Transylvanian Naked Necks

“What the heck”, you might be thinking? Transylvanian Naked Necks are a breed of chicken. They are hardy, smart and great layers. See them here. I thought I would mention them here as school is about finished for the year and we can get into some more school related topics next year.

We bred them for a number of years when we operated Old Macdonald’s Travelling Farms around Western Australia. They had shock value! People were often critical of the way our chickens looked because they appeared to be missing their feathers and assumed they had been attacked by something in the farm, such as a piglet! We had great pleasure in declaring that the “chickens are not sick, they are Transylvanian Naked Necks and that’s exactly how they’re meant to look”.

Of all the breeds we kept for the farm, the naked necks were one of the most talked about!

Chicks hatching in the lounge and laundry

Was at a friend’s house today and there in her lounge/dining room was an incubator with chicks hatching in it. Peering throught the perspex front was three little wide-eyed boys, all about to turn 4 years old. It was lovely to watch and listen to them. Great entertainment! I was also relieved to see that I am not the only person who hatches chickens in the house!

The laundry had an incubator as well. My friend candled an egg (held a torch to the egg so that you can see the embryo inside). The boys in were awe of being able to see a chick moving inside its egg. Great stuff! Reminded me of why we run U Can Hatch Us – so all children and adults can see this.