wry tail...anyone have any pics?

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BarkerChickens

BarkerChickens

Microbrewing Chickenologist
12 Years
Nov 25, 2007
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High Desert, CA
A few days ago, one of my 8-week-old Delaware roos' tail feathers started pointing to the side. I have read about wry tail, but haven't found any pictures to see if our little guy's tail feathers look the same or not. Also, can wry tail show up at such a late age? It seems (to me anyway) that it would show up earlier. Does this sound like wry tail?
 
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Sometimes, an injury might cause it or not all of the supporting tail feathers have grown in.

I have a longtailed cockerel who's tail is very crooked, but sometimes he holds it straight. I'm wondering if it might straighten out, so I'll be letting him mature to see what happens.
 
Wry tail causes the whole tail to sit at an angle. Usually what happens is the tail vertabrae are too weak to support the tail, so it rests at an angle. At this young an age it could be that it's just growing faster than he can support. Give him time, he might outgrow it.
 
wry tail is a genetic fault
a disqualification in the bird
not good specimen for breeding stock from
it will always have the wry tail and not always hold it to one side
so it generally shows in a very close breeding of male and female
the tail is like this / to the body
can be either side

email me PM for more answers
 
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I hope he grows out of it because of all of our Dels, he is the sweetest and the one I would like to keep. However, I know that wry tail is genetic and I wouldn't want to pass it on.

Looking down at him from the top, his tail points ~45 degrees to his right. I first noticed it over the weekend and I am sure I would have noticed it previously since he is always jumping up on me (very friendly, but not a sissy roo!
big_smile.png
). His tail is probably a good 4 inches long now.

ETA: I have heard that it can be caused by being pushed up against something and the chicks all pile up under the nests to sleep, so maybe it got bent? (Who knows why they do this...it is plenty warm in there). How old should he be before we can tell if it is wry tail? If it was bent from sleeping under the nests, how do I distinguish it from wry tail (besides waiting until a molt)?
 
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I felt his back/tail last night and with all his new pin feathers it is very difficult to feel the vertebrae; however, I did feel that his tail (the fleshy ball part) may be slightly off. But, that could be because his tail feathers lean too. I guess I will see if they happen to straighten out, but at this point we will just assume that it is wry tail.

Unfortunately, that leaves us with only two Del roos to choose from. On one, the inside toe on each foot is starting to turn outward. I am not sure if crooked toes can turn up late or if his toenails need to be clipped.
idunno.gif
I will clip his nails tonight if necessary.
 
I have been noticing the last few days one of my Black Sumatra Pullets is holding her tail to the side. Seems like I have not seen her lately with it normal. Was wondering today if she has the wry tail thing.
100156_100_3389.jpg


The American Standard of Perfection says that Wry Tail is: The tail of a fowl permanently carried to one side of the vertical, a disqualification.

There are 5 black pullets out there and I think that this one keeps doing this. My daughter entered a black Sumatra pullet in the local county fair. She was thinking of taking her but may need to take the other older one. Not sure what to do. Don't want to have her disqualified but it would be better to be the county fair than one of the bigger shows in the fall.

Do you have a picture of yours?
 
This is the picture of the little guy who I originally posted about.

5048_p1010434_small.jpg


His tail was VERY crooked (to the right side of his body). He is only 10 wks old here, so his tail wasn't really that developed.
 

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