Naked Neck/Turken Thread

[DesertChic]

Okay....strange question here....I've noticed behaviors displayed by several of my cockerels/roosters that I simply don't know how to translate.

1. My Bielefelder cockerel, Bosch, frequently lays head-first against the exterior wall of the chicken cabin and makes these quiet, deep throaty sounds while keeping his head down. I usually find that some of my girls are on the other side of the wall in the nesting box when he does this, and other girls gather around him enmasse.
2. My mixed cockerel, Copper, actually climbs into the nesting box with some of the pullets in his flock who are just starting to lay, essentially blocking their exit from the box, and makes the same gentle sounds that Bosch makes.
3. My mixed buttercup-combed cockerel, "Q", will lay on the ground with his head to the far corner of the coop he shares with my Easter Eggers and makes that same noise.

What the heck are they doing? In the case of Copper, he actually seemed to be teaching the pullet to lay her eggs in the nesting box, not out on the ground where she'd started laying them, but is this even possible? I've grown familiar with my cockerel's/rooster's tendencies to stand watch and guard their favorite girls when the girls are in the process of laying eggs, but I'm not entirely sure what to make of the seemingly submissive behaviors they sometimes display while making those "purring" sounds.

 

[chickengr]

If his comb and wattles are thick and all of his skin on comb/wattles face and especially the neck is red then he is most likely fertile.

A single successful mating can give fertile eggs on average for two weeks. But if he is a really young cockerel, would not be so sure of high fertility, I would keep them together if he is not hurting her or let him visit her either once daily or every 2-3 days.

It would be a good idea to put one or two eggs under the broody or incubator to make sure they are actually fertile before getting rid of the rooster.

Is your big white lady laying?

my big white lady is about 7 months old. she must have some leghorn blood as she has a floppy comb and lays about 5-6 eggs per week. my cockerel is about 5-6 months old and has been mating for quite a while. he is in the same coop with my 4 NN girls (2 only laying) and 1 hybrid, 1 araucana and 1 marans. I saw him mating 2 whites only (the only laying). I cannot keep him because I have 2 roos and 3 cockerels besides him. he has red comb, wattles, face and neck. I hope he is fertile and I hope my hen will become broody (she is screaming when sitting in the nest and pecking anyone trying to come near). I am collecting the eggs and pray.

 

[chickengr]

Okay....strange question here....I've noticed behaviors displayed by several of my cockerels/roosters that I simply don't know how to translate.

1. My Bielefelder cockerel, Bosch, frequently lays head-first against the exterior wall of the chicken cabin and makes these quiet, deep throaty sounds while keeping his head down. I usually find that some of my girls are on the other side of the wall in the nesting box when he does this, and other girls gather around him enmasse.
2. My mixed cockerel, Copper, actually climbs into the nesting box with some of the pullets in his flock who are just starting to lay, essentially blocking their exit from the box, and makes the same gentle sounds that Bosch makes.
3. My mixed buttercup-combed cockerel, "Q", will lay on the ground with his head to the far corner of the coop he shares with my Easter Eggers and makes that same noise.

What the heck are they doing? In the case of Copper, he actually seemed to be teaching the pullet to lay her eggs in the nesting box, not out on the ground where she'd started laying them, but is this even possible? I've grown familiar with my cockerel's/rooster's tendencies to stand watch and guard their favorite girls when the girls are in the process of laying eggs, but I'm not entirely sure what to make of the seemingly submissive behaviors they sometimes display while making those "purring" sounds.

I have a roo that is teaching pullets where to lay. the sound you describe my roos usually make if there is some danger (the chicken's shut up, lol).

 

[Kev]

As old as I am and as long as I've had chickens, I find watching chicks and even adult birds to be more entertaining than anything ever made for tv. I still get excited with every hatch.

Yes! despite 30 yrs, easily well over 3000 hatches.. I still get excited about eggs getting close to hatch date and again seeing what comes out of them.

I've had the nakeds(scaleless) for 2 yrs by now I think..? still find so much amusement with these. Yesterday I just burst out laughing when a rooster shook his tail as if he had tail feathers to shake at all...

 

[Kev]

What color would produce a rooster colored like this one with black hen? Maybe birchen?

the gene that makes him white bodied with black tail(and neck too, if he had feathers) is called the Columbian gene. It is a very dominant gene.

However, the genes that make chickens black/mostly black- called Extended black(the most dominant gene of all and makes the chickens with the least off color) and Birchen(the second dominant) will not allow the Columbian gene "work" on them. Makes it invisible, kinda.

Now, neither of the two black genes make a totally black chicken by themselves. The first one at most, makes black roosters with some color on the neck and a little bit on thee back and/or wing patch. Hens can be either solid black or color only on the neck, nowhere else.

Birchen by itself, makes the color every one knows about.

How to make a solid black using those two? Add "helper genes" that add more black pigments, especially on the neck and back areas. They are dominant, partially dominant or recessive.

So what happens is if you breed a black chicken with a colored chicken, is the cross is not pure for all those helper genes, so very often the chicks grow up to have color on their necks and backs.

So, yes, best expect to get black chicks with some color on their necks/backs on the roosters however the hens could be totally black or just a little bit on neck, especially if the black parent was Exteneded black. Birchens usually throw more color in the cross offspring.

