Here are some updated pics of my newest Aloha Naked Necks. These were hatched sometime from March - May. I tried to keep various chicks to raise for the Fall breeder pens.
This rooster is heavy on the Speckled Sussex and also carries Light Sussex. That's not Blue making the gray feathers - it's a rarer gene called DUN that is found in Seramas and some Polish. (Look up the color to see how it works!)
He has terrific size thanks to all that Sussex breeding, but he also has yellow legs, a bigger comb, and long flowy tail that I like from his Turken parentage. I wish his color was lighter, I prefer a Mille (Buff Mottled) to a darker Mahogany (as seen on Sussex) but that Mahogany color is difficult to breed out! Perhaps some of his peeps will be lighter?
These were two of the most promising hens. Wish they had yellow legs but I think they'd carry the gene.
I also have 3-4 previous hens from last season - but look haggard on the feathering and need to molt out before I re-take photos! I think they will molt in the next few months. Right now their feathers are sun bleached and raggedy looking. I have a total of 5 or 6 NN hens and two roosters that I kept.
Here's the other rooster. He has amazing size:
Hen next to him is not a dwarf, but she's about Leghorn size. He lacks a lot of spotting though he had more as a chick. This is the big chick that I thought was going to be a hen.
Here's a baby pic:
Yes, that is the same chicken, I find roos tend to drop a ton of white right around 4-5 months and that's exactly what happened here. This one now looks almost totally solid Buff, though you can clearly see from the baby pics he carries plenty of white spotting so I'm hoping to pull out even better from his chicks. His biggest plus is his size and light Buff color! Will help offset that dark Mahogany from all the Sussex breeding.
The chicks that I gave my neighbor turned out outstanding and I want to borrow a couple back for breeding. Don't have pics as I just get glimpses across the yard but it's finally starting to cool so maybe will be able to borrow them soon. It's been so hot (like 112 the other day!) that I didn't want to stress any chickens out by chasing them and then moving them into new turf with those scary temps. So everything has been totally on hold for a while now. I've just left everyone the heck alone and provided tons of water and food and just hoping for them to survive!
Finally the 10 day forecast is showing temps more in line for the season. Average this time of year is 104-106. Which is very hot but survivable. We've had a near record number of days at or above 110. Record was 33 days; we've had 30 days since June. That means almost a third of this summer has been 110 degrees or worse! Poor, poor chickies!!!
This rooster is heavy on the Speckled Sussex and also carries Light Sussex. That's not Blue making the gray feathers - it's a rarer gene called DUN that is found in Seramas and some Polish. (Look up the color to see how it works!)
He has terrific size thanks to all that Sussex breeding, but he also has yellow legs, a bigger comb, and long flowy tail that I like from his Turken parentage. I wish his color was lighter, I prefer a Mille (Buff Mottled) to a darker Mahogany (as seen on Sussex) but that Mahogany color is difficult to breed out! Perhaps some of his peeps will be lighter?
These were two of the most promising hens. Wish they had yellow legs but I think they'd carry the gene.
I also have 3-4 previous hens from last season - but look haggard on the feathering and need to molt out before I re-take photos! I think they will molt in the next few months. Right now their feathers are sun bleached and raggedy looking. I have a total of 5 or 6 NN hens and two roosters that I kept.
Here's the other rooster. He has amazing size:
Hen next to him is not a dwarf, but she's about Leghorn size. He lacks a lot of spotting though he had more as a chick. This is the big chick that I thought was going to be a hen.
Here's a baby pic:
Yes, that is the same chicken, I find roos tend to drop a ton of white right around 4-5 months and that's exactly what happened here. This one now looks almost totally solid Buff, though you can clearly see from the baby pics he carries plenty of white spotting so I'm hoping to pull out even better from his chicks. His biggest plus is his size and light Buff color! Will help offset that dark Mahogany from all the Sussex breeding.
The chicks that I gave my neighbor turned out outstanding and I want to borrow a couple back for breeding. Don't have pics as I just get glimpses across the yard but it's finally starting to cool so maybe will be able to borrow them soon. It's been so hot (like 112 the other day!) that I didn't want to stress any chickens out by chasing them and then moving them into new turf with those scary temps. So everything has been totally on hold for a while now. I've just left everyone the heck alone and provided tons of water and food and just hoping for them to survive!
Finally the 10 day forecast is showing temps more in line for the season. Average this time of year is 104-106. Which is very hot but survivable. We've had a near record number of days at or above 110. Record was 33 days; we've had 30 days since June. That means almost a third of this summer has been 110 degrees or worse! Poor, poor chickies!!!
