Naked Neck/Turken Thread

[DesertChic]

Yeah the belief of all roosters being mean is partly a myth.

It is genetic for sure but there can be an environmental role playing into it. It seems there is a general idea roosters are mean or nice, period- no in between when the reality there is like a curve or continuum to it. On one end, there are roosters that are going to be mean, no matter how they are raised. On the other end, there are roosters that are never going to attack, no matter how they are raised.

It is the roosters somewhere in the middle that gets people confused on how to raise them. A common advise is not to raise cockerels very hand tame as that will make them mean because they have no fear of humans. This is partly true but not universal- a rooster in middle of the spectrum may become inclined to attack if raised very tame, yet this very same rooster might never attack had it been raised not tame or raised by a mother hen in a varied, mixed flock. This ignores the reality of both ends of spectrum though.

This is also the 'cause' behind the zillion sworn tried-n'-true methods to handle attacking/mean roosters. The low/mid-specturm roosters can be deterred by any one of the various methods, it really does not matter which method, as long as the reaction is immediate so it has a clear idea of 'cause n effect'.

The high/medium ones can be deterred.. but often it is only temporary. These are the ones people tell you their method works but watch out for him next spring.... or they eventually work up the courage to charge again a few months later. These are also the roosters that have others advising you that you handled him all wrong, that is exactly why he is attacking you again...... it WAS going to attack again no matter what!

And then there are the truly genetically mean ones that will not stop, no matter what you do with them. other than killing them. Those are somewhat uncommon so a lot of people who only have experience with the above roosters become frustrated while trying to advise or unfortunately regard the person trying to handle this kind of rooster as an 'idiot city slicker' all the while without realizing this rooster is *different*.

The chickens are a hobby, so I do not want to tolerate ANY rooster aggression towards me. To be honest, most roosters are killed on the same day they charge at me. It is to get the problem dealt with ASAP and to avoid any second thoughts if the rooster is not culled fast. I do get 'soft' sometimes and start thinking about how that rooster has other positive traits..... wait, NO! lol Then I will remember that one rooster who was nasty but I bred him anyways and his sons were mean also, so I ended up culling the whole line.

I raise the birds very hands- off due to allergies. So, come selection day for culling they are basically tested for true personality by being grabbed one by one... any that bite are marked as culls. In lines that went through several generations there really are zero people aggression, including zero biting when handled.. I let my little nephews chase, catch and carry those roosters with no worries because I knew they would never attack or even bite(and they really never did). And their favorites were the big NN roosters, it was nice to see kids completely unafraid around the chickens.

I do the same thing with broody hens- the ones that put up a fight or do the screeching and exploding off the nests aren;t bred from, with huge preference given to hens that sedately accept being bothered, even with pipping eggs- this was primarily so I could handle peafowl eggs and peachicks without rhe eggs becoming broken or the chicks hurt in the process.

There's a lot of wisdom in this post. I've only been raising chickens for a little over six months, but I've already experienced much of what you've described here.

It seems to me that chickens have individual personalities...just like dogs....just like humans. You can raise all of them the same way and yet some will be incredibly sweet and others will be nasty. The trick for me has been learning when to respect those differences, and when to just throw in the towel and cull. That BR rooster...I tried many techniques with him to no avail. When I went out to collect eggs four days ago and turned to find his spurs coming at my face I'd finally had enough. That wasn't charging but an all out assault for no apparent reason. He had to die. By comparison, I can do whatever I want to my black NN, Heisenberg, and he's never shown an ounce of aggression, but I would never dream of handling my NN "Goldie" that way. He doesn't bite or charge, but he's also not that affectionate. I'm okay with that. He respects me, never shows aggression towards me and takes good care of the flock.

I'm actually in the process of incubating some of my BR rooster's offspring. I'm curious to see what their personalities turn out like...if any of them will be keepers or if they'll adopt his temperament. I originally wasn't going to hatch any eggs fertilized by him but my own curiosity got the better of me (as well as my Psych degree). I want some first-hand experience with the nature vs nurture via and chicken world. All the books I've read, research I've done...it's all pedantic. Nothing can beat "living the experiment".

 

[draye]

@draye I don't know what to say about that bad roosters. Years and years ago we had one rooster that scratched my little cousin's face. We were terrified. I don't have to say it was cull day..

Also, how is your hatch going?




Everybody, have a nice day, just like I have, with no particular reason

Last count there were 15. Today is the actual hatch day. Tonight I'll pull the hatched ones and leave the last of the eggs until Saturday afternoon.

This will be my last hatch until September. I'll do a birthday hatch. I do this very year around my birthday. Give or take a week. Last year I didn't set until a week before my birthday so I has a October hatch.

If things work out I'll try ordering 25 pullets (Naked Neck) from a hatchery Cackle, I'm trying to get some of the classic red and buff ones but would like some silver also. It a crisp shoot though in colors from the hatchery.

