Naked Neck/Turken Thread

[DesertChic]

You are SO in the right place - we adore NNs here and cross them with wild abandon. My first NNs were form Ideal about 1.5 years ago as well, and I was also super pleased with them. They are my core NN flock. I'm playing around with S&G broiler NNs and Aloha NNs this year as well.

Absolutely - EVERY chicken looks better with a naked neck!!!

I've been crazy busy, but I got the 3 week weigh-in for the S&G NNs done this evening. Most are catching up, the three "runts" continue to be too small - not culling now, because I want to see what happens. But I may cull earlier rather than later. Only two data points for each bird, so the graph isn't that informative yet, but even with the horrific start they had I already have 6 that are bigger than Tank was at 3 weeks (10.35oz), and Heinz (the biggest friendly boy who has band #57 - so, Heinz 57. Har har har...) is a whopping 13.44oz at 3 weeks (and is a little brick). It's still a little early, but I'm excited by the possibility of some big girls in this group. They were fussy during weighing, but I've been so busy I haven't been able to spend time with them and handle them as much as I'd like. I need to make some more time to get them used to me. (Hard to do with 71 chicks growing...)

Here's Heinz 57:


So, I want to get more data, of course, but so far, it's looking like the S&G NNs ARE big solid birds, and the variability and issues/losses I've had are likely due to the terrible shipping delays and problems. As I said before, I will be pleased to have unrelated big NN genetics. The little Aloha NNs are super cute but are smaller at 4 weeks than these are at 3 weeks. I was already planning that cross to bring the size up - still think that's a good plan. I'll wait to see their coloring before deciding whether I want the S&G in the GNH cross project.

- Ant Farm

13.44 oz at only 3 weeks??? Holy cow!!!!!

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
He's the outlier - he's sort of the "Tank" of his cohort. The next heaviest is 11.64, then 11.53, then 11.08, and some in the 10s. Tank was just over a pound at 4 weeks - I can't wait to see what this fella weighs next week.

What I love is also how calm and personable he is. He is the one that comes running up to me every time I open the brooder.

 

[ForrestGump]

Hi everyone! I'm jumping in this thread as I currently have somewhat of a Turken obsession. I got 5 Turkens from Ideal poultry almost 2 years ago, and I was so impressed with them and their laying capabilities, I started crossing them to Ameraucanas and Marans. I have specific goals with these experiments. I'm wondering does everyone make crosses of these birds? I live in the desert so their laying capability and hardiness cannot be beat.

This guy is an EE Turken I bred last spring that I'm putting over all my NN girls in a few weeks. I love his color and size.


Here's the Marans cock I'm using. He's not correct for Marans SOP because he lacks leg feathers and slate legs, but his type is heavy and just really nice over all. Plus the hens from his line lay extra-jumbo glossy brown eggs.


Here's a Marans x chick I recently hatched out.


I'm hoping to have a whole flock of these large, meaty, great laying birds of brown AND green eggs next spring.

Your birds are gorgeous! I have NN that I bred for blue and olive eggs. I also have some project birds that are 3rd generation Marans turkens. They are laying Marans colored eggs that are gorgeous.

Would you be interested in doing an egg trade in the future? I'd be interested in getting some new genetics once my move is completed and I have new pens set up.





If anyone is interested, I have eggs for sale. The dark brown ones will produce olive eggers and everything will will produce blue/green egg layers.

 

[magdelaine]

Your birds are gorgeous! I have NN that I bred for blue and olive eggs. I also have some project birds that are 3rd generation Marans turkens. They are laying Marans colored eggs that are gorgeous.

Would you be interested in doing an egg trade in the future? I'd be interested in getting some new genetics once my move is completed and I have new pens set up.





If anyone is interested, I have eggs for sale. The dark brown ones will produce olive eggers and everything will will produce blue/green egg layers.

Oh dear...you have blue laying Turkens??

And 3rd gen Marans x??

I would be very happy to do an egg exchange! Let me know when you are ready and what you are looking for specifically...color and size of eggs and/or color and size of birds. Mine have their strengths and weaknesses of course. But man those are some pretty eggs!

 

[magdelaine]

welcome!

I am after green and brown egger NNs too. my avatar pic is my first araucana/NN cross. no luck with marans so far.

btw, your marans guy is a good breeder. if you cross him with a heavy feathered leg hen you will get amazing chicks. marans are supposed to have pink legs, not slate. at bcm only darker legs are acceptable.

Thank you...I didn't know that about the leg color. I agree about him being a good breeder though! Which is why I'm penning him up in a couple of days with some Blue Copper and Black Copper Marans with nice leg feathering. I found out that if you keep only females from this mating and mate back to Silvers, within three generations the males should be pure Silver. But it's also why I have him over the Turkens, and he'll be mated back to his mother.

He's almost 2 years old now and I'm a little nervous as I always seem to lose my nice males early. Fingers crossed that this breeding goes well. I hate not having back ups!

Good luck with your crosses.

 

[magdelaine]

@Fire Ant Farm thank you! By the way, NN broilers sound fantastic! I'm not very familiar with broiler breeding...only that of Cornish Crosses. These guys and gals you would be able to raise to mate, correct?

 

[magdelaine]

I have a couple Marans Naked Neck crosses. I'll take pictures tomorrow.

I would love to see any pictures of Marans crosses. I'll get pics of my single guy and gal from last fall's breeding. The guy is not as good a boy as I hoped for (not sure which his Dam is, but there is something about his tail set I don't like) and will be processed soon.

 

[Phill98]

Is it better to breed chickens that lay green or blue eggs with dark to get olive?

 

[I Love Layers]

Is it better to breed chickens that lay green or blue eggs with dark to get olive?

Here's a cool color chart I found

 

[ForrestGump]

Is it better to breed chickens that lay green or blue eggs with dark to get olive?

You can breed either. They key is to have hens that have two copies of the blue egg gene instead of one. That way all the chicks will lay olive eggs. If your hen has one blue gene and one white, half the chicks will be olives and half will lay brown eggs.

A green layer + chocolate will get you darker brown in theory since some brown tint will be added from the hen in addition to the chocolate from the rooster.