Naked Neck/Turken Thread

[Kev]

I got my 9 week weights on my German New Hampshire chicks. They are roughly the same weights as the hatchery NNs from Ideal at that age (this is just comparing boys to boys). I went through a lot to get these special GNHs from a very good breeder, so I was a bit amused. That being said, though, I've been happy with the look and health of the GNHs overall and as I have three girls will be keeping a quad for breeding for at least a couple years. I plan on crossing the GNHs with my NNs.

I was thinking - if the GNH boys can roughly match the growth of NNs while being fully feathered and at the "disadvantage" of having to "spend" all that protein on feathers, perhaps when brought into the NN line there will indeed be a size benefit. (And, of course, there are variables that cannot be controlled, at least in my management/abilities, with regard to season, feed, etc.).

I suspect that I MIGHT find that any growth advantage may come a bit later in the GNHs than in NNs and will need to keep the for GNH boys longer to evaluate for a keeper (provided they don't start trying to kill each other). I only say this because the sole *hatchery* New Hampshire pullet I kept in the NN flock (about 8-9 months old) is heavier than the other NN girls, with a very nice body shape/conformation for a dual purpose/meat bird. Polly is a good girl and keeps Mr. Snapeity Snape Snape the happy (she's a bit of a favorite).

I gotta tell you, if there's not added benefit in crossing in the GNHs, then this is a lot of work for not much return, although it is temporarily engaging/amusing. If that happens I may give up all fancy schmancy cross attempts (and their associated cost and trouble) and just keep a mixed NN flock (with maybe another batch of Ideal chicks added in) and breed the big 'uns.

- Ant Farm

(Cross-posed to the Breeding for Production Thread - please forgive any duplication on your eyeballs...)

Interesting- they look so big in pictures but I was also thinking 'wait until butcher age'. Recall how Tank seemed to be just tractoring straight ahead and now look at him and Snapito...

In any case, the GNH should throw in their handsome oh so typy looks into the mix...

 

[nchvac]

Before I started keeping chickens, I read every book I could find on poultry husbandry, most of which were written in the early 1900s. In one of the books they specifically addressed diet and conducted a number of experiments in which chickens were fed one type of grain only in the categories of corn, wheat, rice, oats, etc. The results revealed that the chickens who displayed the most overall health problems and the poorest growth were the ones fed exclusively corn. Not only were the chickens unable to get sufficient nutrition on a corn-only diet, but the corn also triggered the depletion of additional nutrients and inhibited absorption of others. These were controlled studies in which the chickens were confined so they only received the grain being tested. From what I understand, these studies played an instrumental role in the development of comprehensive chicken feed with ratios of various ingredients intended to produce the greatest health and vigor. Just food for thought....no pun intended.

So would I be better off to try to get them on scratch grains and regular feed? I think the mostly like pecking the ground- instincts I guess.

 

[Kassaundra]

So would I be better off to try to get them on scratch grains and regular feed? I think the mostly like pecking the ground- instincts I guess.

If I were to feed grain or scratch (lol lol lol since that is what I feed grains) I would and do ferment them. They get much more benefit food value wise then non fermented whole grains.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote: Oh, they're big (though also fluffy like any fully feathered chicken), and body type is great. The NNs were just bigger earlier. I think the cross will be great.

Tank has turned out to be the most well dispositioned I've had so far. I don't mess with him or cuddle him, but he lets me be near. Yesterday I watched one of his Speckled Sussex girls next to him get up on her little chicken tiptoes, grab a beak full of his comb, and pull. Twice. He pulled away just a bit, but was so astonishing patient with them. And though his growth tapered off trajectory-woes, he's still big, and NN genotype and is very nice looking. I've decided that I'm definitely breeding him with the NN girls next spring, and he's my go-to NN boy for crosses with fully feathered ones...

- Ant Farm

 

[oegbantams3]

 

[Kev]

Oh, they're big (though also fluffy like any fully feathered chicken), and body type is great. The NNs were just bigger earlier. I think the cross will be great.

Tank has turned out to be the most well dispositioned I've had so far. I don't mess with him or cuddle him, but he lets me be near. Yesterday I watched one of his Speckled Sussex girls next to him get up on her little chicken tiptoes, grab a beak full of his comb, and pull. Twice. He pulled away just a bit, but was so astonishing patient with them. And though his growth tapered off trajectory-woes, he's still big, and NN genotype and is very nice looking. I've decided that I'm definitely breeding him with the NN girls next spring, and he's my go-to NN boy for crosses with fully feathered ones...

- Ant Farm

That is a good roo and what I keep/breed for.

Very excited to see updates on your whole flock!

 

[Pensmaster]

Oh, they're big (though also fluffy like any fully feathered chicken), and body type is great. The NNs were just bigger earlier. I think the cross will be great. 

Tank has turned out to be the most well dispositioned I've had so far. I don't mess with him or cuddle him, but he lets me be near. Yesterday I watched one of his Speckled Sussex girls next to him get up on her little chicken tiptoes, grab a beak full of his comb, and pull. Twice. He pulled away just a bit, but was so astonishing patient with them. And though his growth tapered off trajectory-woes, he's still big, and NN genotype and is very nice looking. I've decided that I'm definitely breeding him with the NN girls next spring, and he's my go-to NN boy for crosses with fully feathered ones...

- Ant Farm 

Feed store has NN roosters only again. Will pick some up this afternoon

 

[DesertChic]

Which of the books you've read was your favorite.

I like The Kellerstrass way of raising poultry also, The call of the hen

My favorite is still the first one I ever read, "The Small-Scale Poultry Flock" by Harvey Ussery. This was really the book that got me started along the path of keeping chickens because it helped me believe that I could actually do it. "The Call of the Hen" was really good because it helped me shift my perspective both on what to expect from my birds, and how to possibly select for more, but once I started down the path of breeding for production I think the book "Judging Poultry for Production" by James E. Rice was the most helpful.

The book I was referencing earlier in regards to feeding exclusively corn was "Poultry Husbandry" by Morley A. Jull. It provided me not only with some invaluable information about dietary requirements, but also provided me with a refresher on genetics, which I further dove into with "Genetics of the Fowl" by F. B. Hutt.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
He loves his girls, but I don't want to breed from them. I want to "swap" them out with some of the other pullets for him (I may have found a home for the SS girls). Will he totally hate me for taking his girls, or will he forget and just have new girls? Seems silly to ask, but he is so good with these girls, wasn't sure how transferable that would be...

- Ant Farm

 

[Kev]

He loves his girls, but I don't want to breed from them. I want to "swap" them out with some of the other pullets for him (I may have found a home for the SS girls). Will he totally hate me for taking his girls, or will he forget and just have new girls? Seems silly to ask, but he is so good with these girls, wasn't sure how transferable that would be...

- Ant Farm

All roosters become extremely excited with new hens. Even if he has a favorite, he will quickly or even immediately forget about her when there are new hens right in front of him.

I don't think it is a silly question- I know of roosters just like Tank and how there's a trust/bond between them right now but to be honest the bond is very transferable.

If he is the kind of rooster he seems to be, he will spent quite a lot of energy courting the new hens- lots of dancing, tidbitting etc. But just in case it is allright if he does chase a new hen.. many roosters will chase down a new hen then spend a lot of time courting. making new flock dynamics.

On the other hand, if a rooster is suddenly deprived of all hens.. he will carry on with calling and searching for them.

Don't think it makes much difference introducing the new hens individually or all at once- except for roosters that react to new hens by repeatedly chasing them down, all at once would be better.