pointy breast bone

[KurrajongFRC]

Please help,,,My penciled wyandotte center left in picture
I attended a backyard chicken talk at my local small farms expo, The talk was given by a gentleman who has had poultry for nearly sixty years. My concern is a comment he made about chickens with pointy or razor breast bones,(cull/destroy because this is a sign of mareks). I discovered this when removing eggs from a broody chook, she seams to be of good health normal droppings, eats well, has raised 2 lots of chickens. Bought Jan 2014 at 8 weeks old, I want to do the right thing and not spread germs. but am having trouble finding information on this symptom.

 

[Wyandottes7]

Welcome to BYC!

We're glad to have you.

Does the breastbone feel noticabley pointer than the others? She looks healthy in the photo. Some chickens just aren't as plump as others.

If it really is very prominent/sharp, she may have worms. Mites and lice can also cause birds to lose weight, so I'd check for those.

 

[KurrajongFRC]

Thanks for the reply,
Its very noticeable on the back of my hand when I lift her up to remove eggs, There are no visible signs of mites but I will get a mite dust for them all today, as for worms I have not spotted any in her droppings. My treatment for worms is to give apple cider vinegar in their water once a month. Do you think its best to get a proper wormer.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

X2 she looks fine in the photo.

 

[BantamLover21]

Glad you joined us!

Your bird looks fine in the photo. It is normal to be able to feel the breastbone of even a healthy bird, especially when you're holding it in a way that makes the bone press against your hand. As long as the bone doesn't appear prominently, there is nothing wrong.

If the bone does seem to jut out abnormally, I would suspect worms. A wasting disease, like Marek's, is another less likely possibility. To avoid worm problems, you could simply worm your birds once or twice a year with a broad-spectrum wormer (Safeguard, Valbazen, etc.).

Beautiful birds, by the way!

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Some birds are going to be thinner than others. I have a couple of hens that have less meat on their bones than others. I am not so sure being so thin has anything to do with Mareks disease. Any disease can cause them to become anorexic. I wouldn't cull anybody unless you see signs of an incurable disease.

Keep your birds healthy and wormed. Worms eat the chickens feed in the intestinal tract and this can starve them to death.

Good luck with your flock and welcome to ours!

 

[Chickenchick11]

Your chicken looks just fine. Certain breeds and certain birds are skinnier than others. I know that my Rhode Island Reds are skinnier than my White Rocks but my RIRS are still perfectly heathy.

 

[drumstick diva]

Looks okay to me, I think he was irresponsible to make a blanket statement like that - because it magnifies fears and there are so many reasons including genes that could cause a pointy breastbone. Saying Mareks to chicken folk is as bad as yelling FIRE to wake up some sleepyheads. Have to wonder how many birds got culled because of remarks like his.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! You've gotten some good advice above. It sounds like she has been broody a lot? Many broodys do not eat properly and then go into molt, so she may still be underweight because she has not fully recovered from that.

 

[sunflour]

So glad you joined us.

Totally agree with drumstick diva and Kelsie2290.

When My 6 girls were young a man with over 20 years experience raising chickens told me I would get no eggs without a rooster. I knew he was wrong, but he was so argumentative. Hope he doesn't teach at the Expos.