Naked Neck/Turken Thread

[Kev]

I just harvested 4 crowers. 3 were not nn, they were eggs I had got from others for broody moms while I was having fertility issues w/ Shakespear. Everytime I harvest non nn it amazes me that anyone (who harvests meat) keeps any other chicken then NN.

Yeah! It is is because of those I got into the habit of just skinning them.. too much work!

 

[DesertChic]

Completely understandable. Still don't like culling, which makes it harder when there is something good about a cockerel but.....

Fights happen without there being a health issue at all.

You said Heisenberg is a nice/mellow roo that is willing to let things be, right? Those are often the first targets of cockerels or other roosters that are feeling the desire to change their ranking.

Example, if he just postures and walks away instead of gives a good bop on the head, the "aggressor" can get bolder and bolder.. in his mind he is somehow pushing the rooster off.. it's feeding his instinct to go into a fight. Might still happen or might not still happen had the dominant rooster been more physical in his dominance every time.

Isn't Ozzy an cross? Often people think good things come out of crosses- vigor, production, etc... however negative traits can show up. It may be the cross giving him a dash of 'fight'. Maybe the australorp line has intolerant roosters and it;s showing up in him...

One other option? breed him asap then cull? Keep the daughters to stay away from potential fighty roos.

I think you're confusing Ozzy and Pepper, which is my NN/Australorp cross.
This is Pepper:





Ozzy is pure. He's the love child of my two favorite NNs, Heisenberg and Zen:

OZZY



Mother - Zen, with her head strangely tucked. (She really hates to be photographed.)


Father - Heisenberg, lover-boy.


Heisenberg does start out defending himself vigorously, but after either inflicting some real injury, such as when he bit off part of Ozzy's comb, or after they've been fighting for a while, he typically walks away. All of the other roosters and cockerels stop fighting with him at that point, but Ozzy doesn't. I literally watched Shiloh (my 11-lb NN rooster) body slam Ozzy yesterday, knocking the younger bird into a rolling tumble, as Shiloh tried to intervene in the fight since he's one of the top roosters. Ozzy got up and returned to his pursuit of Heisenberg. I've never experienced anything like this.

 

[DesertChic]

If I remember Heisenberg isn't very old, less then 2 right? If that is the case I would strongly suspect that is the case, he isn't old enough yet to "lose his crown" just b/c of age.

Yes, Heisenberg is about 1.5 years and still mates his favorite girls regularly. I sort of thought he'd simply reached a state of peaceful co-existence with the others, but now I have to wonder. I wasn't surprised when my other mature, large roosters supplanted him since he's very docile, and he's still dominant to my three smaller cockerels, but this battle with his son....it's got me feeling pretty befuddled.

I'm going to try to hold onto Ozzy as long as the housing situation allows me to...just in case Heisenberg has turned sickly without me realizing it. I may have a few weeks of being able to keep Ozzy and the other boys penned up, but the clock is ticking away and I'll soon need to use their pen for growing chicks.

 

[Phill98]

I just harvested 4 crowers.  3 were not nn, they were eggs I had got from others for broody moms while I was having fertility issues w/ Shakespear.  Everytime I harvest non nn it amazes me that anyone (who harvests meat) keeps any other chicken then NN.

So, what happened to other two non nn? I remember five of them, right?

 

[Phill98]

@DesertChic, sorry to hear this, but I don't have experience with that. Just hope that everything will end good.

One thing I am curious about. If Ozzy is the one making problems, why are you going to keep him? Or I didn't undersand it right.

 

[Kassaundra]

So, what happened to other two non nn? I remember five of them, right?

They were being quiet ......................................... until after harvesting today!!!!!!! My boys from my lines all start crowing seriously late which I love being in town if I don't get a chance to caponize or am trying to grow out boys for replacements I don't have to harvest until they are grown. But these non nn, not my lines they are crowing way, way, way early.

 

[Phill98]

They were being quiet ......................................... until after harvesting today!!!!!!!  My boys from my lines all start crowing seriously late which I love being in town if I don't get a chance to caponize or am trying to grow out boys for replacements I don't have to harvest until they are grown.  But these non nn, not my lines they are crowing way, way, way early.

You must love it when something like that happens! Hehe
Didn't know you live in town

 

[DesertChic]

@DesertChic , sorry to hear this, but I don't have experience with that. Just hope that everything will end good.

One thing I am curious about. If Ozzy is the one making problems, why are you going to keep him? Or I didn't undersand it right.

I like his genetics. He's only causing problems with his father. Other than that I love his body type and size, his coloring, his rapid weight gain, and his temperament with us and the other birds (except Heisenberg). I think he would be a good addition to my meat breeding program. In fact, the only thing about him I've disliked from early on is his crow. It's awful. He sounds likes car tires screeching on hot pavement. He's better than the other boy I'm keeping for breeding. That rooster sounds like the screaming goat from TV commercials...absolutely AWFUL. The worst crow I've ever heard.

 

[DesertChic]

@Kev Could I breed this guy to work towards an all white NN?



I really like his coloring and would love to work towards some white NNs, but his body type is rather unexceptional, so I'm trying to decide if he's worth keeping.

 

[Phill98]

I like his genetics. He's only causing problems with his father. Other than that I love his body type and size, his coloring, his rapid weight gain, and his temperament with us and the other birds (except Heisenberg). I think he would be a good addition to my meat breeding program. In fact, the only thing about him I've disliked from early on is his crow. It's awful. He sounds likes car tires screeching on hot pavement. He's better than the other boy I'm keeping for breeding. That rooster sounds like the screaming goat from TV commercials...absolutely AWFUL. The worst crow I've ever heard. 

Oh so there is the problem. And about that crowing, I hope it's not going to last. Maybe it will change it if he is young-how old is he?