Naked Neck/Turken Thread

[Pensmaster]

I've also noticed a slow-down in egg production as well as a diminishment in size these past couple weeks as the temperatures spiked. I can't blame them. I watch those girls panting like crazy while laying their eggs in an already hot nesting box....I'd want a break too! And to make matters worse, my girls STILL seem determined to all occupy the same nesting box at the same time even when there's over a dozen other ones to choose from. Crazy birds!

Thought maybe it was just me and food change.

Just ground up some dog food for the chick that isn't eating well. They are using it for a dust bath.
They already have a dust bath in there.

Don't you just love it when the hens fight over one box. They can be screaming up a storm and I'll go running to see what's up. Yeah just them fighting over the box.

 

[draye]

I've decided I had the color code wrong on this hatch. I had a code written down but lost it the day after I made it, so I've been watching and trying to figure out what color went with what run.

I think I've figured out the yellow coded ones.

Rooster: Golden Partridge Naked Neck; heritage is Sire was a Black Sex Link ( I called him Silver Barred) and his mother was a Black Crossbred hen that was 1/2 Black Jersey Giant and 1/4 each of Easter Egger and Production Red. Here's a picture as a reminder:

Hens: Blue Red Naked Neck and 2 ( Black Gold ) hens the Blue Red was a half sister to the other two. They were from my first Blue Red NN hen I had gotten.

A Red NN hen that was from the Aloha eggs I got from @alohachickens.

A White ( has a couple of black spots) NN hen.

These 5 were the possible mothers.

Now here's a picture of the 8 chicks I've kept from these matings.

Now I'm asking for @Kev is it possible for the whiter looking chicks (2) they have darker markings on them are out of the white hen?

I'm figuring that the darker ones with the gold markings are out of the Black Gold hens, the red ones obviously are from the red hen and the other 2 is black and a blue are out of the Blue Red Hen.

 

[Pensmaster]

This bag was brand new, new design on bag, several dry hard chunks of mold. I think it came from the mill this way. I took it back to TSC. Wife stopped a few days later to pick up chick starter that bag I returned was taped up and on sale.
I'm buying layer mash for now on from a local mill, nice looking stuff and 17% protein, and only $10.80 for 50# bag.

TSC wouldn't post my review. ..

on mold and taped up bag.

I had a bag with chunks in bottom like that. Trouble was I'd already used it all.

Great price on the 17%. Our 16% lay pellet is 14.50 for 50#

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
Look on the bottom of the bag - the date it was manufactured should be there. Just make sure it's not too old. I switched from Purina to Dumor primarily because Dumor moves faster at my TSC and so is fresher. (I've been to other local TSCs and it's the opposite). I am fortunate to be friendly with the manager of my TSC, and he is good about ensuring the feed is handled well. But yes, always be on the lookout when you have less control. I am not at the point, volume wise, to order from a local mill, or I would (and would be able to add meat protein that way). One day - maybe next year...



- Ant Farm

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Oh, and even if it's a place for serious chicken people, always good to check - sometimes a lone old bag won't get rotated out, and folks buy all the new stuff, and you grab the one on top and it's a year old or something. That's what happened to me.

They have a policy to rotate out/discard if it's older than 6 months (I asked), but I personally don't buy it if it's that old. Two months max.

- Ant Farm

 

[Pensmaster]

Oh, and even if it's a place for serious chicken people, always good to check - sometimes a lone old bag won't get rotated out, and folks buy all the new stuff, and you grab the one on top and it's a year old or something. That's what happened to me. 

They have a policy to rotate out/discard if it's older than 6 months (I asked), but I personally don't buy it if it's that old. Two months max. 

- Ant Farm 

Thanks that helps.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Long day, started way early by culling the last wry tail NN - it really wasn't a big deal to dry pluck him. So much easier to process NNs! I'm always worn out the rest of the day on cull days, but I've been trying to keep busy and productive, running errands and cleaning house, catching up on laundry, etc.

Hot today - hotter than it has been this year (except a time or two), it's late coming this year. It hit 96F today - doesn't sound like much (and it's not, esp. now that the humidity isn't as bad), but it's the hottest some of these younger birds have experienced. I went and checked and everyone is ok, just resting in the shade, some panting, but no one in distress needing action. Adults totally fine. I know better than to bother them/stress them in this, so after I looked in on them, I'm waiting to do the chores that take me into their coops until later this evening - it's already down to 91F now at almost 6PM. Glad it gets dark late this time of year, I have a little more time to let it get cooler (it'll be more pleasant for me as well). They'll adapt, what I'm worried about it watching them as they adapt to these first hot days - it's going to be in the 100s next week. Overdue for here, but they still need to adapt. I gave them all foot baths yesterday, they still don't know what to do with them yet.

