We raise chickens for dual purpose. Our first flock was just a few layers, but we added some larger birds to start breeding for meat as well. Then I saw a Turken and did a double take. I thought someone crossed a turkey with a chicken; I wanted a dozen! They were so ugly they were cute. Unfortunately Igor didn't find them at all attractive and said no way. My whole family thought I was crazy, so I gave up.
After losing a few of those bigger birds to heat during the summer, I was able to convince Igor that Turkens would be a good fit despite their appearance. Not only do they have naked necks, but less overall feathering. A huge advantage for our climate, not to mention plucking.
We added two Turken pullets that fall, and the following Summer our beautiful boy Fugly (pictured above) was hatched under a broody. He was a Turken/Bresse mix and a great rooster. I'm sure you can guess where the name comes from,. I found him beautiful, but Igor did not and the name stuck.
Sadly, Fugly and his flock got sick with an unknown illness shortly after we hatched a dozen chicks this summer. We suspect but have not confirmed Marek's. We felt the best decision would be to put the older birds down so we did it all at once, and now we're starting over.
Fugly had a sweet disposition that won Igor over and our love for this wonderful breed lives on because of him and the two hens we had.
This thread is about our new adventure in raising dual purpose birds with our primary focus on Turkens, but other breeds may be added from time to time.
I hope you'll join in with your own flock stories and share your experiences as well.
Good luck with these new one's!
