So earlier I was explaining that fibro chickens have weaker immune systems. (Silkies,Ayam Cemani, Moasic, ect)
I kind of wanted to go over in layman’s terms for my followers so I can better explain why birds like my Scoot Man are more likely to develop immune problems.
First of all I always try to back up my claims with sources. This source uses silkies which are also a fibro breed in their study but it still applies to all fibro birds and I’ll get to that in a second
https://europepmc.org/article/med/26047316
(Keep in mind I may misinterprete things incorrectly feel free to correct me if I misunderstood something)
So basically a main thing that we have been seeing in some studies is that hyperpigmentation causes the endocrine system to develop at a much slower rate then birds who aren’t hyperpigmented. We are talking about slowed embryo development related stuff.
The endocrine system is very important for your development of an immune system and when organs that are a part of the system malfunction so can the immune system.
An example of this is that fibro birds develop a spleen much later then other non pigmented birds more then likely due to the distrubuted sheer amount of melanin is through out the body. (And the body producing so much)
So basically to explain it frankly a bird who hatched with fibro will be at more of a disadvantage then a bird who is hatched without hyperpigmentation.
Silkies are known for being fragile especially to common chicken illnesses and prone to vitamin deficiency if not given the correct nutrition this is more then likely due to the hyperpigmentation and not something that is inherit to silkies as a breed though the sometimes vaulted skull and exposed brain more then likely doesn’t help either in poorly bred birds. But we cannot throw aside the fact that hyperpigmentation has a profound effect on immune system development.
A lot of chicken illnesses effect the immune system to and even suppress them like Mareks for example. A chicken with fibro is more likely to suffer from secondary illness then other birds are when a fibro bird is ill. Because the immune system just isn’t as beefy as other birds and more then likely under developed compared to its peers.
The immune system is also important in eliminating damaged or confused cells before they start replicating and causing tumors. Cells get damaged all the time but nothing really happens from it because our immune system helps kill them off. A bird with a weakened immune system will have more trouble keeping these cells from replicating especially if the bird has had its immune system further suppressed by an illness even if the bird has survived the illness.
The study above showed even birds with a single copy of fibro/hyperpigmentation still showed decreased immune system development compared to their nonfibro peers.
Now does this mean all fibro birds are unhealthy? No.
Why? Because with careful and proper breeding practices and good husbandry you can minimize the risks associated with the under developed immune system.
Scoot more then likely comes from generations of line breeding to related birds over and over again with no outcrossing. You can tell due to his shitty feather quality. Black feathered birds who are line bred without healthy outcrossing or careful breeding have their feather quality sharply declined
A lot (not all) Ayam Cemani breeders also rarely wait for a pullet to be at least a year old before using her eggs for hatching because good quality birds loose pigmentation as they get older and you want to produce birds together that are the darkest to get the best looking bird 😒
It’s important to wait for a hen to be at least a year old before breeding because her children will have longer telomeres and will have a better lifespan from it and more stable dna 🧬
The reason why Twinkle is a lot healthier base line then Scoot is because Twinkle is from a very genetically diverse flock and his breeder has very strict biosecurity (NPIP certified) so Twinkle and his flock had time to develop their immune systems vs birds who aren’t in a biosecure location.
Scoot had time to develop his immune system due to being an indoor bird but he did have a few key things that happened to him that maybe made his immune system take a hit like being stuck in the egg and needed help and suffering from delays in growth due to hormone issues
(hmm remember the endocrine system also influences growth!)
What I have learned this year especially from observing fibro breed breeders is that fibro breeds need a higher amount of thiamine and other vitimins in their diet alone with extra protein to help develop things easier if they are to thrive compared to their nonpigmented flock mates.
It’s important for healthy birds to come from healthy hardy parents so you pass on that trait and minimize bad traits.
Fibro birds should also be in their “brooder” or grow out area longer then other breeds so they can catch up with their immune system
With the correct husbandry and knowledge fibro birds can flourish. Personally I find it much less debilitating then huge feathered feet which cause chronic pain and sore feet in the bird. While fibro can be managed fine with correct husbarndry and doesn’t cause pain!
I hopefully I explained everything coherently!
