Livia Stouffer
Chirping
I have a few silkies that I mainly use as surrogate mothers to any chicks that I want to hatch out, and earlier this spring I was lucky enough to find my broody turkey's nest and distribute her extra eggs she couldn't fit under her among some of my broody silkies (she couldn't fit them because a few other hens found the nest before me and thought it was a good nesting spot so it got too full too fast). So they started sitting on the eggs and I had added a few other eggs from breeds I wanted more of, and one silkie egg accidentally got put under one of the mothers. I didn't notice until they hatched. When I saw I didn't mind because i could use a few more anyway. But sadly, the little guy only lasted a week. He was doing pretty well for the first few days and hatched normally, but he got wry neck and since he lived mostly under his mom, i didn't notice until it was too late. I'm pretty sure it was bad genetics because the two candidates for his father both have a slight scissor beak, and one had his extra silkie toe grow into another until it basically became one toe with two talons. It makes me sad because it would mean that I can't hatch out any of my own silkies.
I was wondering if anyone had any theories as to why he got wry neck, or if it is definitely genetics and should not try to hatch out any more silkies from my birds.
I was wondering if anyone had any theories as to why he got wry neck, or if it is definitely genetics and should not try to hatch out any more silkies from my birds.
