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sarahannecloud9 · 11-01-2012, 04:55 AM

In celebration of Thanksgiving/Harvest, I felt the unusual Turkin was a good feature chicken this month!

Some facts of trusty old Wikipedia:

The Naked Neck is a breed of chicken that is naturally devoid of feathers on its neck and vent. The breed is also called the Transylvanian Naked Neck, as well as the Turken. Originally from Central Europe, it originated in Hungary and was largely developed in Germany. The name "Turken" arose from the mistaken idea that the bird was a hybrid of a chicken and the domestic turkey. Naked Necks are fairly common in Europe today, but are rare in North America. The trait for a naked neck is a dominant one controlled by one gene and is fairly easy to introduce into other breeds,[1] however these are hybrids rather than true Naked Necks, which is a breed recognized by the American Poultry Association since 1965, it was introduced in the Britain in the 1920s. There are other breeds of naked necked chicken, such as the French naked neck, which is often confused with the Transylvanian, and the naked necked gamefowl.

Characteristics

Naked Neck chickens

Despite its highly unusual appearance, the breed is not particularly known as an exhibition bird, and is a dual-purpose utility chicken. They lay a respectable number of light brown eggs, and are considered desirable for meat production because they need less plucking and they have a meaty body. They are very good foragers and are immune to most diseases. The breed is also reasonably cold hardy despite its lack of feathers. Naked Neck roosters carry a single comb, and the neck and head often become very bright red from increased sun exposure. This breed has approximately half the feathers of other chickens, making it resistant to hot weather and easier to pluck.
Recognized color varieties include: black, white, cuckoo, buff, red, and blue in the United Kingdom[2] and Black, White, Buff, and Red in the United States.[3]

Naked Neck trait
The naked neck trait which characterizes this breed is controlled by an incompletely dominant allele (Na) located near the middle of Chromosome 3.[4] Since this allele is dominant, individuals which are either homozygous dominant (Na/Na) or heterozygous (Na/na+) will exhibit the naked neck characteristic though the heterozygous individual will exhibit less reduction in feathering - true breeding members of the breed must then be homozygous dominant, and all individuals in the recognized breed must be also. Individuals which are homozygous recessive (or wild type feathered) (na+/na+) would not exhibit any feather reduction characteristics of the Naked Necks and, baring mutation, would be unable to pass that trait down.[5]
Scientific studies have indicated that the naked neck gene (Na) improves breast size and reduces heat stress in chickens of non-broiler breeds which are homozygous for the trait.[6] Additionally, in tropical climates if the naked neck trait (Na) is breed into broiler strains it has been shown to facilitate lower body temperature, increased body weight gain, better Feed conversion ratios and carcass traits compared to normally feathered broilers.

Chicken Facts:

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Weights - Hen -------6 1/2 lbs Rooster----8 1/2 lb

Pullet-------5 1/2 lbs Cockerel---7 1/2 lbs

Purpose - Ornamental and Dual Purpose: Egg Laying and Meat

Egg Color - Brown

Egg Production - 180+ eggs per year.

Country of Origin -Eastern Hungary

APA: Yes, Recognized by American Standard of Perfection
ALBC: Not Listed

So what are your thoughts on this unusual breed?

11-01-2012, 04:55 AM	#1
sarahannecloud9 Registered Users Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Crossville, Tn (Pleasant Hill) Posts: 10,661 Ratings: 382 Feedback: 100% My Mood:	November Chicken Chat Thread~~~Join in!~~~ In celebration of Thanksgiving/Harvest, I felt the unusual Turkin was a good feature chicken this month! Some facts of trusty old Wikipedia: The Naked Neck is a breed of chicken that is naturally devoid of feathers on its neck and vent. The breed is also called the Transylvanian Naked Neck, as well as the Turken. Originally from Central Europe, it originated in Hungary and was largely developed in Germany. The name "Turken" arose from the mistaken idea that the bird was a hybrid of a chicken and the domestic turkey. Naked Necks are fairly common in Europe today, but are rare in North America. The trait for a naked neck is a dominant one controlled by one gene and is fairly easy to introduce into other breeds,[1] however these are hybrids rather than true Naked Necks, which is a breed recognized by the American Poultry Association since 1965, it was introduced in the Britain in the 1920s. There are other breeds of naked necked chicken, such as the French naked neck, which is often confused with the Transylvanian, and the naked necked gamefowl. Characteristics Naked Neck chickens Despite its highly unusual appearance, the breed is not particularly known as an exhibition bird, and is a dual-purpose utility chicken. They lay a respectable number of light brown eggs, and are considered desirable for meat production because they need less plucking and they have a meaty body. They are very good foragers and are immune to most diseases. The breed is also reasonably cold hardy despite its lack of feathers. Naked Neck roosters carry a single comb, and the neck and head often become very bright red from increased sun exposure. This breed has approximately half the feathers of other chickens, making it resistant to hot weather and easier to pluck. Recognized color varieties include: black, white, cuckoo, buff, red, and blue in the United Kingdom[2] and Black, White, Buff, and Red in the United States.[3] Naked Neck trait The naked neck trait which characterizes this breed is controlled by an incompletely dominant allele (Na) located near the middle of Chromosome 3.[4] Since this allele is dominant, individuals which are either homozygous dominant (Na/Na) or heterozygous (Na/na+) will exhibit the naked neck characteristic though the heterozygous individual will exhibit less reduction in feathering - true breeding members of the breed must then be homozygous dominant, and all individuals in the recognized breed must be also. Individuals which are homozygous recessive (or wild type feathered) (na+/na+) would not exhibit any feather reduction characteristics of the Naked Necks and, baring mutation, would be unable to pass that trait down.[5] Scientific studies have indicated that the naked neck gene (Na) improves breast size and reduces heat stress in chickens of non-broiler breeds which are homozygous for the trait.[6] Additionally, in tropical climates if the naked neck trait (Na) is breed into broiler strains it has been shown to facilitate lower body temperature, increased body weight gain, better Feed conversion ratios and carcass traits compared to normally feathered broilers. Chicken Facts: <LI style="COLOR: black; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1" class=MsoNormal> Weights - Hen -------6 1/2 lbs Rooster----8 1/2 lb Pullet-------5 1/2 lbs Cockerel---7 1/2 lbs Purpose - Ornamental and Dual Purpose: Egg Laying and Meat Egg Color - Brown Egg Production - 180+ eggs per year. Country of Origin -Eastern Hungary APA: Yes, Recognized by American Standard of Perfection ALBC: Not Listed So what are your thoughts on this unusual breed? __________________ MAKE REASONABLE OFFERS ON MY FS ITEMS! Sarah, OCD about, Chickens, Gardening, and Farming! Wife 2 my savior since 97 Jimmy Ray, momma 2 my blessingsCayden 3/29/05 ANDWilliam 1/23/09Desperate for just 1 more. Missing my beloved moma, Karen- passed 4/14/09. Last edited by sarahannecloud9; 11-01-2012 at 12:25 PM.