Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[RoyalChick]

I assumed this from NatJ explanations, but I haven't got a clue about it. I definitely may have gotten it wrong.

Edited: this article gives a few interesting answers in the introduction : https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...QQFnoECCAQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2AOj3Ytyy8kb4R_gKvSmjd

Does seem to be a dominant gene.

Fascinating

 

[pennyJo1960]

Morning X Batts Very good reading .. I have no naked necks here but very interesting read.

 

[NatJ]

Who says it is a dominant gene? That seems improbable doesn't it? Has Skeksis hatched any of her eggs?

Why wouldn't it be a dominant gene?

Any source that talks about the genetics of that trait will call it dominant. To be more precise, it is incompletely dominant (a chicken with one copy of the gene shows the effect, but a chicken with two copies of the gene shows a stronger effect.)

There's a good explanation in this thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/showgirl-silkie-naked-neck-gene.295746/

And it's in this table of chicken genes:
http://kippenjungle.nl/sellers/page3.html
"Naked neck Na Incompletely dominant. Turkens. Causes bare skin on the neck which becomes reddish toward sexual maturity. Heterozygotes show a small tuft of feathers on the neck above the crop, which is almost missing in the homozygote."

Based on that, Skeksis would be a heterozygote (one copy of the naked neck gene, one copy of the normal not-naked version.)
If she produces chicks, and their father does not have a naked neck, you would expect about half of them to have normal necks, and half to have necks as naked as Skeksis' neck is.

 

[RoyalChick]

Why wouldn't it be a dominant gene?

Any source that talks about the genetics of that trait will call it dominant. To be more precise, it is incompletely dominant (a chicken with one copy of the gene shows the effect, but a chicken with two copies of the gene shows a stronger effect.)

There's a good explanation in this thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/showgirl-silkie-naked-neck-gene.295746/

And it's in this table of chicken genes:
http://kippenjungle.nl/sellers/page3.html
"Naked neck Na Incompletely dominant. Turkens. Causes bare skin on the neck which becomes reddish toward sexual maturity. Heterozygotes show a small tuft of feathers on the neck above the crop, which is almost missing in the homozygote."

Based on that, Skeksis would be a heterozygote (one copy of the naked neck gene, one copy of the normal not-naked version.)
If she produces chicks, and their father does not have a naked neck, you would expect about half of them to have normal necks, and half to have necks as naked as Skeksis' neck is.

Very interesting. I read the paper. Now of course I am keen to see Skeksis hatch some baby Skeksis!

 

[Sally PB]

Skeksis

So, what is the plural of Skeksis? Skeksises? Skeksi?

 

[Shadrach]

Here are some suggestions made by a company I have used. What do you think ?

Ask Shaders

Looks like you may have fallen for the, get some inoffensive old guy to flog some crap, sales pitch Marie.
There are occasions when a tonic of some sort can aid recovery. Ideally one needs to know exactly what the patient, in this case chicken, is defficient in. Pouring chemicals down the poor creatures throat because of just in case, isn't something I'm keen on doing.
You may think all that right on brown rice and sandels stuff is good for you but please don't inflict that conviction on the poor chickens.
Most time some fish, scrambled egg, cooked meat will supply in the correct proportions all chemicals that's in the stuff in the bottles Mr Nice is trying to sell you.

 

[RoyalChick]

So, what is the plural of Skeksis? Skeksises? Skeksi?

According to Wikipedia Skeksis is both singular and plural. Like sheep. But not really very much like sheep.

 

[Shadrach]

Why? Do you think laying puts a big stress on their body?

Absolutely no doubt about it. It's what shortens the high production hens life span.
I'm sure I've posted on this before. Very roughly, there are so many eggs in a hen. She can lay them quickly and wear herself out, or she can lay them slowly with rest inbetween and live longer.
A hen that lays 100 eggs a year and lives to be ten years old lays exactly the same amount of eggs as a hen that lives to three and bit years old but lays 300 a year for three years and 100 in her fourth year.
Jungle fowl lay from 15 eggs a year up to around 30.

 

[Shadrach]

In the USA, the American Poultry Association only recognizes one breed with a naked neck. They call them "Naked Necks," and they are a dual-purpose type chicken that lays brown eggs. (Plus a bantam version that is a miniature of the same.)

But the bare neck is caused by just one gene, so it's easy to have mixed-breed chickens with naked necks and traits from other breeds.

They are called Transylvaians, not naked necks most other places.

 

[NatJ]

They are called Transylvaians, not naked necks most other places.

I've also seen them called "Turkens" (as if they were a turkey-chicken cross), and "Transylvanian Naked Necks."

Since the APA chose "Naked Neck" for the name of the breed they recognize, I wonder what they'll come up with if someone presents another breed with a naked neck (but different other traits)