Low Wing Chicken Genetics

Low Wings

Everyone can tell when a males wings are low. This can be caused by several different reasons. There could be females around and he is flirting with them, or there could be another male around and he’s showing a little aggression.  These other birds may or may not be in the picture or it could be the fact that they are just low winged.

One thing I’ve noticed having bred several different breeds of birds is that if your males carry low wings , your female offspring carry that gene as well. While females don’t show it as easily as males, it’s there. I’ve seen it in just about every breed of chickens.

When you see a low winged female it has really gotten bad, as they tend to hide it better than males. So next time you take a look at your males and see low wings remember that your females have it also. Remember to look at every aspect of your birds, find the good and the bad, study your standard. Understand the point cuts for everything on your breed.

If you do this you can’t help but become a better breeder and you will see great improvement in your birds. Also when you go to talk to the judge he or she will appreciate your knowledge and no one will be able to pull the wool over your eyes. Educate yourself.

by Danny Feathers