Naked Neck/Turken Thread

[Kev]

May I ask (since I'm building stuff) - what size enclosure do folks generally recommend for a single pair breeding? Trios? Quads?

My birds (esp. the boys) are REALLY good at escape/fence jumping, so there's a chance that I may choose to keep them confined for a period (not certain, just considering it).

- Ant Farm

Whatever works or what you are most comfortable with.

Quite a fair number of show and gamecock breeders keep them in small pens, something like 2-3 by 4 feet, especially for single birds- simply introduce cock to 'isolated' hen then remove cock after mating. Pro is guaranteed parentage, con is set up can be a lot of work.. and I fear to use this due to the extreme heat here..

For something more permanent for a pair/trio, 4 by 6 works well. Maybe a bit small but functional.

As for my own, they are 10 x 10 or 6 x 12(used dog kennels bought for cheap). These work for a small group of rooster and several hens but I often have only one or two hens in one until she is laying then introduce rooster.

I also like these for transitional broody pens for juveniles going on ground but still needing heat. Or mother hens with babies. These two are the main reasons for making the isolation pens a little bigger.

 

[Kev]

Oh, that is a given. Assuming that...?

Edit to add: Currently I'm building a few tractor coops from a pattern I like a lot - they're 6x10. Nicely secure, entirely covered with HW cloth with tarp or shade cloth overlay. I use 2 ft of HW cloth extending around the entire boundary as well, to protect form digging. I want to use these (with or without temporary fenced paddock outside of them).

I use shade cloth on the big peafowl pens.

Unless there are weasels or mice/rats are a big problem, chicken or welded wire works well for the ground part. Here, HW cloth is very expensive... chicken wire is a lot cheaper..

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

@Fire Ant Farm , how did the hatch go?

My apologies for not updating! Hatched went long (the eggs had a rough trip and the air cells were bad - all hatched on day 22 or early day 23).

Out of 12 eggs set, 7 happy healthy babies: 6 with Naked Necks (I think 2 with NN phenotype) and one fully feathered (that's I'm keeping, as its Aloha). Being sweet happy friendly NN chicks as always.

Here are some photos:











I love Naked Neck babies!!!!

 

[Kev]

Congrats!!! Pity on the one cull though..

are the parents mottled or carriers?

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Congrats!!! Pity on the one cull though..

are the parents mottled or carriers?

Ummm..... My brain hurts too much to answer that properly right now. Parents are posted on the Aloha NN thread when she posted about her auction (I'll try to find it to cross post tomorrow). As I recall, girls are buff or mottled, all by are mottled. These eggs are early from the pairing (pre-auction, before male parentage was assured), so multiple mottled parents possible (some NN, some not).

I can't WAIT to see what they look like!!!!!

- Ant Farm

 

[Phill98]

I like mutts. when we hatch mutts each chick is a surprise.

are the white ones you say are small, etc. they look like kind of broilers. at least on those pics.

I don't have any broiler blood in them and theydon't have even similar tipe to broilers. Maybe it seems like that in the photos but they don't have it.

 

[Phill98]

My apologies for not updating! Hatched went long (the eggs had a rough trip and the air cells were bad - all hatched on day 22 or early day 23). Out of 12 eggs set, 7 happy healthy babies: 6 with Naked Necks (I think 2 with NN phenotype) and one fully feathered (that's I'm keeping, as its Aloha). Being sweet happy friendly NN chicks as always. Here are some photos: I love Naked Neck babies!!!!

Beautiful! Can't wait to see the spots.

 

[Phill98]

@chickengr
I am sorry for you that you feel so bad about that cull. But I have to say something. Although I haven't culled any yet, I am getting ready to do it. I think it is part of the process of keeping chickens and even thought it will be alway the hardest part, I try to look it from the other side. What would happen if I didn't do it? What would happen then? They would just eat more, there wouldn't be doing anything except eat and making a crowd in your yard and I don't have to mention what would they do to the girls. Also, if you sold them, you would just spend money on them ( if I remember, 10 euros from 25) so you would give them 15 euros for one. Hope this helps. At least it helped me to get over it.

 

[chickengr]

I wish I could give you a real hug. I can really empathize with what you're feeling. I still feel guilt whenever I cull a bird I've raised from egg, especially if it was a bird that showed me affection. Does it get easier when more experience? Yes and no. When you have a soft heart, it always hurts at least a little. Even the frizzled cockerel I fought through butchering yesterday left me with pangs of guilt and I apologized to him more than once for causing him pain.

thank you

at least I got someone who picked them up and did it away from me. so sorry you did it yourself I cannot imagine how YOU feel.

 

[chickengr]

@chickengr
I am sorry for you that you feel so bad about that cull. But I have to say something. Although I haven't culled any yet, I am getting ready to do it. I think it is part of the process of keeping chickens and even thought it will be alway the hardest part, I try to look it from the other side. What would happen if I didn't do it? What would happen then? They would just eat more, there wouldn't be doing anything except eat and making a crowd in your yard and I don't have to mention what would they do to the girls. Also, if you sold them, you would just spend money on them ( if I remember, 10 euros from 25) so you would give them 15 euros for one. Hope this helps. At least it helped me to get over it.

thank you. you are absolutely right it is just me that was brought up in the city and I still see animals as pets not as food. I know I have to get over it.