The Naked Neck — often sold as the Turken, though there is no turkey in it — is a dual-purpose breed unmistakable for its bare red neck and reduced feathering, carrying roughly half the feathers of a comparable bird. That sparse covering makes it unusually heat-tolerant and easy to pluck, and despite appearances it winters well under shelter. Hens lay 180 to 240 light brown eggs a year and are calm, friendly, and steady in mixed flocks. The look divides people; the bird itself is practical and unfussy.
Beginner friendly
Good with kids
Cold hardy
Heat tolerant
Broody
Egg colorBrown
Egg production180–240 / year
TemperamentDocile
BroodinessOccasional
ClimateCold hardy, Heat tolerant
PurposeEggs, Meat
Weight
Large fowl (Standard size)
Hen6.5 lb
Rooster8.5 lb
Bantam (Miniature size)
Hen1.6 lb
Rooster1.9 lb
How to spot it
CombSingle
Single, red
Neck
Featherless and bright red, sometimes with a small tuft at the throat
Feathering
Roughly half the feather count of a normal chicken, with bare patches under the wings too
Look for
The bare vulture-like neck on an otherwise ordinary dual-purpose body — nothing else looks like it
Single
