Moscow Chickens

a breed of chickens raised for eggs and meat. The chickens were developed on farms in Moscow Oblast by crossing Iurlovka chickens with Leghorns and New Hampshires. The hens are black or black with yellow feathers on the neck; the roosters have black-brown feathers on the shoulders and shanks. Roosters weigh 3.5–3.7 kg, and hens 2.3–2.5 kg. The rate of lay is between 210 and 230 eggs a year per hen. An egg weighs 58–60 g. The crossing of Moscow chickens, Russian White chickens, and Leghorns yields a bird with an annual egg production of 230–40 eggs or greater. Broilers are obtained by crossing Moscow chickens with Cornish chickens. Moscow chickens are raised in the experimental farms of the K. A. Timiriazev Agricultural Academy and at kolkhozes and sovkhozes in various regions of the USSR.