All my japanese chicks have long legs!

[columbiacritter]

Of the 6 surviviors of a disasterous shipment of 25 all have long legs. Does this mean long leggers are tougher? Coincidence?

I haven't checked all the deaders for leg length. Hard to tell on some. If all of them have long legs is it bad breeding?

I wasn't expectign show quality from a hatchery but at least 20% short would have been nice.

Be intersting to see what the replacements are like next month.

 

[Vcomb]

Hello,

It could be that the long legs are more hardy, as breeding short legs to short legs for too long will cause problems such as high mortality rates and poor vigor. many breeders I talked to when I used to have japs said to breed birds of moderate to long leg length to the shortest legged ones. You wouldn't get all short legs, but the birds that did have short legs would be more sound overall.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

The short leg gene is lethal in double dose.