Twisted skulls ..whats your theory?

[melissa508]

I bought eggs from a well known silkie breeder & show winner, of the eggs that hatched- 3 were the same color & all appeard to be fine...as they grew i started noticing their skulls were twisting..not the beaks. eventually the beaks also started twisting & wouldnt line up to close properly.

I am going to try to take a pic of the 1 remaining silkie, the other 2 have been euthanized & this 3rd one didnt show signs until recently.

I have seen this before & my theory is repetative inbreeding is the cause.
I have also seen a twisted skull bird bred to fresh bloodlines & all of its offspring were completely fine..

anyone else have an opinion on this subject?

 

[tstoikes]

I just had a silkie with the same problem. Frankie (for Frankinstien) is a black silkie with what appears to be a slight deformity of the skull. As a result the beak doesn't align properly. This isn't enough to cause problems in eating or drinking and can probably be managed with triming.
BUT Frankie also has a single comb that looks a little like an open C. Which makes his/her face look deformed. I've already decided that breeding this bird is probably not an option so I am interested in the outcrossing ideas. All my young silkies have come from the same hatchery so the possibilty of an inbreeding cause is likely.
My older silkies are from a different source.