 

[Kev]

my big white lady is about 7 months old. she must have some leghorn blood as she has a floppy comb and lays about 5-6 eggs per week. my cockerel is about 5-6 months old and has been mating for quite a while. he is in the same coop with my 4 NN girls (2 only laying) and 1 hybrid, 1 araucana and 1 marans. I saw him mating 2 whites only (the only laying). I cannot keep him because I have 2 roos and 3 cockerels besides him. he has red comb, wattles, face and neck. I hope he is fertile and I hope my hen will become broody (she is screaming when sitting in the nest and pecking anyone trying to come near). I am collecting the eggs and pray.

Oh yeah he should be very fertile at that age and neck color. Start collecting eggs, put them in a cool-not warm!- place and turn once or three times daily until you have enough to put all at once under the broody. Eggs up to a week old are best for hatching, but up to two weeks old still can have great results, especially under a good broody hen.

Mark the eggs if the other hens still have access to her nest. It is best if she is totally isolated either by her nest shut off from all other birds or the whole cage to herself.... but I understand this is not always possible.

Good luck and hope you get many NN babies!

 

[Phill98]

the gene that makes him white bodied with black tail(and neck too, if he had feathers) is called the Columbian gene.  It is a very dominant gene.

However, the genes that make chickens black/mostly black- called Extended black(the most dominant gene of all and makes the chickens with the least off color) and Birchen(the second dominant)  will not allow the Columbian gene "work" on them. Makes it invisible, kinda.

Now, neither of the two black genes make a totally black chicken by themselves.  The first one at most, makes black roosters with some color on the neck and a little bit on thee back and/or wing patch. Hens can be either solid black or color only on the neck, nowhere else.

Birchen by itself, makes the color every one knows about.

How to make a solid black using those two? Add "helper genes" that add more black pigments, especially on the neck and back areas.  They are dominant, partially dominant or recessive.

So what happens is if you breed a black chicken with a colored chicken, is the cross is not pure for all those helper genes, so very often the chicks grow up to have color on their necks and backs.

So, yes, best expect to get black chicks with some color on their necks/backs on the roosters however the hens could be totally black or just a little bit on neck, especially if the black parent was Exteneded black.  Birchens usually throw more color in the cross offspring.

I have black hen that has just few brown feathers on her neck, very close to head, but still neck, so I guess extended black? So if I breed her to columbian rooster I would get black chickens with poor white/brown markings on necks and backs, am I right? Please correct me if I'm wrong. Also what would hens from that cross produced if I would breed them back to their dad?

 

[Phill98]

@draye I think we didn't understand each other. I wondered what would that rooster produce uf bred to black hen.

 

[Phill98]

Okay....strange question here....I've noticed behaviors displayed by several of my cockerels/roosters that I simply don't know how to translate.

1. My Bielefelder cockerel, Bosch, frequently lays head-first against the exterior wall of the chicken cabin and makes these quiet, deep throaty sounds while keeping his head down. I usually find that some of my girls are on the other side of the wall in the nesting box when he does this, and other girls gather around him enmasse. 
2. My mixed cockerel, Copper, actually climbs into the nesting box with some of the pullets in his flock who are just starting to lay, essentially blocking their exit from the box, and makes the same gentle sounds that Bosch makes.
3. My mixed buttercup-combed cockerel, "Q", will lay on the ground with his head to the far corner of the coop he shares with my Easter Eggers and makes that same noise.

What the heck are they doing? In the case of Copper, he actually seemed to be teaching the pullet to lay her eggs in the nesting box, not out on the ground where she'd started laying them, but is this even possible? I've grown familiar with my cockerel's/rooster's tendencies to stand watch and guard their favorite girls when the girls are in the process of laying eggs, but I'm not entirely sure what to make of the seemingly submissive behaviors they sometimes display while making those "purring" sounds. 

My last rooster used to do this. But he had something yellow in his mouth and throat. I don't know if every rooster has that but I noticed that when he died few days after that started. He also had trouble eating and stoped crowing.

 

[Kev]

I have black hen that has just few brown feathers on her neck, very close to head, but still neck, so I guess extended black?

That is a possibility yes... although her being birchen with incomplete set of helper genes can't be totally ruled out. There is a big area of overlap in how the extendeds and birchens look when these helper genes are present in various combinations. Hope this makes sense?

The other possibility is she is colored that way from being a cross of black with ??, and there could be columbian chicks from this very cross along other possible surprises.

I have a slow growing broiler strain called black rangers, the hens are a mix of extended black looking(almost solid black) and obvious birchen(lots of color on necks and speckling/lacing down the breast and some on wings) hens. I was extremely surprised they threw partridge chicks... did not expect that at all. They also threw columbian chicks out of crosses with freedom rangers(also a slow broiler strain, all buff with black tails).

So if I breed her to columbian rooster I would get black chickens with poor white/brown markings on necks and backs, am I right? Please correct me if I'm wrong. Also what would hens from that cross produced if I would breed them back to their dad?

That is the best guess yes, until the chicks hatch and grow up.

Breeding back to the dad will produce blacks- many with varying amounts of off color, probably lots of columbians and maybe a few surprises because a black chicken can be carrying lots of pattern genes that are also invisible.