Naked Neck/Turken Thread

[DesertChic]

my goal was 4-5 hens for eggs and eventually meat. then I found out about different breeds and I cannot imagine to eat my puppy chickens

This is one of my problems too. I never have a problem culling a mean chicken, but so many of my birds are so incredibly sweet that I really struggle with butchering them. I've become very skilled at fabricating reasons to keep them around.

My husband, who actually grew up on a small family farm, told me at the start that eventually I'd stop feeling attached to the chickens as I acquired more, and would also eventually run out of names for them, and butchering them would get easier. He couldn't be more wrong. I have three gorgeous roosters in their bachelor pad right now, doing nothing but driving up my feed bill all because they have such extraordinary temperaments and personalities that I can't bring myself to cull them.

I really do need to dial things back though. I know I'll have no problem butchering the Austra-White cockerels since I don't like their temperaments, which will relieve me of about a dozen birds, but I'm going to struggle with culling some of the boys from my last hatch. I selected my "breeders", but in truth nearly all of the boys from my last hatch are wonderful in their own ways. I'm trying to keep my distance from them so I don't feel as attached, but every single one of those boys runs to me and coos affectionately when I enter their pen. A couple of them even settle onto my feet if I stand in there too long. *Sigh* I'm such a sucker.

 

[Kev]

You can get ameraucanas?!? They are my number 1 favourite breed.

Seems like you have quite a lot chickens, how many exactly?

@Kev and @Kassaundra , black skinned ameraucanas-shouldn't be hard to get, right?

agree with Kassaundra. It's possible and least headache if sticking with blacks/birchens.

The hardest challenges would be roosters with dark skin past one year of age and blue eggs with no green tint(considered a requirement for Ameraucana). The general body type and dark skinned hens will be the very easy parts.

 

[Kev]

I have a problem. Actually I have this problem since I got that 15 chickens in December. My rooster doesn't breed and pecks 4 of girls. He just can't stand them. Other three are a bit older and bigger so he can always catch them but only two girls are actually squatting to him. So I read that that happens often when hens get introduced to rooster and not rooster to hens.

How can I fix it, and can I fix it at all?

I don;'t agree with the way they are introduced is ever the problem. Except maybe roosters who hold grudges against hens who dare challenge him at introduction. But a good rooster gets over that quickly and welcomes them once they 'submit'.

Some roosters are very mean to hens that are not breeding- attacking broody hens, not in lay hens etc.

Some roosters just don't like particular colors, traits- like crest, comb type etc. This is usually partly an issue of not growing with birds with those colors/traits. Example if a rooster never saw a white hen his whole life, it is possible he will be hostile to them.

Sometimes it seems to be a body type issue- some roosters used to standard size or small hens may attack if a cornish cross hen is introduced. I had that happen with one rooster..... another rooster happily bred her... both of them never saw a white bird or a huge meat type chicken before this hen.

 

[Kev]

Chicken count here:
Makes (breeding):
Golden Partridge NN (1/4 Jersey Giant)
Mottled Pattridge NN
Cinnamon NN
Spangled Aloha. (That's 4).

Hens:
2 Barred NN
1 Black NN ( 1/2 Jersey Giant)
3 Black Gold NN
1 Blue NN (1/2 Jersey Giant)
1 Blue Gold Duckwing NN
2 Blue Red NN
2 Blue Red Splash NN
1 Mottled Partridge NN
3 Partridge NN ( have hidden mottling)
4 Red NN
1 Red Partridge NN
1 Silver NN
1 White ( few Black Specks) NN
1 Silver Partridge ( green Egger) NN

Count so far (28).

Almost 12 weeks: 6 cockerels and 9 pullets

Almost 5 weeks: 34 chicks.

GRAND TOTAL: 77.

I actually thought it was more than that.

Haha I also thought you had way more.

 

[Beer can]

Yeah I would've thought draye had more than that also, pretty sure it was his incubator I saw a pic of awhile ago that had PILES of eggs in it. Lol!

 

[draye]

Yeah I would've thought draye had more than that also, pretty sure it was his incubator I saw a pic of awhile ago that had PILES of eggs in it. Lol!

It was the incubator. it holds a lot of eggs. i usually sell at least 1/2 if not 3/4 of them at hatch. There have been occasions that I've sold the whole batch.

 

[Phill98]

So I guess I will separate him. Now, how long should he be separated?

 

[draye]

@Kev

What is the Opal color? When I think Opal I think of Porcelain.

What colors would I need to be able to make Opal Naked Necks?

 

[Kev]

@Kev

What is the Opal color? When I think Opal I think of Porcelain.

What colors would I need to be able to make Opal Naked Necks?

Last I read on Opal in chickens, it was being tested out as possible new mutation that showed up in OEGB several years ago.. where did you read about them? Just to be sure what exactly we're talking about.. this new mutation or a color combo someone decided to give their own name to,

 

[draye]

@Kev

I was reading it in a thread here on back yard chickens.

"Anyone Else Breeding for Opal". I think is the thread name.

It just seems like a cool color. I know what Opal looks like on Mini Rex Rabbits. I've had many of them before, when I was breeding rabbits. Had about 75/80 does and with the bucks and fryers and babies figured in I had over 200 at a time. That was before feed got so high.