Is Naked Neck Chicken Best For Poultry Or Fowlyard
Naked Neck chicken breed has been known by names like Rubber Necks, Turkens and even Churkeys. Rest assured, its a dinky-di chook - no foul play has taken place with turkeys. It seems a random gene mutation centuries ago has resulted in birds with reduced feathering.
This scientific explanation puts a damper on the normal reaction, "Is it a victim of dog attack?" "Has the bird got a disease?" Along with the featherless areas on neck and breast, the skin turns a deep shade of red, and so the casual observer can be forgiven for wondering if something horrible has caused the unusual appearance.
Detalis About Naked Neck Chicken
The genes responsible for the different characteristics in poultry occur in pairs and may code for the same trait or contrasting ones. When the genes for the naked neck both code for reduced feathering, the result is a chicken that has a decrease of around 40-45 per cent in plumage cover compared to normal birds.
As the gene for the naked neck is a dominant one, only a single gene of the pair is needed. That is, the dominant gene for reduced feathering will overcome the less powerful recessive gene for normal feathering.
This means there are birds classed as Naked Necks that have originated from parents that both carry and express the unique feather restriction gene. These are of a recognised quality for showing and technically are known as homozygous or pure for the naked neck.
But there are also fowls that have resulted from the influence of just one feather reduction gene (the other partner of the pair representing normal feathering). Such birds are classed as heterozygous and display less-reduced feathering, only around 30 per cent feather loss.
These birds are more common than the pure Naked Necks and are easy to distinguish: they have a tuft of feathers or goatee on the neck and visually have less bare skin exposed. In essence, they are a crossbred, but a handy addition to the backyard or farm.
"The feed bill is likely to be lower with naked necks, especially in the warmer months. They have a lower demand for protein than fully feathered fowls because they have fewer feathers to renew and support"
Differnce Between Poultry Chickens Vs Naked Neck Chickens
Naked Necks are an oddity in Australia. but when you learn all the superior properties that go with reduced feather cover, you may decide they're better to keep than a fully feathered breed. They can be found in significant numbers throughout South-East Asia and Central America; they run wild on many Pacific islands and are widespread in northern Africa.
For decades the French poultry industry has bred and offered Naked Neck broilers and layers, possibly to meet the welfare needs of commercial clients in the Middle East and Africa. Among show circles, the breed is known as the Transylvanian Naked Neck. This is not because of some long-ago association with Count Dracula, but because the breed's European beginnings trace back to Transylvania in Romania.
Histrory Of Naked Neck Chickens
The unique appearance of the Naked Neck hasn't escaped myth. While the breed was most likely introduced to Romania by armies returning from the east, a local explanation was that when boiling water was poured into a dish, splashes went onto nearby fowl, burning their necks and causing feather loss. So severe and traumatic was the incident, the affliction was transmitted to offspring and, in turn, passed on through subsequent generations.
How To Find Naked Neck Chicken Breed
You'll have no trouble recognising a Naked Neck. Their appearance is dominated by the bare neck and breast, the skin usually a deep red due to the effects of the sun. A jaunty cap of feathers on top of the head around the comb is a key feature, too.
Feather loss also occurs along the tops of thighs, the lower flanks and the area below the vent.If you examine a normal feathered fowl you'll notice lots of fluffy feather and hairlike filoplumes growing between the tracts of contour feathers. These are absent on a pure Naked Neck.
"Along with the featherless areas on neck and breast, the skin turns a deep shade of red, and so the casual observer can be forgiven for wondering if something horrible has caused the unusual appearance"
Is Naked Neck Change Itself To Climate Behaviour
As our summers become more severe, many chook breeds will be at risk. Fowls feel comfortable at temperatures around 20-30°C, but above this they experience stress. Distress and panting to disperse body heat commences around 32-35°C and birds are in serious danger after the temperature reaches 38°C. Collapse and death are possibilities at 40°C.
The Naked Neck is able to handle hot weather due to its reduced feather cover, the bare skin facilitating heat dissipation. This means it doesn't need to cut back on food, its appetite stays normal, and it gets all the nutrients required to maintain optimum health, growth and egg lay.
This allows the Naked Neck to benefit from superior immuno competence. Studies have shown that these birds displayed more resistance to bacterial, viral and parasitic infections and conferred better disease resistance on their young.
The feed bill is likely to be lower with Naked Necks, especially in the warmer months. They have a lower demand for protein than fully feathered fowls because they have fewer feathers to renew and support. As well, they're able to divert protein utilisation to growth and body mass.
Curiously, the breed has been found to carry less body fat compared to fully feathered birds. This is advantageous for those wanting a lean home-produced table bird. This is thought to result from using more energy for thermo-regulation.
Importantly, Naked Neck chicks don't suffer a check in growth because of lowered feed intake in hot weather. Fully feathered summer chicks are always smaller than their spring-hatched cousins for this reason, but Naked Neck littlies eat on happily.
Feather pecking can be a problem among brooded chickens and even adult birds. Studies have proved there is minimal incidence of feather pecking with Naked Necks, purportedly because there are less nutritional demands on them that fully feathered birds must meet.
Partnering the disinterest in feather pecking is a mild temperament with markedly less anxiety and aggression displayed. This is an attribute that has made Naked Necks popular in commercial situations.
Finally, egg production, egg size and shell quality remain unaffected in Naked Necks in the heat, making them an asset in any backyard flock.
Is Naked Neck Chicken Best For Poultry Or Fowlyard
Yes. the practical benefits of the Naked Neck cannot be ignored. Keep this bizarre-looking breed in mind. We don't know what's ahead heatwise, but this breed has already proved invaluable in village chicken keeping all around the world.