Silkie breeding, genetics & showing - Page 22

I've been thru their wing files-- they are not any more clear than the questions I am asking.  There are simply notes on wings that say "bad wing" or whatever.  But if you put a fine point on it, a lot of them don't really know either-- BUT they can spot a bad wing.  Now I can too.... but I want to know what exactly constitues a split and whats going on with my birds with all the feathers growing in the same direction vs the one that has growth in two different directions.  

It looks like split wing to me. I had two silkies with angel wing. I kept two babies in the house with the light on all the time for 8 wks and suddenly realized their wings had gotten huge and were folding wrong because of the extra weight. Obviously caused by eating day and night. I had babies the same age out side that were half their size. Same parents too.

What we refer to a "slipped wing" sounds more like what you are referring to as angel wing (what they call it when the primaries are held out from the body in waterfowl only). Slipped wing is when the primaries and secondaries don't fold in properly, with the former completely folding under the latter. This might mean that only one feather sticks out rather than folding under. Weak wings refer to wings being carried loosely or that appear to be split but are not technically split wings. Split wing is when there is an obvious gap between the primary and secondary feathers caused by the actual absence of a feather and corresponding follicle. It is not as common as people think, and a lot of weak wings (poorly or loosely carried) and slipped wings (improperly folding/carried) are inaccurately called "split wing" when there is technically no absent feather. Hope this helps.

What we refer to a "slipped wing" sounds more like what you are referring to as angel wing (what they call it when the primaries are held out from the body in waterfowl only). Slipped wing is when the primaries and secondaries don't fold in properly, with the former completely folding under the latter. This might mean that only one feather sticks out rather than folding under. Weak wings refer to wings being carried loosely or that appear to be split but are not technically split wings. Split wing is when there is an obvious gap between the primary and secondary feathers caused by the actual absence of a feather and corresponding follicle. It is not as common as people think, and a lot of weak wings (poorly or loosely carried) and slipped wings (improperly folding/carried) are inaccurately called "split wing" when there is technically no absent feather. Hope this helps.

Great info! Thanks!!

Okay, THAT is what we've been asking!  LOL!  :)  What about wings that grow in two different directions?  From your description, it sounds like what I have is indeed NOT a split wing, then. Because, the feathers are all there, but they are not growing in one direction.   If that is the case, what kind of wing issue do I have?  I was thinking this was a split.  But I'm happy to be wrong.  This is my own bird, BTW.

I can't tell you for sure if it's an actual split...but look to see if there's an obvious gap without even a feather follicle. The primary feathers are not easy for me to tell because of the way you're holding them out -- they should fan more in an arch. Same with the secondary feathers, which also appear to be twisted or growing upwards, kinda like a frizzle, only this doesn't appear to be a frizzled bird. What do the wings look like when they are being held or carried naturally. Are they tucked in tight, with the primaries folding underneath the secondaries? If not, then I'd say you have slipped wing, and it might even be a weak wing, too, if the wing hangs down or loose in a natural position. Chances are it's not a split wing (it COULD be) but weak/slipped wing is more likely. Basically, it's just not a nicely formed wing from the looks of it with the gap and the twisted secondaries, the lack of an arched fan in the primaries... Not something you want to breed with unless there's some outstanding type going on. Can you take a pic of the bird from the side standing in a natural pose?