My family moved to a small town in the Midwest of about 700 people right before Christmas of 2018.
Having chickens was a must for us. We waited eight months for our house because it was zoned for agriculture. Because it had 3 acres right off a river, we could have roosters, too!
Getting Nakeds
We ordered our baby chickens online. The day that they arrived in the mail, I was elated at the 18 peeping yellow chicks looking back at me.
We ordered Naked Neck chickens partly because of their name and partly because we loved the way they looked. I raised them in the brooder of our screened-in front porch.
Silkie Smooth
Soon after, a coworker of my mother mentioned that she had a noisy rooster that she desperately wanted to get rid of. She said she’d give us the rooster free of charge.She said she’d even throw in a laying hen if I’d come and get them.
I quickly jumped on the deal. My husband and I made the hour trip with our daughter to her home to find a waddling, noisy, scraggly Silkie rooster.
I fell in love all over again! We named the rooster Benji and the accompanying Silkie hen Macy May.
Meet the Peeps
The Naked Neck chicks quickly joined our two older additions. Macy May adopted the babies as her own after losing her fertilized eggs to an infection.
Our flock is now a family of 20. My daughter absolutely enjoys chasing them around and gathering eggs. And I love driving my neighbors crazy with Benji’s nonstop crowing!
Whenever we have company, I’m the first to offer a tour of our flock, boasting about the exotic breed we chose and showing off our birds.
I love waking up every morning and listening to Benji having “crow offs” with our new neighbors’ roosters. Our chickens have been an absolute blessing to us!
About: Naked Necks
Naked Neck chickens may look like small turkeys, but they are all chicken!
The breed was created to be easier for cooks to pluck.
Nakeds, of course, do well in warm climates. They actually fare well in the cold, though, despite their feather shortcomings and large combs.
Naked Necks are said to be calm, friendly and one of the easiest chickens to tame.
This edition of Chicken Chat—readers telling their stories of chicken-keeping—appeared in the November/December 2019 issue of Chickens magazine. For a chance for your tale to be chosen, email the story of your chickens in about 750 words to chickens@chickensmagazine.com (subject line: Chicken Chat). Be sure to include high-resolution images or photos of yourself, your chickens and/or your coop.
