Silkies with leg problems???

[Poultry Run Farm]

My Daughter is pretty much just starting into the breeding part of this. All her stock has come from people that show and none of her breeder birds are related.

With her black silkies, every once in a while she will get one that the legs will sprawl out on, not sure how to explain it, but the bird can't walk or put their legs together. She's had one buff do it but it's mostly with her blacks and blues. Is this a genetic problem or a vitamin/diet problem, it's been mostly with the silkies, she had one hamburg do it last year? She feeds mostly layena crumbles as the main grain. These are not young chicks these are half grown birds, always within the first year usually around 6-7 months old.

 

[PurpleChicken]

That can be a sign of various diseases and, as you mentioned, a nutritional
deficiency. Silkes are more prone to various conditions like this than
standards.

Does it start and then stop?
Do you free range at all?
Do you supplement their diets with other things?
Are they exposed to cedar?
Have any died or are there any other symptoms?
Are her birds from the same stock or from different breeders/eggs?

 

[Poultry Run Farm]

Quote:
It will happen to maybe 2-3 birds during the growing out time. She will have maybe 30 from this breeding group and it happens to 2-3. She started hatching in maybe Oct. and she has already had problems with two of the offspring from that group, they were almost 5 months old. Yes, we have heard silkies are more sensitive than other breeds.

Not able to free range them too close to the road and wild animals love 'em.

She mixes in barly (I know way to early to spell) and poulin layer pellets, but it's mostly the layena, that's what we were wondering if they may need an extra vitamin for the growth at that time..

No Ceder

no other symptoms at all. Yes, she has lost some from this they just don't come out of it and they have to be put down, because they get so weak they don't eat or drink well.

All her silkies are from different breeders. The offsring are from the breeding pen that has her splash male, he's with a blue and 2 black hens. They are all from different breeders. None from eggs.