Kate, theMarvelous Chicken

Kate, the Marvelous Chicken

By: Dr. Ir. I Dewa Gede Alit Udayana, MS.

               Among the various types of pet animal that exist, kate chicken is one that deserves to be known. This midget-figured chicken (Kate) has a strong appeal to his fans. These cute cute birds can provide inner satisfaction with their behavior, in addition to the appearance of their diverse and beautiful feather colors (red, white, green, and a mixture of these basic colors). In short, stunning.

               In Indonesia, kate chicken has its own fans. Generally, these hobbyists (katemania) come from groups who have a "sufficient" income from just meeting the needs for clothing and food. Why not, to be able to provide satisfaction for its keepers, these kate chickens must be provided with adequate supporting facilities, such as ornamental cages or playgrounds which of course will be harmonious if these ornamental cages are placed in the gardens of houses that are at least beautiful. . In short, the custodian or the user does not worry about the costs that must be incurred to provide the supporting facilities.

Variety of kate chicken

               Kate chicken is not only in Indonesia (local kate) but maybe even anywhere. In Malaysia there is chicken kate which is named serama. The famous local kates are kate putih, kate batindo (Indonesian batik, a cross between a local white kate and an Italian batik kate), and kate cemani. Meanwhile, there are imported (immigrants) Kate including Kate Bangkok, Kate Batik Italia (Silver Sebricht Bantams), Kate Batik Canada (Gold Sebricht Bantams), Kate Cochin (from China), Kate Emas, Kate Holland, Kate Cotton, Kate Mahkota, Kate Nanking, Kate Parsi, Kate Peking and Kate Polland.

               Kate Chicken has a high price (at least compared to ordinary free-range chicken) and it's certainly not a big problem for fans who earn "enough" on average. Local kate chicken has a cheaper price than its foreign counterpart. The reason may not be because of the lack of "fame" but maybe because the number from outside is a bit less so that it seems exclusive. Italian batik Kate, for example, is quite expensive and clearly more expensive than local Kate.

Maintenance is almost the same as native chickens

               The maintenance of kate chickens is like the maintenance of ordinary free-range chickens. The difference, of course, is that we also want to treat this cute dwarf chicken a little more, because from the beginning this chicken was kept as a pet animal. For that we tend to pamper him with better facilities than the roaming free-range chickens. If only we had the heart, of course this kate chicken could be shown to fulfill all its needs, including feed. However, if so, it would mean changing the role he played, from ornamental chickens to just ordinary free-range chickens.

               The food given to kate chickens can be formulated by themselves with local raw materials that are around us, such as yellow corn, rice bran, and so on. Basically, this kate chicken feed is almost the same as ordinary free-range chicken feed. The difference may be in the amount of feed they consume because the body of the kate chicken is relatively smaller than ordinary free-range chickens (referring to the needs of laying hens). For example, aged 0-12 weeks are given rations with metabolic energy (EM) and crude protein (PK) levels of 2600 kilocalories/kg (kcal/kg) EM and 15-17% PK while chickens aged 12-22 weeks are given rations with 2400 kcal EM and 14% PK. Chickens older than 22 weeks are given a ration with 2400-2600 kcal EM/kg and 14% PK (Udayana, 1994). Apart from the provision of rations, the provision of adequate drinking water should not be forgotten, it is even more important. Healthy drinking water should be available at all times. According to existing references, the need for drinking water is 2.5-3 times the need for feed.

               The cage for kate chickens is of course specially made because of its role not as production birds but as ornamental birds. The cage, or more accurately called an ornamental cage, needs to be made in such a way that it meets the aesthetic requirements and a touch of art. Or even if desired, this kate chicken can be displayed in a beautiful and natural setting. The beauty of the kate chicken lies in its cute movements and colorful feathers, which are able to cheer up their owners from the stress of this era.

Chicken kate can also be seized with diseases such as those suffered by ordinary chickens. Some of them are New Castle Disease (ND) aka tetelo, coryza (snot), coccidiosis (defecation), and several others. The wisest action to prevent the spread of these diseases is to carry out regular vaccinations for diseases for which there is a vaccine. Infected birds should be separated immediately from healthy birds. Indeed, some diseases can be treated but this is not easy and of course becomes very expensive. After all, chickens that have been afflicted with a disease, such as ND, will have a reduced appearance (performance), especially since the original purpose of its maintenance is in terms of beauty and it is of course greatly reduced by the change in appearance. Therefore, prevention is always better than cure. Other maintenance techniques are almost the same as raising ordinary free-range chickens (Dr. Ir.I Dewa Gede Alit Udayana, MS., educative staff of Fapet UNUD).