Under, over, or ideal weight?
The keel — the breastbone down the middle of the chest — is the quickest way to judge body condition by feel. Gently feel it and pick the closest description.
Gently feel the keel — the breastbone running down the centre of the chest. Which is closest?
With your bird gently held or stepping onto your hand, lightly feel the bony ridge down the centre of the chest. In ideal condition you can feel the keel with rounded muscle on each side — not razor-sharp, and not buried in tissue.
The keel check and a gram scale work together: the scale tells you the number and the trend, the keel tells you whether that weight is muscle or fat. Use both.
If the keel bone is hard to feel because of tissue bulging either side, and the bird has visible fat pads, it is likely overweight. Confirm with weighing and an avian vet.
In ideal condition you can just feel the keel with smooth, rounded muscle on each side — neither sharp and prominent nor buried in fat.