The
Naked Neck is a breed of
chicken that is naturally devoid of feathers on its neck and vent. The breed is also called the
Transylvanian Naked Neck, as well as the
Turken. Originally from
Transylvania and was largely developed in
Germany. The name "Turken" arose from the mistaken idea that the bird was a
hybrid of a chicken and the
domestic turkey. Naked Necks are fairly common in
Europe today, but are rare in
North America. The trait for a naked neck is a
dominant one controlled by one
gene and is fairly easy to introduce into other breeds, however these are hybrids rather than true Naked Necks, which is a breed recognized by the
American Poultry Association since 1965, it was introduced in
Britain in the 1920s. There are other breeds of naked necked chicken, such as the French naked neck, which is often confused with the Transylvanian, and the naked necked gamefowl.