Larry Bird is hunched and crooked

[lylepday923]

Hi! I have a SLW roo that I bought from Tractor Supply as a chick. Now that he’s grown it’s become evident that he has a giant hump on his lower leftish back. He has always been clumsy and runs sorta funny like an unathletic teenage boy during a major growth spurt. We just thought he was goofy and uncoordinated. He just looks like he could really use a visit to the chiropractor! Any ideas on what could be the deal with my rooster??

 

[coach723]

It possibly could be scoliosis, or another deformity from being malpositioned in the egg. An avian vet might possibly be able to tell you with some imaging and/or testing, but it could be something that would be identified at necropsy. Scoliosis does happen in chickens, I've read that it could be inbreeding in genetic lines, but I don't think the difinitive cause is known for sure. It could be something that he could possibly pass to offspring genetically, so if you intend to hatch eggs from him, I would keep that in mind.