I spent a lot of today making ice molds out of a bunch of those little 8 oz water bottles and filling with water - they are freezing now. While I also already have a bunch of the little bottles intact and frozen to be able to drop into a waterer or foot bath, I realized that if I have a lot it decreases the amount of water I can put in the waterer, which I don't want to risk. So big ice cubes it is. I also have some mini loaf pans that I don't like because they have seams (so when I bake in them, they are hard to get clean) - I'm thinking of making and accumulating ice bricks with them. I am traveling in July (rotten timing, but I have no choice), so I need to make things as easy as possible for my chicken sitter to keep the chickens alive and cool if the heat spikes.

Meanwhile, I'm in the process of shifting all chicken chores (except egg collection) to the morning before work - it's light enough to be able to do that, and cooler, which is better for both me and the chickens...

Currently mellowing out with a beer, watching the movie Interstellar (again), and waiting for things to cool off out there before I go bother them. Then chores will be int eh cooler mornings for here on out - even when it's 90F in the morning, it's still better than 100....

- Ant Farm

 

[twitchybug52]

Hello! I've been lurking for awhile and thought I'd finally start posting

. I just started into chickens and have learned a lot from this thread so far. My flock is still really young and I don't even have one chicken laying yet. I hope to get an incubator and do some projects with NN. Here are a few of mine (and a silkie, too).

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Hello! I've been lurking for awhile and thought I'd finally start posting

. I just started into chickens and have learned a lot from this thread so far. My flock is still really young and I don't even have one chicken laying yet. I hope to get an incubator and do some projects with NN. Here are a few of mine (and a silkie, too).

So cute!!!

 

[Pensmaster]

Long day, started way early by culling the last wry tail NN - it really wasn't a big deal to dry pluck him. So much easier to process NNs! I'm always worn out the rest of the day on cull days, but I've been trying to keep busy and productive, running errands and cleaning house, catching up on laundry, etc.

Hot today - hotter than it has been this year (except a time or two), it's late coming this year. It hit 96F today - doesn't sound like much (and it's not, esp. now that the humidity isn't as bad), but it's the hottest some of these younger birds have experienced. I went and checked and everyone is ok, just resting in the shade, some panting, but no one in distress needing action. Adults totally fine. I know better than to bother them/stress them in this, so after I looked in on them, I'm waiting to do the chores that take me into their coops until later this evening - it's already down to 91F now at almost 6PM. Glad it gets dark late this time of year, I have a little more time to let it get cooler (it'll be more pleasant for me as well). They'll adapt, what I'm worried about it watching them as they adapt to these first hot days - it's going to be in the 100s next week. Overdue for here, but they still need to adapt. I gave them all foot baths yesterday, they still don't know what to do with them yet. 

I spent a lot of today making ice molds out of a bunch of those little 8 oz water bottles and filling with water - they are freezing now. While I also already have a bunch of the little bottles intact and frozen to be able to drop into a waterer or foot bath, I realized that if I have a lot it decreases the amount of water I can put in the waterer, which I don't want to risk. So big ice cubes it is. I also have some mini loaf pans that I don't like because they have seams (so when I bake in them, they are hard to get clean) - I'm thinking of making and accumulating ice bricks with them. I am traveling in July (rotten timing, but I have no choice), so I need to make things as easy as possible for my chicken sitter to keep the chickens alive and cool if the heat spikes. 

Meanwhile, I'm in the process of shifting all chicken chores (except egg collection) to the morning before work - it's light enough to be able to do that, and cooler, which is better for both me and the chickens...

Currently mellowing out with a beer, watching the movie Interstellar (again), and waiting for things to cool off out there before I go bother them. Then chores will be int eh cooler mornings for here on out - even when it's 90F in the morning, it's still better than 100.... 

- Ant Farm 

Good plan. It's currently 90 here. Suppose to stay that way till next Monday.
One of the NN chicks has whole lot less feathers than its siblings especially on rump. I'm assuming this is a good thing? Except she's having hard time staying clean.
Getting ready to get back out there. Few more things to get done.