Can we talk about crooked keels?

[chickenmomma16]

I hatched a bunch of chicks from a breeding quad. I was able to tell the eggs apart from my 3 hens. I culled all the males from one hen due to her carrying silver and passing it to her sons. Now ALL the males from another hen have crooked keels. None of the daughters have crooked keels and the mother and father of these guys all have nice deep straight keels. It’s varying degrees, they are all different ages and raised the exact same. It’s not so much of an “S” shape if you were looking at them on their back (a couple are like that though and tagged for auction) but the side profile is dipped more like this shape “~”.
I don’t know what to do. I stayed up last night reading on the subject and I cant decide if it’s genetic or something environmental. It is suspicious for being genetic with ALL the males from one hen being affected. But the sisters are fine and so are the parents. They roosted at about 6 weeks of age on a 2” wide roost. But none of the males from the other 2 hens had any hint of crooked keels. Has anybody seen anything like this or have any knowledge to share?

 

[Mosey2003]

I had one in my very first chicks I bought. They were Buff Orpingtons from a local breeder who comes across as a good, SOP breeder but now that I know more, is more like a "showy high dollar chick" breeder. Anyway, one that I butchered had a crooked keel, and later found a few more. A few of them also had crossbeaks. I'm sorry, I don't really have any advice or insight on causes, but I do have a picture:

All I know about the breeding was that he was using an English type cock over more American type hens. Perhaps crossing lines can bring it out?Since I saw it's in the files, here's a picture of one of those hens grown, just because:

 

[chickenmomma16]

I had one in my very first chicks I bought. They were Buff Orpingtons from a local breeder who comes across as a good, SOP breeder but now that I know more, is more like a "showy high dollar chick" breeder. Anyway, one that I butchered had a crooked keel, and later found a few more. A few of them also had crossbeaks. I'm sorry, I don't really have any advice or insight on causes, but I do have a picture:
View attachment 1919267
All I know about the breeding was that he was using an English type cock over more American type hens. Perhaps crossing lines can bring it out?Since I saw it's in the files, here's a picture of one of those hens grown, just because:
View attachment 1919271

I do know strange things pop up in outcrosses. My quad came from a closed flock. She is a well known breeder in my area and I happen to know her personally outside of chickens. I trust this isn’t something she’d deliberately sell me. I literally got top pick out of all her hens. She was going to keep a group but decided to completely sell all her birds for personal reasons.

Anyway, I don’t know if I can afford to cull ALL the males of yet another hen. I will if that’s the general consensus. It is just disappointing. It can work to set up my breeding pens without them but it’s not ideal.

 

[sourland]

I would address this situation with the person that you got the birds from. As a serious breeder she would want to know, and she may have pertinent advice.

 

[chickenmomma16]

I would address this situation with the person that you got the birds from. As a serious breeder she would want to know, and she may have pertinent advice.

I really hate to bother her yet again. I will if I can’t find any info. She is completely out of chickens(other than a layer flock) showing, and breeding. Sold her breeding flocks and all her incubators and brooders. She’s busy with other more important life stuff. I feel like I’d be bugging her. Again. I’ve already asked her about 4 different chicken subjects in the last couple months.