Just bought my first naked neck, what do i have to do for the chick?

[Chicken_Trainer2007]

I bought a naked neck frizzle silkie chick, i have no experience with naked neck. What do i need to do differently for her? Does it need like a sock or something on the neck during the winter?

if i hatch out the eggs or if its a rooster and breeds my hens whats the percentage of it passing down the naked neck gene?

And whats the purpose of a naked neck? How did they become a thing?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

you don’t need to crochet a little scarf for it for winter. Silkies don’t do well in wet from what I understand because their feathers don’t insulate like normal chicken feathers. Someone else can elaborate on that cause Silkies aren’t my thing…I think naked neck silkies are called Showgirls?

I do love me a Naked Neck though so I can tell you they became a thing because it’s fewer feathers to pluck when it comes to eating them.

 

[NatJ]

if i hatch out the eggs or if its a rooster and breeds my hens whats the percentage of it passing down the naked neck gene?

If the chicken has two genes for naked neck, it will give one to each chick, so every chick will have a naked neck.

If the chicken has one gene for naked neck and one for normal neck, it will give each gene to half of the chicks, so half of chicks will have naked necks and half will have normal necks.

And whats the purpose of a naked neck? How did they become a thing?

Naked neck does not really have a purpose. Mutations happen sometimes. In this case, a mutated gene caused the naked neck. Some people liked that effect and chose to breed more chickens with naked necks. It's basically the same thing that happened for crested heads, feathered feet, extra toes, muff/beard on the face, changes in body size & shape, and all the colors that are different from the original wild Red Junglefowl that our chickens are descended from.

 

[Chicken_Trainer2007]

you don’t need to crochet a little scarf for it for winter. Silkies don’t do well in wet from what I understand because their feathers don’t insulate like normal chicken feathers. Someone else can elaborate on that cause Silkies aren’t my thing…I think naked neck silkies are called Showgirls?

I do love me a Naked Neck though so I can tell you they became a thing because it’s fewer feathers to pluck when it comes to eating them.

What i have isnt a showgirl, showgirls are not satin or frizzles, show girls are the regular barbless silkie feathers unlike my little porcupine looking thing

 

[Chicken_Trainer2007]

If the chicken has two genes for naked neck, it will give one to each chick, so every chick will have a naked neck.

If the chicken has one gene for naked neck and one for normal neck, it will give each gene to half of the chicks, so half of chicks will have naked necks and half will have normal necks.


Naked neck does not really have a purpose. Mutations happen sometimes. In this case, a mutated gene caused the naked neck. Some people liked that effect and chose to breed more chickens with naked necks. It's basically the same thing that happened for crested heads, feathered feet, extra toes, muff/beard on the face, changes in body size & shape, and all the colors that are different from the original wild Red Junglefowl that our chickens are descended from.

So im a breeder with silkies, OEGB, seramas and bantam Cochins. Do you know if there a big demand For naked neck?

 

[nuthatched]

Nothing, she'll be fine.
There's not a big demand for naked necks, their beauty overwhelms most folks.

 

[Chicken_Trainer2007]

Nothing, she'll be fine.
There's not a big demand for naked necks, their beauty overwhelms most folks.

Haha, yeah i sorta bought her because she was so ugly that she is cute. Its so cool being able to see the vains, food in the crop, and the wrinkles!

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

What i have isnt a showgirl, showgirls are not satin or frizzles, show girls are the regular barbless silkie feathers unlike my little porcupine looking thing

I will probably never be able to keep them straight lol

 

[NatJ]

So im a breeder with silkies, OEGB, seramas and bantam Cochins. Do you know if there a big demand For naked neck?

Unfortunately I do not know for sure. It may be different from one country to another, or in different parts of the same country.

I might make a guess, based on what is available at the major hatcheries in the USA:

I have noticed that most hatcheries offer one kind of naked neck chicken, and many kinds of chickens with feathered necks. If there was great demand for naked necks, I would expect to see the major hatcheries offering many different kinds with naked necks (big and little, different color, feathers, different comb types, lay eggs that are brown vs. white vs. blue or green, and so forth.)

For comparison, hatcheries typically offer several breeds with feathered feet, and they offer them in a number of different color varieties in both small (bantam) and large sizes. I have recently seen listings for Easter Eggers (blue or green eggs) with feathered feet, in addition to the white and brown layers that have been around for a while.

Based on this, I would guess that feathered feet are quite a bit more popular than naked necks. I would also guess that clean-footed chickens are even more popular than ones with feathered feet, based on how many more of them are available.

If the chicken has two genes for naked neck, it will give one to each chick, so every chick will have a naked neck.

If the chicken has one gene for naked neck and one for normal neck, it will give each gene to half of the chicks, so half of chicks will have naked necks and half will have normal necks.

Update on this: after seeing the picture, I think your chicken probably has two genes for naked neck, and will give the trait to every chick it produces. Two genes make the neck more naked than one gene, so if you cross that chicken with one that has a feathered neck, the chicks will not look as naked as the one you currently have.

 

[Chicken_Trainer2007]

Unfortunately I do not know for sure. It may be different from one country to another, or in different parts of the same country.

I might make a guess, based on what is available at the major hatcheries in the USA:

I have noticed that most hatcheries offer one kind of naked neck chicken, and many kinds of chickens with feathered necks. If there was great demand for naked necks, I would expect to see the major hatcheries offering many different kinds with naked necks (big and little, different color, feathers, different comb types, lay eggs that are brown vs. white vs. blue or green, and so forth.)

For comparison, hatcheries typically offer several breeds with feathered feet, and they offer them in a number of different color varieties in both small (bantam) and large sizes. I have recently seen listings for Easter Eggers (blue or green eggs) with feathered feet, in addition to the white and brown layers that have been around for a while.

Based on this, I would guess that feathered feet are quite a bit more popular than naked necks. I would also guess that clean-footed chickens are even more popular than ones with feathered feet, based on how many more of them are available.


Update on this: after seeing the picture, I think your chicken probably has two genes for naked neck, and will give the trait to every chick it produces. Two genes make the neck more naked than one gene, so if you cross that chicken with one that has a feathered neck, the chicks will not look as naked as the one you currently have.

Thank you so much for all the information!!!