Naked Neck/Turken Thread

[Fire Ant Farm]

Here are pics of my 4 boys at the top of my need to decide list (who stays as head and who stays long enough to hatch eggs from)




I LOVE how dark fm this boy is, he is also the slightest build of all the roos. Even though he is smaller I am really thinking about penning him w/ the fm girls and hatching eggs, and quite possibly keeping him as a secondary roo????

You have such beautiful birds - and I though I had it tough with my more simple choices between cockerels. THIS bird I find absolutely STUNNING!!!! (If you don't end up keeping him, I will DRIVE to where you are and adopt him from you!!!!!!!)

- Ant Farm

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Week 11, weighing day. Bane's growth curve has finally crossed Tanks - it's so interesting how his growth has taken such a different shape than the others (his is the light blue line). I am watching them all - nothing wrong with him per se, and he's not a jerk, but he just doesn't seem as engaged with the rest of the flock like the others. Like, loner-dude - maybe I should have named him "Batman"? (Also, not sure I want anything but straight combs - he has a rose comb, weirdly). Numbers-wise, the boys are all between about 3.5 to 4 lbs at 11 weeks, and the girls are 2.3 to 2.8 lbs. They continue to split off in size based on gender.


I finally got the rafters up on the coop. Seems minor, but cutting and shaping was a TOTAL POA and took forever. Purlins next, and I bought the roof panels today so that I can install them tomorrow. (In between cooking turkey...)

(I'll cross-post on Breeding for Production - apologies in advance to those of you who haunt both.)

- Ant Farm

 

[Kassaundra]

Week 11, weighing day. Bane's growth curve has finally crossed Tanks - it's so interesting how his growth has taken such a different shape than the others (his is the light blue line). I am watching them all - nothing wrong with him per se, and he's not a jerk, but he just doesn't seem as engaged with the rest of the flock like the others. Like, loner-dude - maybe I should have named him "Batman"? (Also, not sure I want anything but straight combs - he has a rose comb, weirdly). Numbers-wise, the boys are all between about 3.5 to 4 lbs at 11 weeks, and the girls are 2.3 to 2.8 lbs. They continue to split off in size based on gender.


I finally got the rafters up on the coop. Seems minor, but cutting and shaping was a TOTAL POA and took forever. Purlins next, and I bought the roof panels today so that I can install them tomorrow. (In between cooking turkey...)

(I'll cross-post on Breeding for Production - apologies in advance to those of you who haunt both.)

- Ant Farm

Interesting, first biggest isn't always biggest, biggest. Though I guess if you want big faster Tank's genetics could potentiate down the line into boys that can be culled bigger earlier.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Interesting, first biggest isn't always biggest, biggest. Though I guess if you want big faster Tank's genetics could potentiate down the line into boys that can be culled bigger earlier.

Yes, I was thinking this re: Tank, because the purpose of this flock that I'm establishing will be for meat, so fast growth will be important along with size. Interestingly, the angles of the growth curves are mostly parallel between the boys EXCEPT Banes which really took off at 5 weeks, which makes me wonder what's up with his background, or if he is more particularly suited to thrive outside vs. in the brooder. I wasn't even sure he was a boy at first (I blame the rose comb). He crows every morning now (call and response with Dumbledore the Cream Legbar, who has a lovely musical crow and seems insistent on "showing him how its done". Bane's slowly getting better...)

I really like Tank. He's sort of doing the "gentle giant" thing, and is not picking on the girls (or anyone)...

- Ant Farm

 

[Kassaundra]

Yes, I was thinking this re: Tank, because the purpose of this flock that I'm establishing will be for meat, so fast growth will be important along with size. Interestingly, the angles of the growth curves are mostly parallel between the boys EXCEPT Banes which really took off at 5 weeks, which makes me wonder what's up with his background, or if he is more particularly suited to thrive outside vs. in the brooder. I wasn't even sure he was a boy at first (I blame the rose comb). He crows every morning now (call and response with Dumbledore the Cream Legbar, who has a lovely musical crow and seems insistent on "showing him how its done". Bane's slowly getting better...)

I really like Tank. He's sort of doing the "gentle giant" thing, and is not picking on the girls (or anyone)...

- Ant Farm

Tank's "gentle giant" thing may just be his genetics sexually mature later, many of the larger and / or heritage breeds mature later.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Tank's "gentle giant" thing may just be his genetics sexually mature later, many of the larger and / or heritage breeds mature later.

You may have a point - he's less "red" in the comb and neck that the other boys (Mouse is REALLY far along in this way...). I will be separating them from the girls as soon as the coop is done, and won't be putting the selected cockerel back with the main flock until roughly 18 weeks of age... Perhaps I'll have a better look at behavior then.

- Ant Farm

Edit to add: Later maturity is also good in that I'm allowed roosters, and neighbors have roosters (off and on) and are tolerant of them (one specifically told me she "couldn't wait" until my crowing cockerel arrived, she likes it so much), but the later that all start crowing like crazy, the better, with regard to having more time to make the culling choices...

 

[draye]

If these were mine to choose this would be my choice of head rooster. I would worry too much about the split comb, I think it can be worked on. If this is not mottling it is pert near it. I feel that if bred right it would gradually time into mottling from the right hens.

This rooster is very nice. Of your shooting for mottling I think the ? Birchen ? Would mess it up. JMHO because I don't really know the genetics. I just know from breeding some Birchen ( that's what the color looks like to my eye) somehow messes with mottling. If you not trying for the mottling then I would definitely try keeping as a backup.

That looks like barring to me. I would definitely try breeding her to PIe. Try finding out how that would turn out.

 

[123silver]

Nice!  Did you breed or where did they come from?  Noticed the hen in second picture.. what other NN do you have?
[/quote]

Thanks! I did breed them myself, I started with a sex link rooster and a black game naked neck hen. Not the best choice to start off with but that's all I had. They actually have no turken breeding in them, just kept crossing with different breeds mostly easter eggers. The hen in the back I use to hatch out eggs, she's a game hen that goes broody.

 

[Kassaundra]

If these were mine to choose this would be my choice of head rooster. I would worry too much about the split comb, I think it can be worked on. If this is not mottling it is pert near it. I feel that if bred right it would gradually time into mottling from the right hens.



This rooster is very nice. Of your shooting for mottling I think the ? Birchen ? Would mess it up. JMHO because I don't really know the genetics. I just know from breeding some Birchen ( that's what the color looks like to my eye) somehow messes with mottling. If you not trying for the mottling then I would definitely try keeping as a backup.



That looks like barring to me. I would definitely try breeding her to PIe. Try finding out how that would turn out.

The split comb is a positive in my opinion adds variety to the look. I like mottling and would prefer the mottled look to the heavily barred look I have in the flock. I also like the birchen especially in those fm birds. I am not shooting for a whole flock in any one pattern / color. I like looking at my birds and seeing individuals, not Xerox copies.

 

[draye]

The split comb is a positive in my opinion adds variety to the look.  I like mottling and would prefer the mottled look to the heavily barred look I have in the flock.  I also like the birchen especially in those fm birds.  I am not shooting for a whole flock in any one pattern / color.  I like looking at my birds and seeing individuals, not Xerox copies.

Yes I knew you like variety, as do I. Other than my mottled/calico project I'm not working on any particular color variety either.

So with no variety in mind. Pie as head roo and the Birchen boy as backup. You may let the not so dark sure a batch before he's dispersed. ( I'm not an FM fan on NN). I do like FM on others but some reason or other I'm not crazy about it on NN.

This is what is do if they were mine. You and me are the same as far as barring goes. I can take bits of it on individual birds but I don't want too many barred chickens around my flock.