Vaulted skulls in silkies?

[black_cat]

I have many questions about this topic. I know what a vaulted skull is, and am worried that if I had a bird with one it would easily get injured or killed. How do you avoid ending up with them? Do hatchery birds usually have them? Is this passed on genetically? Generally what is going on here?

 

[NatJ]

Vaulted skull almost certainly has a genetic cause, but I don't think anyone has figured out how the genetics work.

To avoid it-- buy from a breeder, and specifically ask for ones that do not have vaulted skulls. (Feel the head with a finger, and compare with non-crested skull shape.) If the breeder only has vaulted skulls, look for another breeder.

Or buy from someone on backyardchickens, or on craigslist: any way that you can examine the birds before purchase, and only get the ones you want.

Hatchery birds--might have it, might not. Might be different from one hatchery or a different hatchery. If the chicks from a hatchery are for sale in a store, you could check for vaulted skulls if the employees will let you.

If you order birds from a hatchery, you could choose to order extra, check when they arrive, and cull any with vaulted skulls. But you will not know until they arrive whether all, none, or some will have vaulted skulls.

 

[black_cat]

Vaulted skull almost certainly has a genetic cause, but I don't think anyone has figured out how the genetics work.

To avoid it-- buy from a breeder, and specifically ask for ones that do not have vaulted skulls. (Feel the head with a finger, and compare with non-crested skull shape.) If the breeder only has vaulted skulls, look for another breeder.

Or buy from someone on backyardchickens, or on craigslist: any way that you can examine the birds before purchase, and only get the ones you want.

Hatchery birds--might have it, might not. Might be different from one hatchery or a different hatchery. If the chicks from a hatchery are for sale in a store, you could check for vaulted skulls if the employees will let you.

If you order birds from a hatchery, you could choose to order extra, check when they arrive, and cull any with vaulted skulls. But you will not know until they arrive whether all, none, or some will have vaulted skulls.

Aaack! I only want one silkie, and the nearest breeder to me is 4 hours away-probably longer with traffic-so it might not be worth the hassle. Maybe I could contact the hatchery? Thanks for helping me out with this. I really want to avoid complications from vaulted skulls. Do I really need to worry that much or will it probably be ok?

 

[black_cat]

Are vaulted skulls actually such a big issue that I should avoid the breed, or am I just making a big deal out of it?

 

[Matilda Belle]

I have many questions about this topic. I know what a vaulted skull is, and am worried that if I had a bird with one it would easily get injured or killed. How do you avoid ending up with them? Do hatchery birds usually have them? Is this passed on genetically? Generally what is going on here?

Some silkie breeders prefer vaulted skulls because they think it makes the crest look larger. From what I understand, this is a myth. Out of all my satins and silkies, maybe 1/3 of them have vaulted skulls, and I have had no problems with them.

 

[black_cat]

Some silkie breeders prefer vaulted skulls because they think it makes the crest look larger. From what I understand, this is a myth. Out of all my satins and silkies, maybe 1/3 of them have vaulted skulls, and I have had no problems with them.

I"m not looking to breed silkies or really any of my birds, I just want to avoid health problems. Probably because I looked it up and saw this picture:

I don't know how real that is but it really freaked me out.

 

[Egg Snatcher]

Vaulted skull almost certainly has a genetic cause, but I don't think anyone has figured out how the genetics work.

To avoid it-- buy from a breeder, and specifically ask for ones that do not have vaulted skulls. (Feel the head with a finger, and compare with non-crested skull shape.) If the breeder only has vaulted skulls, look for another breeder.

Or buy from someone on backyardchickens, or on craigslist: any way that you can examine the birds before purchase, and only get the ones you want.

Hatchery birds--might have it, might not. Might be different from one hatchery or a different hatchery. If the chicks from a hatchery are for sale in a store, you could check for vaulted skulls if the employees will let you.

If you order birds from a hatchery, you could choose to order extra, check when they arrive, and cull any with vaulted skulls. But you will not know until they arrive whether all, none, or some will have vaulted skulls.

What's a vaulted skull?

 

[Matilda Belle]

I"m not looking to breed silkies or really any of my birds, I just want to avoid health problems. Probably because I looked it up and saw this picture:
View attachment 2296793
I don't know how real that is but it really freaked me out.

Like I said, I've never had any problems.

 

[black_cat]

Like I said, I've never had any problems.

Ok! Thanks for helping out. I would really like a silkie but am trying to avoid complications with my flock, whether that means integration, vision, injuries, etc.

 

[black_cat]

What's a vaulted skull?

I'm not really sure how to explain it well. it's when a bird's skull is vaulted up like in the pic I posted. Their skull is very thin in that part, and in some parts there is no skull between their brain and the rest of their head parts.