Naked Neck/Turken Thread

[DesertChic]

you are right about the hens, roo and the feed.

my broody pecked me when I tried to take the feeder away. I guess she is not that bad. and the chicks are little piggy eaters! their wings and tails are fully feathered, white with black spots. I hope they are girls. NNs usually develop tail early if girls, but that is at the age of 4 weeks that we can say. although I have 3 mutts I bought as boys due to lack of tail at 4 wk old. I am glad about that as I still cannot butcher my chickens.

Just a little warning that in NNs, the early tail development = female doesn't really hold true. Out of my last hatch of 18 NNs, 12 of them have turned out to be males and out of those 12, over half feathered a long, early tail. I've divided my own flock into two categories based on body shape: The more streamlined body seems to feather out more quickly, tail and all, whether male of female. The boxier, meatier body shows slower tail development whether male or female.

Right now I'm running with a new theory about my NNs: My streamlined females appear to be my best egg layers, and since I'll ultimately be dividing my flock into meat birds and egg birds, I plan to experiment with breeding like body types in the hope of improving egg production in one group and meat development in the other.

 

[Kassaundra]

Oh no guys, I was out w/ the flock day before yesterday, before going to work and I might have a "Caitlyn" that slipped by freezer camp day.

 

[LeafBlade12345]

Why do you think so? Did "she" crow?

 

[Kassaundra]

Why do you think so? Did "she" crow?

No, I think I saw boy feathers starting to show, I'll have to go double check when I'm not in as big a hurry and see if I really did miss a boy.

 

[LeafBlade12345]

Uh oh....that's never good. Hopefully Caitlyn will stay a Caitlyn after further investigation!

 

[draye]

Just a little warning that in NNs, the early tail development = female doesn't really hold true. Out of my last hatch of 18 NNs, 12 of them have turned out to be males and out of those 12, over half feathered a long, early tail. I've divided my own flock into two categories based on body shape: The more streamlined body seems to feather out more quickly, tail and all, whether male of female. The boxier, meatier body shows slower tail development whether male or female. 

Right now I'm running with a new theory about my NNs: My streamlined females appear to be my best egg layers, and since I'll ultimately be dividing my flock into meat birds and egg birds, I plan to experiment with breeding like body types in the hope of improving egg production in one group and meat development in the other. 

I've never paid that much attention to the two different types. Guess I always try for the good layers.

That sounds like an excellent plans though that you have.

No, I think I saw boy feathers starting to show, I'll have to go double check when I'm not in as big a hurry and see if I really did miss a boy.

I've got a 13 1/2 weeks old "pullet" that I've always since hatching have thought was a pullet. Yesterday morning before going into work though "she" tried to attack my boot.

The other day when I was checking leg bands she did look like she was trying to get the saddle feathers like a cockerel. Everything else though still looks like a pullet. Comb (small) wattles (small), and the legs ( slender, not thick), so IDK.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Right now I'm running with a new theory about my NNs: My streamlined females appear to be my best egg layers, and since I'll ultimately be dividing my flock into meat birds and egg birds, I plan to experiment with breeding like body types in the hope of improving egg production in one group and meat development in the other.

That's so interesting. I have girls (both NN and Nn) with two body types - meaty and dainty. I was always going to keep all of them, for flock balance reasons, and selectively breed in pairs or trios for my meat goals, but it will be interesting to see how my little girls do in laying. When I have more pullets, I may selectively put some of the smaller NN girls in with the CLs for some crosses, since I have such a great lead CL cockerel. (I gave out livers to them from the cull today, and the CL girls went to town crowding the pan and he just stood there. I took some to feed to him directly, and he just took it and put it on the ground, and tid-bitted until one of the girls came to eat it. Didn't take a single bite himself. Good boy.)

That sounds like an excellent plans though that you have.
I've got a 13 1/2 weeks old "pullet" that I've always since hatching have thought was a pullet. Yesterday morning before going into work though "she" tried to attack my boot.

The other day when I was checking leg bands she did look like she was trying to get the saddle feathers like a cockerel. Everything else though still looks like a pullet. Comb (small) wattles (small), and the legs ( slender, not thick), so IDK.

Gosh, mine were really obvious really early. Guess I was lucky... (But I have a few attack pullets who think my shoes are THE ENEMY, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.)

- Ant Farm

 

[Phill98]

Just a little warning that in NNs, the early tail development = female doesn't really hold true. Out of my last hatch of 18 NNs, 12 of them have turned out to be males and out of those 12, over half feathered a long, early tail. I've divided my own flock into two categories based on body shape: The more streamlined body seems to feather out more quickly, tail and all, whether male of female. The boxier, meatier body shows slower tail development whether male or female. 

Right now I'm running with a new theory about my NNs: My streamlined females appear to be my best egg layers, and since I'll ultimately be dividing my flock into meat birds and egg birds, I plan to experiment with breeding like body types in the hope of improving egg production in one group and meat development in the other. 

I noticed the same thing with last and this years hatches. In both I had a girl that developed tail earlier, and other one that developed tail later. The ones that developed their tail feathers earlier, also started laying earlier and are better layers. They lay more and bigger eggs.

 

[DesertChic]

That's so interesting. I have girls (both NN and Nn) with two body types - meaty and dainty. I was always going to keep all of them, for flock balance reasons, and selectively breed in pairs or trios for my meat goals, but it will be interesting to see how my little girls do in laying. When I have more pullets, I may selectively put some of the smaller NN girls in with the CLs for some crosses, since I have such a great lead CL cockerel. (I gave out livers to them from the cull today, and the CL girls went to town crowding the pan and he just stood there. I took some to feed to him directly, and he just took it and put it on the ground, and tid-bitted until one of the girls came to eat it. Didn't take a single bite himself. Good boy.)

Gosh, mine were really obvious really early. Guess I was lucky... (But I have a few attack pullets who think my shoes are THE ENEMY, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.)

- Ant Farm

Very good boy! Good roosters are priceless!

 

[chickengr]

Just a little warning that in NNs, the early tail development = female doesn't really hold true. Out of my last hatch of 18 NNs, 12 of them have turned out to be males and out of those 12, over half feathered a long, early tail. I've divided my own flock into two categories based on body shape: The more streamlined body seems to feather out more quickly, tail and all, whether male of female. The boxier, meatier body shows slower tail development whether male or female.

Right now I'm running with a new theory about my NNs: My streamlined females appear to be my best egg layers, and since I'll ultimately be dividing my flock into meat birds and egg birds, I plan to experiment with breeding like body types in the hope of improving egg production in one group and meat development in the other.

my big fat girl (5kg) is a good layer as well. all of my girls that have floppy combs are good layers. and 1 chick has meaty body. it is my big fat girl's baby. I guess I have to wait and see. the tail story worked out for my 5 NN's.