Sourland
37 posts
Feb 16, 2006
2:30 PM
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Does dwarfism occur in Birmingham rollers, and if so how does it express itself? I just banded a young roller with extremely short legs and very small feet and stubby toes. Whereas I can band most of my birds at 8 or 9 days old, this squab was 12 days old at time of banding. It is fat and healthy but much smaller than it should be. Also, at 12 days old it still has no feather development. Parents are not closely related- second cousins at best. Had this pair mated together last year, and they produced my two best rollers. However, when I went back and checked last years records, I discovered that in 6 rounds last year they raised 8 healthy young but had 4 eggs that did not hatch. I did not check to see if there were dead squabs in the egg. By the way, the second egg in this round did not hatch. Does dwarfism cause young birds to die in the egg prior to hatching? I should have picked up on the high percentage of non hatching eggs last year since mosts pairs had 100% hatchability and survival. What do you think is going on here? Hate to break this pair up because of the good birds they produced last year(hawks got the one cock the other is locked up). Several other young showed promise, but became hawk fodder. I also hate to foster what may be a recessive trait causing dwarfism and mortality in the egg. Please tell me what you think is going on here.
Thks, Geo.
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nicksiders
465 posts
Feb 16, 2006
4:27 PM
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I think it does, but extremely rare. About 40 years ago I had one that met this criterier. It is the only bird I can remember naming. It was not a good flyer. Just could not keep up with the kit so it flew solo, always. I even bred it and it produced normal size birds. It did not roll well either........very sloppy and short. You would think its velocity would be great because of its size, but it wasn't at all.
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J_Star
249 posts
Feb 17, 2006
7:28 AM
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Sourland, follow the 'The Ugly Bird' post because in a way it is similar to your situation.
Jay
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Swamp Fox
12 posts
Feb 19, 2006
1:06 PM
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If this is the only one like it out of the birds you have raised out of the pair I would continue to use the pair to see if it crops up again - especially if the pair are producing good birds. Sounds like some sort of deformity to me. No feathers at 12 days of age is very rare - never saw it myself. Like he said you can cull it now or feed it until you eventually cull it. I don't think it will be any good. Besides I don't think you want to get this in your gene pool. I don't think it will ever amount to anything at all.
Marion
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Sourland
39 posts
Feb 19, 2006
5:18 PM
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He's still alive. Slipped his band and I rebanded him today. Feathers are starting to show (15 days.) moved him into a nest with a single younger squab, and the fosters accepted him. I'm not going to cull yet. Little bugger is fat and vigorous. I'll let nature take it's course. Mother laid the first egg of the next round tonight; therefore, I'll try one more round out of these birds.
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