle, so that the resulting slightly open control spring structure serves the characteristic topline. The chest is set wide and deep and the belly is fully pronounced at the back. The head features are correspondingly smaller than those of the rooster. "

Shades of color

Black: Rich black with an intense green sheen. Eye color dark brown; Barrel color black, light-colored claws permitted.
White: pure white; slightly yellowish tinge in the cock's ornamental plumage permitted. Eye color orange-red; Barrel color light flesh-colored.
Yellow: rich, even yellow; slightly darker in the cock's ornamental plumage. Lower plumage and quills yellow: light blackish pepper allowed in tail and hand wings. Eye color orange-red. Body color flesh-colored: bluish tinge permitted for the time being.
Gesperbert: Each feather in multiple alternations from black and light blue slightly arched across. In the rooster the same width, in the hen the dark parts of the feathers are somewhat wider than the light ones. The drawing is not sharply delineated and the lower plumage is only weakly drawn. A black feather is permitted on both sides of the wings. Eye color orange-red. Barrel color flesh-colored; single dark scales permitted in the hen.

Dwarf form

A dwarf form of the Sachsenhuhn has also been recognized as a breed since 1992. The breed characteristics of the Zwergsachsenhuhnes are very similar to the large breed and differ mainly in the smaller size. The roosters weigh around 1.1 kilograms and the hens around 0.9 kilograms. The weight of the eggs is also slightly lower at 38 grams.

character

The Sachsenhühner have a trusting nature and calm temperament, which is why they are considered relatively uncomplicated and can be kept near other animals without any problems. In addition, the desire to breed is rather low. Their breeding, keeping and feeding do not represent any special requirements, which means that the breed is well suited for small-scale farms. Because the animals generally become hand-tamed quickly, they are also recommended to beginners.

Special association

The “ Special Association of the Saxon and Dwarf Saxons” was founded in Chemnitz-Altendorf in 1921 by the breeder Arthur Esche and other breeders. Two years later, the special association already had 40 members.

The division of Germany as a result of the Second World War marked a turning point. In the Federal Republic of Germany the special association was established under the leadership of the breeder Theo Dubiella from 1963 and in the GDR the special breeding community (SZG) Sachsenhuhn . It was only after the fall of the Wall that the two associations were reunited to form the special association for breeding Saxon chickens and dwarf Sachsenhühner . Today the breeders of the Sachsenhühner are mainly to be found in Saxony , Hesse and Thuringia .

Others

The "Sachsenhuhn" stamp

In the "Rassegeflügel" stamp series issued by Deutsche Post in 1979 , the male Sachsenhuhn was the motif for the 25-pfennig postage stamp. The first day of issue for the postage stamp, which had a circulation of 5,000,000 and was produced using offset printing , was January 23, 1979. The design was made by the Dresden- born commercial artist Axel Bertram (1936–2019).

literature

The Sachsenhuhn . Saxon State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology, 2015 ( Online [PDF; 1.8 MB ] leaflet).

Web links

Commons : Sachsenhühner - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (Ed.): Indigenous farm animal breeds in Germany and the Red List of Endangered Farm Animal Breeds 2017 . S. 136 .

↑ ^a ^b ^c The history of the association on the association's homepage www.sachsenhuhn.de of the special association of Saxons and dwarf Saxons, accessed on January 25, 2020

↑ ^a ^b ^c Verena Stampe: "The Sachsenhuhn - a country chicken for small-scale farms" on the homepage of the PROVIEH eV association , accessed on January 25, 2020

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Breed description of the Sachsenhuhn at the Society for the Preservation of Old and Endangered Pet Breeds e. V. (GEH) , accessed on January 25, 2020

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e The Sachsenhuhn . State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology, 2015 ( Online [PDF; 1.8 MB ] leaflet).

^ "How the Sachsenhuhn should be saved" (video) in MDR at 4 of January 24, 2020 in the media library of the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Breed characteristics of the Sachsenhuhn on the club homepage of the special association of Sachsenhühner and Zwerg-Sachsenhühner, accessed on January 25, 2020

↑ Das Sachsenhuhn at http://www.heinis-huehner.de , accessed on January 25, 2020

↑ The “Sachsenhuhn” stamp at www.suche-briefmarken.de, accessed on January 26, 2020

[Liste-1] Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (Ed.): Indigenous farm animal breeds in Germany and the Red List of Endangered Farm Animal Breeds 2017 . S. 136 .