Undesireable Silkie traits?

[chickie-is-obsessed]

Are there any traits that Silkies are prone to. I was told by someone that because of their skull size/shape they can have some issues with balance and dizziness. I have a bird that is doing this weird head-jerking twitch and was told not to worry about it and it was caused by the skull? True or not?

 

[averytds]

Sorry IDK. Can it see?

Two of ours do it sometimes. One of ours that does anything like what you're describing is a pullet that hates having anything holding her crest back. She'll twitch her head around trying to shake it loose. Once she knocks it out she stops though.

The other is a hen that will do it sometimes if her crest isn't pulled back or wet so she can see. Once you replace her clip or she dunks her head, she quits.

None of our males or smaller crested Silkies do it.

No balance or dizziness issues that I know of though.

 

[Smoky73]

I get silkies with a head twitch when the weather is really hot and they are under stress and lacking something. I pump them full of vitamins and electrolytes as much as possible during that time and after the weather cools off they get better.

Having balance issues or dizziness would not be a TRAIT, but a vaulted skull is considered a trait and yes, it can lead to issues if the birds was injure its head and it did not have a fully developed skull to protect the brain.

Other undesireable traits would be split wing, 4 or 6 toes, red skin/combs, no middle toe feathering, prominate wattles on a bearded bird, any normal chicken feathering( I have seen a silkie feathered bird that HAD the normal feather shape to it- hard to explain) hard feathering on wings and tail, (no shredding in wings)... etc.

 

[chickie-is-obsessed]

Thank you so much! I will get some vitamin/electrolyte into her....it has been extremely hot here and the stress of adding her to my flock probably brought it on.