The Kooky Kiwi
Crowing
Hi Team
It is widely accepted that Wry Neck is a condition caused by a deficiency in Vitamin E and Selenium. There are also some that say there is a genetic component.
I'm interested in discussing that possible genetic tendency.
I purchased some hatching eggs last year - supposedly Black/Blue/Splash pen. Several of the chicks hatched white - and one of those had wry neck.
Fast-forward one year, I did a test breeding of those chicks, a rooster and a hen. 25% of their babies hatched white - confirming my suspicion that this stock has recessive white. Interestingly, two of the white babies from the test hatch developed wry neck.
I have never had any incidents of wry neck in my adult flock, and never in any of my other hatched babies (I've hatched something like 200 chicks this season). The ONLY chicks to develop wry neck were the whites.
Should I treat this as a simple coincidence or is there something about the recessive white trait that makes the chicks more prone??
Happy to hear thoughts and shared experiences!!
It is widely accepted that Wry Neck is a condition caused by a deficiency in Vitamin E and Selenium. There are also some that say there is a genetic component.
I'm interested in discussing that possible genetic tendency.
I purchased some hatching eggs last year - supposedly Black/Blue/Splash pen. Several of the chicks hatched white - and one of those had wry neck.
Fast-forward one year, I did a test breeding of those chicks, a rooster and a hen. 25% of their babies hatched white - confirming my suspicion that this stock has recessive white. Interestingly, two of the white babies from the test hatch developed wry neck.
I have never had any incidents of wry neck in my adult flock, and never in any of my other hatched babies (I've hatched something like 200 chicks this season). The ONLY chicks to develop wry neck were the whites.
Should I treat this as a simple coincidence or is there something about the recessive white trait that makes the chicks more prone??
Happy to hear thoughts and shared experiences!!