Chicken Breeds Health Problems

[Auntiejessi3]

That's exactly what I've been thinking through this whole thread! Perhaps these things have to do with evolution. Maybe these "oddities" are really the next step, who are we to hand down judgement on things we don't understand or have no control over. And what one person's idea of beauty is may not be another's

The weirder they look the more we enjoy showing them off and the more we pay for them.

Not necessarily true! A lot of folks love naked necks, I do not, and do not find anything about them appealing, same with silkies. Some of these breeds of chickens have been around forever and have developed their different traits for a purpose, not for human amusement or some idea of beauty

 

[kwik-kwak]

The birds couldn't give a flying cluck about winning prizes.

Of course not. I was responding here to someone who said that birds with pain don't win a prize. I don't think that's right.
It's a bit inconvenient if a few words are always removed from my text, then the context disappears...

 

[kwik-kwak]

Are you trying to say that a bird is not as healthy if it came from purebred stock?

No, not directly, as I have stated several times, this of course depends on the breed, but also the breeder. When it comes to a breed with conditions such as an open skull, then of course it is.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Of course not. I was responding here to someone who said that birds with pain don't win a prize. I don't think that's right.
It's a bit inconvenient if a few words are always removed from my text, then the context disappears...

You said to just look at dog shows for an example. Birds that are not feeling good won't look good. They will look lethargic, their combs will be pale and their feathers dull. They night not look as ill as they feel, but there will be signs that they are not doing good

 

[kwik-kwak]

That's exactly what I've been thinking through this whole thread! Perhaps these things have to do with evolution. Maybe these "oddities" are really the next step, who are we to hand down judgement on things we don't understand or have no control over. And what one person's idea of beauty is may not be another's

I think it's too easy, especially when it comes to chickens with a demonstrable abnormality that causes pain. Why would that be an evolutionary advancement? We don't know everything about genetics yet, but if we know that these animals are in pain, I think we should do something about it.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

You said to just look at dog shows for an example. Birds that are not feeling good won't look good. They will look lethargic, their combs will be pale and their feathers dull. They night not look as ill as they feel, but there will be signs that they are not doing good

Yep! And in dog shows (I've seen quite a few) those dogs are happy as all get out and proud to strut their stuff!

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I think it's too easy, especially when it comes to chickens with a demonstrable abnormality that causes pain. Why would that be an evolutionary advancement? We don't know everything about genetics yet, but if we know that these animals are in pain, I think we should do something about it.

That may just be a step in the process, like you said we don't know everything. Why did fish hop out of water and start to develop legs? I'm sure that wasn't necessarily pleasant, but it happened, and people had nothing to do with it. Having babies isn't pleasant, should we stop doing that?

 

[3KillerBs]

chickens with a demonstrable abnormality that causes pain

I ask again, how do you know that they're in pain?

What scientific evidence do you have for this assertion?

 

[Iluveggers]

No, not directly, as I have stated several times, this of course depends on the breed, but also the breeder. When it comes to a breed with conditions such as an open skull, then of course it is.

Same can be said for BYM. There are birds kept in good conditions and treated well, and some that live in deplorable conditions and treated like crap. If a person cares for their chickens and treats them when they are sick, I don’t think it matters what breed they keep.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Good point. Genetics is very complex and it is indeed difficult to say which genes are right or wrong.

It is true that 'wrong' genes in nature generally disappear by themselves. The moment humans get involved, it gets more complicated because we simply don't know whether every gene is right or wrong or what the future holds. I think it is never a good idea to breed to extremes on purpose.

I do think that animal suffering is often not seen. Sometimes because they don't know it and sometimes because they consciously look away.

By the way, I don't think my judgment is better than that of others. I like to discuss, I think that can be educational for everyone. I am also prepared to change my position if I get other insights here.

So, not qualified - or at least, no more qualified than the rest of us, and likely less qualified than some. You just "feel". Got it.

You are welcome to do whatever you would like in the breeding of your own chickens, and I will do the same in the culling of mine. Should our opinions be invited regarding what to do with another's bird, it seems appropriate that we offer them should we feel inclined. Otherwise, I suggest we stick to our own lanes and decline to claim some imagined right to tell others what they should do with their property.