BENT KEEL

[T_T]

Good or bad for the racing pigeon ?

[Guest Silverwings]

over the years i have seen and handled many pigeons with this some good some bad ,i dont take any notice of providing the keel is strong with  good thickness to it , raced a red Putman cock with this condition , bent like a banana ,he won 8x1st and many other prizes up to 400 miles ,when retired he continued to produce ,fist class youngsters ,glad i let the basket sort him out ......ray

[T_T]

Thanks Ray, glad to hear that because the cock I have with this condition is one I fancy for the future.

TT

[jimmy white]

AGREE WITH SIVER WINGS, COULD HAPPEN IN THE NEST OR EVEN ACCIDENT, BUT HAVE TO SAY IVE WON WITH BIRDS WITH BENT KEELS, IN FACT WE USED TO CALL THE BIRD " BENT KEEL"   :)

[Guest]

I have one with a badly bent keel, stopped flying him, but he bred last Saturday's winner for us

[Guest beautyhomer]

Read somewhere that a bent keel happens when the squab struggles free from the egg shell,possibly due to a shortage of calcium.Easily avoided by supplying the correct grit when breeding.I used to give that high calcium seaweed grit.

Although it should not stop a pigeon racing,if I was judging it ,it would count against it.

[Peckedhen]

I'm surprised that birds with bent keels can do as well as those with a straight keel.

 

I used to do a lot of sailing and I was comparing a boat with a bent keel to a straight one. It surely wouldn't cut straight through the water well and win any races.  Maybe the bird has to compensate in the way it flies but, then I'd have thought that this would slow it down. :-/ :-/ :-/ :-/

[Guest]

I'm not sure I'd recognise a bent keel. As a teenager in the 60's I was asked 'what the hell I was doing with their keels', as they were all bent; didn't know then so nothing much has changed, and as some have posted, didn't seem to affect their racing any, back then anyways.

 

On cause, modern thinking is that the rapid growth of the youngsters muscles can be a bit too much for the keel, which is soft cartilage rather than firm bone at that stage. Not down to any weakness in the skeleton or mineral deficiency as was once thought.

 

 

[MsPigeon]

I always thought that a bent keel was caused from a poor nest, not enough nesting material and the keel, as Bruno said is soft catilage and becomes bent from being pressed against flat bottom of nest. ???? Also heard it can be hereditary. ???