BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[draye]

Seems I have read where turkens can come both nekkid and feathered. Is there any difference other than featheration? I've always liked the description of the turkens but never could stand to look at them. Now I've learned some can be fully feathered

Big difference!
If a (Turken) Naked Neck doesn't have a naked neck then it cannot be a Naked Neck.

Does that make sense? Turken is a made up name, because people ( don't know why) thought they looked like a chicken and turkey crossed. I don't think they look that way. Anyway the actual name is Naked Neck.

 

[draye]

Started with 25 (15 NN, 10 NH), lost 2 NN early on (1 with a naked neck that had a strange long blood clotted umbilical cord, and 1 "Naked Neck" that was fully feathered that didn't grow) so now I have 23. I'm watching the blind/neurologically iffy NH, but she seems to keep up, sticks up for herself effectively, and weight is in line with the rest....

Above us from post 5486 by @Fire Ant Farm

What hatchery did you get get your Naked Necks from? I have never gotten a fully feathered chick from a hatchery that was selling me (Turkens) Naked Necks. If it were me that got one like that is be calling to get my money back.

Yes I get chicks from mine that do not inherit the naked neck because they are not homozygous for it. But I do not sell then as Naked Necks. I sell them as crossbreds or barnyard mixed.

Just saying. You got took.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Started with 25 (15 NN, 10 NH), lost 2 NN early on (1 with a naked neck that had a strange long blood clotted umbilical cord, and 1 "Naked Neck" that was fully feathered that didn't grow) so now I have 23. I'm watching the blind/neurologically iffy NH, but she seems to keep up, sticks up for herself effectively, and weight is in line with the rest....

Above us from post 5486 by @Fire Ant Farm

What hatchery did you get get your Naked Necks from? I have never gotten a fully feathered chick from a hatchery that was selling me (Turkens) Naked Necks. If it were me that got one like that is be calling to get my money back.

Yes I get chicks from mine that do not inherit the naked neck because they are not homozygous for it. But I do not sell then as Naked Necks. I sell them as crossbreds or barnyard mixed.

Just saying. You got took.

I got them from Ideal. Yeah, I was surprised, but it was only one with nn phenotype, and I decided to let it go (not worth it). But looking at what I got, with a mixture of NN and Nn phenotype in the rest plus one nn, they obviously are using some Nn as breeders with each other, or crossing in. Maybe they usually pull out the fully feathered ones and missed this one in my batch. If I wanted to work on them as a breed, I would have gotten them from a breeder, but these are meant as meat chicks with some keepers for a meat flock (maybe a few layers from the super friendly Nn ones). That being said, I'll be selecting for NN phenotype in my flock.

- Ant Farm

 

[draye]

I got them from Ideal. Yeah, I was surprised, but it was only one with nn phenotype, and I decided to let it go (not worth it). But looking at what I got, with a mixture of NN and Nn phenotype in the rest plus one nn, they obviously are using some Nn as breeders with each other, or crossing in. Maybe they usually pull out the fully feathered ones and missed this one in my batch. If I wanted to work on them as a breed, I would have gotten them from a breeder, but these are meant as meat chicks with some keepers for a meat flock (maybe a few layers from the super friendly Nn ones). That being said, I'll be selecting for NN phenotype in my flock.

- Ant Farm

I am not a fan of Iseal Poultry at all. I've gotten too many birds from them and they weren't very healthy birds. Colors were off quite a bit too on done of the breeds.

I think most all hatcheries use mixed flocks on their NN's for color. They just pull the fully feathered ones to use on the next flock of breeders.
I am purposely crossing mine for a better producer and bigger birds. But I would never sell a mixed one as a NN.

Good luck with the raft of the babies though.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

I am not a fan of Iseal Poultry at all. I've gotten too many birds from them and they weren't very healthy birds. Colors were off quite a bit too on done of the breeds.

I think most all hatcheries use mixed flocks on their NN's for color. They just pull the fully feathered ones to use on the next flock of breeders.
I am purposely crossing mine for a better producer and bigger birds. But I would never sell a mixed one as a NN.

Good luck with the raft of the babies though.

Yeah, it fits my goals, so this works for me for my expectations and what I was looking for - I just want backyard birds with naked necks, hopefully on the big side. This took the place of an order of Cornish crosses, so the original default for any of these chicks was freezer future anyhow, and I will only keep ones that look good for my needs. I can supplement with birds from other sources in the future if needed...

Thanks!

- Ant Farm

 

[Beer can]

Hmm, NN'S can and do some have bowties. Now if a bowtie is bred to a bowtie isn't there a percentage that could come out fully feathered? Or does that only apply to when they are crossed to another breed?

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Hmm, NN'S can and do some have bowties. Now if a bowtie is bred to a bowtie isn't there a percentage that could come out fully feathered? Or does that only apply to when they are crossed to another breed?

It is a partially dominant trait - relative feathering depends on how many copies of the gene a chicken has. Usually, the "naked neck" gene allele is represented as N, and the feathered version of the gene (wild type) is represented as n.

NN (homozygous) = tiny bowtie (completely naked neck is less common) - I got 6 of these out of 15
Nn (heterozygous) = big bowtie in front, naked neck in back - I got 8 of these out of 15
nn (wild type) = fully feathered - I got 1 of these out of 15

It's very handy to have genotype that is visible when you may want to select for it.

NN x NN = 100% NN
NN x Nn = 50% NN + 50% Nn
Nn x Nn = 25% NN + 50% Nn + 25% nn (fully feathered)
NN x nn = 100% Nn
Nn x nn = 50% Nn + 50% nn (fully feathered)

In the above, the nn could be either a fully feathered "Naked Neck" or a completed different breed - similar result, as I understand.

So there are a few different ways I could have gotten the chicks I received, depending on how the breeders at the hatchery manage their breeding. Some folks manage Naked Necks like a breed, but others use them as broilers if they are not breeding their own meat birds (including a lot around here - it's a very popular chicken breed that is asked for by name at farmers markets). I believe Ideal is oriented toward the latter, based on what some other folks who got Naked Neck chicks from them (and I knew this going in).

Perhaps draye or DesertChic could elaborate further, they have more experience. (Just ask draye how many eggs he set recently!!!). I just read a lot, teach human genetics, and have baby chicks.

- Ant Farm

 

[Beer can]

Then a fully feathered neck 'turken' or 'naked neck' is what it is, it isn't something else.

 

[ronott1]

Then a fully feathered neck 'turken' or 'naked neck' is what it is, it isn't something else.

Yes, poor thing did not become a Buff Orpington!

 

[hellbender]

Just as a point of discussion (or not) and FYI...I've been saying the cockerels and pullets (that I posted miserable pictures of in the past few days) were 5 months old. as It turns out, I made an error. I checked the shipping data this morning and realized they are just 4 months old today.

It does explain the lack of some activities amongst these birds that should have been manifest.