TRANSYLVANIAN NAKED NECK
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Country of Origin: Hungary
Category: Soft feather
Egg Colour: Brown (Sitters)
CLASIFICATION |
CODE |
MASSES |
BREED CODE |
RING SIZES |
Heavy breed |
|
|
|
|
LARGE |
|
|
252 |
|
Cock |
10 |
3.5kg |
|
E |
Hen |
12 |
3.0kg |
|
D |
Cockerel |
14 |
3.5kg |
|
E |
Pullet |
16 |
3.0kg |
|
D |
|
|
|
||
BANTAMS |
|
|
524 |
|
Cock |
10 |
1.7 maximum |
|
C |
Hen |
12 |
1.5 maximum |
|
B |
Cockerel |
14 |
1.7 maximum |
|
C |
Pullet |
16 |
1.5 maximum |
|
B |
Records of Naked Neck chickens have been found in areas as far apart as central Europe and Malaysia. According to archaeologists the Naked Neck breed originated in Malaysia from where it spread all over the world. It is therefore possible that the Dutch East India Company introduced Naked Necks to South Africa from Malaysia in the 17th century and they are thus considered an indigenous breed by SA’s Agricultural Research Council. Naked necked chickens came to Europe from imported Madagascan Naked Necked Game, which were then crossed with local chickens. These chickens had a variety of colour patterns. Naked necked chickens, with the amount of neck feathers differing from region to region, are seen all around the Mediterranean region and up into the Balkans.
Transylvania, a province of Romania since 1918, but formerly a part of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire, is their nominal place of origin. Austrian and German fanciers made the standard version of the breed, specifying body size and shape, a single comb and a completely bare neck.
Their unusual appearance limits their popularity, but they have always attracted a few fanciers. The first records found so far of them appearing at poultry shows were in Newmarket, England in 1874, and Vienna, Austria in 1875, and they have usually appeared in limited numbers per show since then. However, there were enough people who did like them to give an impressive display of 110 large Naked Necks at the 1907 Leipzig Show.
The first known Transylvanian Naked Neck bantams were shown by Karl Huth at the 1898 German National Show at Frankfurt. It is believed the old strains died out during the two world wars, and new strains were remade by fanciers in both the DDR and FDR (East and West Germany) in the 1950s.
There are two types of Naked Necks, one of which is purebred and has a completely naked neck and the other, which is not purebred, has a tassel on the front part of the neck. If two tasselled birds are mated, one quarter of the offspring would have totally naked necks, half of them would have tassels and the remaining quarter would be fully feathered.
In France the Naked Neck gene is used in commercial production as they can produce the same body weight with less food and there are 30% less feathers to remove than fully feathered birds in the slaughter line and therefore they pass through much faster. They are also more heat tolerant.
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BANTAMS
The bantams should be miniatures of their large fowl counterparts and the same Standard in all respects is applicable.
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Amended May 2012
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