How do you judge muscle development by handling? I can feel the keel but not sure what ‘good’ muscle feels like vs average.
Feel along both sides of the keel (breast muscles).
Good muscle: firm, rounded, fills the space. When you press, it springs back.
Poor muscle: soft, flat, doesn’t fill out. Or hard and stringy (over-trained).
Handle lots of birds to calibrate your feel. It comes with experience.
Compare the same bird at different times - start of season vs peak fitness.
You’ll feel the difference. That’s your reference for what ‘in condition’ means for that individual bird.