Naked Neck/Turken Thread

[chickengr]

If you want to make sure that the Maran cockerel is the father, you'll want to wait at least one week before collecting eggs for hatching. I typically wait at least 10 days and then still question whether I should wait longer, but that's how my mind works.

I read somewhere that we should wait at least a month and some people say 2 weeks. I think my buff orpington has just started to get broody so hopefully it will be a month before she does. at least my other broody is clucking for a month before she sits.

 

[DesertChic]

If you have 49 chickens moving around, who's going to count them to see if there are a 10 or 15 extra? If you had the limit of 6 like many American towns, an over-flow would be obvious.

One of my neighbors stopped by for eggs and asked, "What are you up to now? About forty chickens?" He was stunned when I told him just under ninety, and even more stunned when I told him how many were roosters. The response is always the same...they hear my roosters crow sometimes, but expect it would be louder given the number I have here.

 

[collie1470]

Our babies are here!!!! And oh my goodness, the little naked neck is just about the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life. She's absolutely precious.

 

[collie1470]

I'll get pictures once they all calm down. Everyone is a bit nervous being in a strange place with strange sounds.

 

[Kassaundra]

Our babies are here!!!! And oh my goodness, the little naked neck is just about the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life. She's absolutely precious.

Glad they made it safe and sound

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Looks like it's the day for arrivals! I just picked up the S&G NN chicks from the post office. They had a rough ride - left Idaho on Tuesday, and arrived at the post office this morning. There was Grogel in the box, and they were snug for warmth, but one didn't make the trip, and a few look a bit rough (and I wonder if they will survive). Others look mostly ok, but all were chilled. I was in such a rush to get each one a sip of water and then into the warmth under the MHP, I didn't even count them (there were supposed to be 25, seemed about right). They are now quietly warming up, and the occasional strong one is popping out already for more water and some food. I also turned up the heat in the house they are in to help a bit.

I did notice a few things, though. No fully feathered ones, but also no homozygous NNs - ALL had the Nn phenotype (large bowtie). That, in combination with the fact that they look exactly like my Tank x GNH chicks did makes me think that perhaps the way they produce their fast growing broilers is to have them be hybrids (NN x something, such as a New Hampshire). Roughly half of them had dark marks on their heads. In my own Tank x GNH cross, three had dark marks on the head as chicks, and all three of those turned out to be pullets, so we'll see with these. Of course, these are from Dunlap, not S&G, but they bought the S&G breeding stock, and told me their NNs were only the S&G stock, so perhaps that's how S&G did it?

Here they are warming up (with a few trolling around for feed):



- Ant Farm

 

[bramblefir]

Looks like it's the day for arrivals! I just picked up the S&G NN chicks from the post office. They had a rough ride - left Idaho on Tuesday, and arrived at the post office this morning. There was Grogel in the box, and they were snug for warmth, but one didn't make the trip, and a few look a bit rough (and I wonder if they will survive). Others look mostly ok, but all were chilled. I was in such a rush to get each one a sip of water and then into the warmth under the MHP, I didn't even count them (there were supposed to be 25, seemed about right). They are now quietly warming up, and the occasional strong one is popping out already for more water and some food. I also turned up the heat in the house they are in to help a bit. I did notice a few things, though. No fully feathered ones, but also no homozygous NNs - ALL had the Nn phenotype (large bowtie). That, in combination with the fact that they look exactly like my Tank x GNH chicks did makes me think that perhaps the way they produce their fast growing broilers is to have them be hybrids (NN x something, such as a New Hampshire). Roughly half of them had dark marks on their heads. In my own Tank x GNH cross, three had dark marks on the head as chicks, and all three of those turned out to be pullets, so we'll see with these. Of course, these are from Dunlap, not S&G, but they bought the S&G breeding stock, and told me their NNs were only the S&G stock, so perhaps that's how S&G did it? Here they are warming up (with a few trolling around for feed): - Ant Farm

Hmm, perhaps some Red Rangers were used?

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
We shall see - but it does bring into question whether we are thinking about this the right way, regarding getting our hands on "the S&G line". I may be doing the same thing with my GNH, and indeed, the way to get big "broiler" type NNs may indeed be just crosses after all (look at all the big crosses so many folks on this thread have, compared to "pure" NNs which all seem to tend to be smaller).

I will see how they do, but part of me is already leaning toward the idea of keeping the bigger pullets only (I'm in need of pullets in general), and otherwise continue with my GNH x Tank line. Those chicks (my Tank x GNH ones) are SO friendly and sweet, and I am loving them lots. I need to get their housing squared away so they can move outside. They are pretty cramped right now, but the temp is dropping with rain this weekend. I may need to wait and move them out at 8 weeks, mid-week next week. I'll just be doing a lot of brooder cleaning and righting a lot of spilled waterers until then.

- Ant Farm

 

[Kassaundra]

The fab 4 are outside now. Got some pics, but haven't cropped and resized yet.

 

[Kassaundra]

Here are pics of the fab 4 from today the first time outside.