Hello happy chickeny folks from around the world!
I have started this thread to chronicle the journey of some Naked Neck chickens I am going to hatch.
I have never had this breed before, so this is a bit of an experiment. I've raised probably 20 or so other breeds before and have been a keen chickener for about 17 years, so I hope I know what I'm doing, but every day is a learning opportunity and I love experiencing new breeds.
I am based in the UK and only have a smallish garden area but my birds usually free range (unless in birdflu flockdown restrictions) and there is enough space for everyone.
I have a small shed type coop, with a covered run one side and an open netted run under trees on the other. In the covered run there is a double decker rabbit hutch that serves as an isolation unit when needed, but is mostly used as brooding boxes and where the chicks spend their first week or so.
I don't have an incubator, but I keep bantams and they often go broody so I sometimes take the opportunity to hatch babies when they do.
I wasn't going to hatch this year, having had the noise and hassle of rehoming unwanted cockerels for the past 3 years, I thought I'd give my neighbours a break! Also my flock had stabilised with 8 hens and my old cock had died, so they were all happy and settled in a stable sisterhood.
Then disaster struck and a predator got 4 of my hens. That was half the flock. The 4 remaining hens seemed very lost, even after a couple of weeks time to get over missing their sisters. By heck they really mourned them the first week. Pacing around, calling for them constantly, being really unsettled and nervous. It felt like being 1 of 4 just wasn't enough of a "flock" for them.
So I decided to hatch more babies and deal with the inconvenience of cockerels again.
But what breeds to get?
I really wanted more Polish to replace my favourite little ditzy girls who had died, but I couldn't find the colours I wanted at the right time. So I ordered some Wyandottes (for the colours), Black or Lavender Araucanas (for the blue eggs) and English cuckoo Marans (for the dark brown eggs). They are under my Splash Speckled Sussex hen who is just a year old. She has been great at sitting. Out of 12, only 6 have made it so far (infertility, crack, and I dropped one
). They were shipped eggs so I expected this. We are currently on Day 19 so I am expecting hatch time any day now. It has been very hot here in the UK the past 3 weeks (relatively for us, up to 32°C). So with the warm weather and them being bantams I usually see babies from Day 18 onwards.
Anyway, this thread is not about this hatch. But these chicks will form part of the overall Transylvanian family. Don't you just love that name! We don't call them Turkens here, I suspect because we know they are not a cross between chickens and turkeys, so the name never stuck! It's a fun idea though
.
Out of my 4 remaining hens, 3 are broody. That leaves one poor lonely hen chickening around all day all on her own! But then it won't be for long.
I have bought 12 Naked Neck eggs and had them shipped to me from a British breeder. 11 survived the post. I am also due to receive a further 4 Wyandottes as replacements for the earlier infertile eggs, so these will be put with the Nakeds. I will split them across the remaining 2 broodies, and then assuming only half develop these will be put with the Polish as she is a proven mum and super friendly. The other hen, a Light Sussex, will be kept as a spare just in case, and then I'll break her or she will give up when there are no eggs.
The first hatch (of other breeds) will go back in the main coop after about a week when they outgrow the hutch, and because I find early integration into the flock works best. That being said, the flock is only one Welsummer as the rest are all sitting on eggs!
That will leave the 2 hutches free as broody boxes.
I've posted pics of the eggs. Note the variation of colours, and how pointy they are! I've got black and blue chicks, but no idea if the colour of the bird is at all related to the colour of the egg.
So, please wish me luck, pitch in to this thread with your experience and wisdom (please!) and enjoy all the pics I will be posting!
I have started this thread to chronicle the journey of some Naked Neck chickens I am going to hatch.
I have never had this breed before, so this is a bit of an experiment. I've raised probably 20 or so other breeds before and have been a keen chickener for about 17 years, so I hope I know what I'm doing, but every day is a learning opportunity and I love experiencing new breeds.
I am based in the UK and only have a smallish garden area but my birds usually free range (unless in birdflu flockdown restrictions) and there is enough space for everyone.
I have a small shed type coop, with a covered run one side and an open netted run under trees on the other. In the covered run there is a double decker rabbit hutch that serves as an isolation unit when needed, but is mostly used as brooding boxes and where the chicks spend their first week or so.
I don't have an incubator, but I keep bantams and they often go broody so I sometimes take the opportunity to hatch babies when they do.
I wasn't going to hatch this year, having had the noise and hassle of rehoming unwanted cockerels for the past 3 years, I thought I'd give my neighbours a break! Also my flock had stabilised with 8 hens and my old cock had died, so they were all happy and settled in a stable sisterhood.
Then disaster struck and a predator got 4 of my hens. That was half the flock. The 4 remaining hens seemed very lost, even after a couple of weeks time to get over missing their sisters. By heck they really mourned them the first week. Pacing around, calling for them constantly, being really unsettled and nervous. It felt like being 1 of 4 just wasn't enough of a "flock" for them.
So I decided to hatch more babies and deal with the inconvenience of cockerels again.
But what breeds to get?
I really wanted more Polish to replace my favourite little ditzy girls who had died, but I couldn't find the colours I wanted at the right time. So I ordered some Wyandottes (for the colours), Black or Lavender Araucanas (for the blue eggs) and English cuckoo Marans (for the dark brown eggs). They are under my Splash Speckled Sussex hen who is just a year old. She has been great at sitting. Out of 12, only 6 have made it so far (infertility, crack, and I dropped one
). They were shipped eggs so I expected this. We are currently on Day 19 so I am expecting hatch time any day now. It has been very hot here in the UK the past 3 weeks (relatively for us, up to 32°C). So with the warm weather and them being bantams I usually see babies from Day 18 onwards.Anyway, this thread is not about this hatch. But these chicks will form part of the overall Transylvanian family. Don't you just love that name! We don't call them Turkens here, I suspect because we know they are not a cross between chickens and turkeys, so the name never stuck! It's a fun idea though
.Out of my 4 remaining hens, 3 are broody. That leaves one poor lonely hen chickening around all day all on her own! But then it won't be for long.
I have bought 12 Naked Neck eggs and had them shipped to me from a British breeder. 11 survived the post. I am also due to receive a further 4 Wyandottes as replacements for the earlier infertile eggs, so these will be put with the Nakeds. I will split them across the remaining 2 broodies, and then assuming only half develop these will be put with the Polish as she is a proven mum and super friendly. The other hen, a Light Sussex, will be kept as a spare just in case, and then I'll break her or she will give up when there are no eggs.
The first hatch (of other breeds) will go back in the main coop after about a week when they outgrow the hutch, and because I find early integration into the flock works best. That being said, the flock is only one Welsummer as the rest are all sitting on eggs!
That will leave the 2 hutches free as broody boxes.
I've posted pics of the eggs. Note the variation of colours, and how pointy they are! I've got black and blue chicks, but no idea if the colour of the bird is at all related to the colour of the egg.
So, please wish me luck, pitch in to this thread with your experience and wisdom (please!) and enjoy all the pics I will be posting!
