What is a Nankin chicken?

[franciscreek]

cynthia, do you have any current pics? I'm curious to see how they grew out. I have what I think is a very nice group out of two of the same pens yours are out of. I am taking 12 of them to the Nationals this year. I hope more of the west coast breeders will be going back.

 

[lamelde]

people will sometimes take old english game bantams that are black tailed buff and pass them off as nankins...or not even know which they have

So... how can you tell - I ordered Nankins from Lund Poultry & Purely Poultry - the disposition of each is completely opposite - the Lund Poultry Nankins are very friendly (come right to me at the door) - whereas the Purely Poultry Nankins are very timid (frantically flutter about when I feed & water them).

 

[William27]

people will sometimes take old english game bantams that are black tailed buff and pass them off as nankins...or not even know which they have

How do you tell the difference?

 

[NYREDS]

How do you tell the difference?

Size & type are quite different. Colour differs as well with Nankins being more red than buff.

 

[griffinkid02]

Size & type are quite different. Colour differs as well with Nankins being more red than buff.

Agreed. Nankins should be among the smallest domestic chickens around, only the Seabright is officially smaller that I know of, although originally the nankin was even smaller than the Seabright. They got larger during a period of neglect and we currently can't seem to reduce them back to their original size without sacrificing their hardiness. So the current weights have pretty well become accepted. The males should be a deep chestnut, and the hens only slightly lighter, again we have lost a lot of the original darkness of the hens, but that is being worked on as much as able. The legs should be a nice slate blue, and they SHOULD be friendly to humans, Roos should be gentle and affectionate to the hens, and all birds should have an over all calm demeanor. Having said that, it HAS been observed that Nankin roos CAN become fairly territorial when introduced to a foreign roo, although mine have always sought to avoid confrontation in the yard. As for body type and carriage, I'm still learning the standard myself, so all I can say is that when you see it, you KNOW it's a Nankin's strut and elegance in the room.

 

[DuccleLover101]

I have a Nankin she is sweet and very showy. She got 2nd Place in her breed. LOVE HER!

 

[Chickenlover20]

I have 4 Nankins (2 cocks and 2 hens)
one of hen are broody right now. My cocks are sooo sweet and friendly, they like to be hold and pet.

White one are a nankin, I know he doesn't have a right colors on him. and the brown one are a nankin, Both of roosters is a brother.


So, here the pictures of them.

I will post a picture of broody hen tomorrow.
I will be hatching a pure nankin, I also have other chickens as well. The nankins always stay together 24/7, Its amazing to see them to stick together not with other chickens, they also watching over the silkies hens and make sure they are safe too. interesting...
I have hatched Silkie X Nankin too, the chicks turned out beautiful!!

 

[333113]

I have had Nankins, both SC and RC, for over 12 years. I have been gently pecked a few times when I put my hand too close to the baby chicks but I have not ever been attacked.

However, I also raise Delawares, and my ex-neighbors used to lure them over during their parties and then kick them. One of my roosters turned mean, and I have to remind him it's me when I open their pen, otherwise he gets pretty agitated. I believe that any chicken can be trained to be mean by a mean human.

There was some very interesting research in 2013 that says animals can inherit their parents' reactions to experiences - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smar...-certain-smells-from-their-parents-180948096/
So, if a bird has a bad or non-standard reaction to us, it may not be based on their experience of us, but rather that their parents or grandparents were not raised by someone who treated them with respect.

Also, Temple Grandin has some interesting comments about how the over-selection of a single traits (for example, color or size) can inadvertently lead to the extinction of other traits, like the gentlemanly behavior of roosters to their hens.

I have always selected for a good personality and parenting skills in my Nankins, but of course also looking at color and size, etc. I think we would all do well as responsible breeders to make a list of the traits we value and not ignore any of them. I am of course looking at this as a breeder, with generations at stake, and not as a hobbyist, with single birds at stake. So this may not apply to everyone.

 

[akdickens]

I have had Nankins, both SC and RC, for over 12 years. I have been gently pecked a few times when I put my hand too close to the baby chicks but I have not ever been attacked.

However, I also raise Delawares, and my ex-neighbors used to lure them over during their parties and then kick them. One of my roosters turned mean, and I have to remind him it's me when I open their pen, otherwise he gets pretty agitated. I believe that any chicken can be trained to be mean by a mean human.

There was some very interesting research in 2013 that says animals can inherit their parents' reactions to experiences - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smar...-certain-smells-from-their-parents-180948096/
So, if a bird has a bad or non-standard reaction to us, it may not be based on their experience of us, but rather that their parents or grandparents were not raised by someone who treated them with respect.

Also, Temple Grandin has some interesting comments about how the over-selection of a single traits (for example, color or size) can inadvertently lead to the extinction of other traits, like the gentlemanly behavior of roosters to their hens.

I have always selected for a good personality and parenting skills in my Nankins, but of course also looking at color and size, etc. I think we would all do well as responsible breeders to make a list of the traits we value and not ignore any of them. I am of course looking at this as a breeder, with generations at stake, and not as a hobbyist, with single birds at stake. So this may not apply to everyone.

Do you sell Nankins? I'm having a hard time finding somewhere to buy them. I'd really like to have some RC.

 

[333113]

I do have both RCs and SCs, and I sell and ship hatching eggs and adults. I only sell chicks, I don't ship them. I am in Missouri, and advertise on Poultry Show Central.