 

[Phill98]

Last count there were 15. Today is the actual hatch day. Tonight I'll pull the hatched ones and leave the last of the eggs until Saturday afternoon.

This will be my last hatch until September. I'll do a birthday hatch. I do this very year around my birthday. Give or take a week. Last year I didn't set until a week before my birthday so I has a October hatch.

If things work out I'll try ordering 25 pullets (Naked Neck) from a hatchery Cackle, I'm trying to get some of the classic red and buff ones but would like some silver also. It a crisp shoot though in colors from the hatchery.

How many eggs did you set?
Are the Cackle pullets going to be for some projects or?

 

[draye]

I set 37. The pullets are for colors I want to mix what I have with them for good outcross blood with the Cackle stock and start trying for the approved APA colors and also for tge Aloha/Calico Nakes Neck project

 

[ochochicas]

If the one with pea comb is cross between marans and green egger, I think you should have an olive egger

The mom was a full marans and the rooster is an olive egger himself. He passed the pea comb on to his chick but no guarantee of the blue egg gene. He was also half Marans, so I'm hoping to get some really dark eggs from the pullets. We'll see!

 

[draye]

The mom was a full marans and the rooster is an olive egger himself.  He passed the pea comb on to his chick but no guarantee of the blue egg gene.  He was also half Marans, so I'm hoping to get some really dark eggs from the pullets.  We'll see!

Super good chance of a super medium to dark chocolate egg or maybe a really olive egg.

 

[draye]

Well I believe the hatch maybe over, but I'm keeping them in there until Saturday to be sure.

This wasn't a very good hatch I'm going to call it 46% even though it likes a .0001 being that.

I was worried there'd be a lot of barred babies, but if I looked right there are only going to be 5 that are barred. I like the barred for selling people like it, me I'm not a barred fan but its nice to have a couple around for producing some. There were reddish looking ones, yellowish looking ones and chipmunk looking ones and black ones also in the lot.

ETA: all that hatched were Nakwd Necked. I figured this rooster was a double genes rooster just by the few feathers he had maybe four. Now tge bad news he's tge one that I've been talking about that has turned out to be aggressive. So he's the one leaving. Hopefully some if these babies will be double gened to continue on.

 

[Kassaundra]

@draye I don't know what to say about that bad roosters. Years and years ago we had one rooster that scratched my little cousin's face. We were terrified. I don't have to say it was cull day..

Also, how is your hatch going?

@Kev I feel so bad about that little chicks and broody. Are they any better?

I can see that you keep chickens long time. You know so much about them. I think I can learn so much from you.

@Kassaundra How are that two chicks going? Are they going to make it?

Our hatches are terrible this year also. Broodies crack most of the eggs. And the rest don't hatch. From two broodies we have 11 chicks.

@DesertChic Your last rooster made my day. He is so beautiful. I think you all have beautiful chickens. I could pick at least one from everybody here!

I also like the names your chickens have. Some of them are very creative!

@ochochicas I hope your battery never dies again! (So we can see more chicks , of course)
Also your chickens are amaizing. I would like to get black and some kind of partridge hens, just like you have!


Everybody, have a nice day, just like I have, with no particular reason

The two chicks seem to be thriving so far. The third one was backwards, shrink wrapped, deformed (no or small non functioning eyes, and looked like it had been debeaked top beak was shorter) it didn't make it, but that was good saved me having to cull. I am currently working on the last egg now. It is shrink wrapped, but has a strong chirp.

 

[Phill98]

Well I believe the hatch maybe over, but I'm keeping them in there until Saturday to be sure.

This wasn't a very good hatch I'm going to call it 46% even though it likes a .0001 being that.

I was worried there'd be a lot of barred babies, but if I looked right there are only going to be 5 that are barred. I like the barred for selling people like it, me I'm not a barred fan but its nice to have a couple around for producing some. There were reddish looking ones, yellowish looking ones and chipmunk looking ones and black ones also in the lot.

ETA: all that hatched were Nakwd Necked. I figured this rooster was a double genes rooster just by the few feathers he had maybe four. Now tge bad news he's tge one that I've been talking about that has turned out to be aggressive. So he's the one leaving. Hopefully some if these babies will be double gened to continue on.

I think that this year full NN won't hatch. At this point I'm hoping for anything to hatch.

I also don't like barred but lot of people love it.

 

[Phill98]

The two chicks seem to be thriving so far.  The third one was backwards, shrink wrapped, deformed (no or small non functioning eyes, and looked like it had been debeaked top beak was shorter) it didn't make it, but that was good saved me having to cull.  I am currently working on the last egg now.  It is shrink wrapped, but has a strong chirp.

Fingers crossed for two that hatched and for the 4. egg! It is also good thing that that one died, I wouldn't like to cull the deformed one, they seem to me so sweet. I would rather cull the healthy chicken.