BackYard Chickens › BYC Forum › Raising BackYard Chickens › Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures › My Chicken's Beak has grown so long she is having problems eating.
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

My Chicken's Beak has grown so long she is having problems eating.

post #1 of 12
4/18/10 at 1:33pm
Thread Starter 

My Polish hen's beak has grown so unusually long that it is starting to curl under.  Is there something I can do for her?  I don't think she is eating as much as she should and would.  She is going to starve to death if I don't do something.  Or is it more humane for me to cull her instead of watching her work so hard at eating?

Have patient Husband for over 35 yrs., 34 yr.old D, 32 yr.old D, 26 yr.old S; Home-schooled - 10 yr.old GD, 8 yr.old GS, 6 yr.old GS and 2 1/2 yr.old GS
55 Bantams, 3 Stand. Speckled Sussex, 3 Cats, 1 Great Pyrenees,  2 Fainting Does, 1 TexMaster wether, Obi Wan Kenobi - Holland Lop, Chewbacca - Holland Lop, Emil - tan hooded rat, Linguine - black hooded rat, rest in peace Remy.

Reply

Have patient Husband for over 35 yrs., 34 yr.old D, 32 yr.old D, 26 yr.old S; Home-schooled - 10 yr.old GD, 8 yr.old GS, 6 yr.old GS and 2 1/2 yr.old GS
55 Bantams, 3 Stand. Speckled Sussex, 3 Cats, 1 Great Pyrenees,  2 Fainting Does, 1 TexMaster wether, Obi Wan Kenobi - Holland Lop, Chewbacca - Holland Lop, Emil - tan hooded rat, Linguine - black hooded rat, rest in peace Remy.

Reply

Featured Stories on BackYard Chickens

The Basics Of Raising Chickens - Raising Chickens 101
Poll: Why raise backyard chickens?
Join Our 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-A-Long
post #2 of 12
4/18/10 at 2:50pm

No need to cull her. Wrap her up in a towel for easy handling and slowly file her beak back. I use a nail clipper first then file to shape but if you're uncomfortable with a clipper then just use a file. I've done that many a time.

 

Norma.....

 

 

 

 

 

Reply

 

Norma.....

 

 

 

 

 

Reply
post #3 of 12
4/18/10 at 2:52pm

No pics?

I'm not old, I'm Vintage.

 

A friend loveth at all times - Prov 17:17   

Reply

I'm not old, I'm Vintage.

 

A friend loveth at all times - Prov 17:17   

Reply
post #4 of 12
4/18/10 at 2:54pm

Yep just clip it with fingernail clippers. It is just like a nail is to us. Just don't clip to far back cause it has a qwik just like our finger does also. You can file to shape if you want to or let her do it. she will get it into shape in just a couple of days on her own if you give her a rock or something to scrape it on. I kept a dowel wrapped in sandpaper for my Starling and he kept his trimmed pretty good.

Blessings, Daniel Setting on 6 Serama Eggs! Feather pens. see my page for an example of what they look like. I am looking for more feather types to help come up with other designs for these pens.
Reply
Blessings, Daniel Setting on 6 Serama Eggs! Feather pens. see my page for an example of what they look like. I am looking for more feather types to help come up with other designs for these pens.
Reply
post #5 of 12
4/18/10 at 8:57pm
Thread Starter 

Thank you for the responses.  Will do it immediately tomorrow.  I sincerely appreciate the help. smile

Have patient Husband for over 35 yrs., 34 yr.old D, 32 yr.old D, 26 yr.old S; Home-schooled - 10 yr.old GD, 8 yr.old GS, 6 yr.old GS and 2 1/2 yr.old GS
55 Bantams, 3 Stand. Speckled Sussex, 3 Cats, 1 Great Pyrenees,  2 Fainting Does, 1 TexMaster wether, Obi Wan Kenobi - Holland Lop, Chewbacca - Holland Lop, Emil - tan hooded rat, Linguine - black hooded rat, rest in peace Remy.

Reply

Have patient Husband for over 35 yrs., 34 yr.old D, 32 yr.old D, 26 yr.old S; Home-schooled - 10 yr.old GD, 8 yr.old GS, 6 yr.old GS and 2 1/2 yr.old GS
55 Bantams, 3 Stand. Speckled Sussex, 3 Cats, 1 Great Pyrenees,  2 Fainting Does, 1 TexMaster wether, Obi Wan Kenobi - Holland Lop, Chewbacca - Holland Lop, Emil - tan hooded rat, Linguine - black hooded rat, rest in peace Remy.

Reply
post #6 of 12
4/18/10 at 10:53pm

A dremmel works well too. Is the beak growing at an angle (cross beak or scissor beak) - meaning the bottom beak is being pushed sideways, or is the top beak just too long- but is still aligned with the bottom beak. Can you post a photo from the front and the side?

Reply
Reply
post #7 of 12
4/19/10 at 5:47am

Trim her beak and provide a deep bowl of moistened feed so that she can plunge her beak into it and eat more easily.

Friends are the family you make for yourself.
There are no coincidences- only providences.
Reply
Friends are the family you make for yourself.
There are no coincidences- only providences.
Reply
post #8 of 12
4/19/10 at 5:59am

I Just had to trim Honeycombs beak cause it was getting really long and making it difficult for him to eat also, I used to dog nail clippers and it clipped him perfectly.  I guess I will have to keep a good check on him from now on.  Its funny that I look at him everyday and didn't notice it before. but then again it took me over a year to realize that one of my Speckled sussex has one brown eye and one blue eye guess Ive never looked at both sides of her face at the same time. LOL  But really just trim her up and she'll be fine.

I'm Sandy!  Mom to 3 terrific sons, Grandma to 2 wonderful grandsons. I have 6 SS,  7 EEs,  3 CMs, 4 Cochins (2 blue, 1 part.. 1 Red)  1BA, 1BS, 1 SLW, 1 GLS, 1 CWL, 11 Beautiful Mixes, 8 Silkies, 2 SF/Silkie,  Broody sitting 10 Split Coro. SS eggs and Coming soon a dozen Pure Coro. Sussex Eggs!!

Rooster are Zeus (Orpington), Oliver and Rally (Sal.Favs) Blackbeard (SF/Silkie) and Truffle...

Reply

I'm Sandy!  Mom to 3 terrific sons, Grandma to 2 wonderful grandsons. I have 6 SS,  7 EEs,  3 CMs, 4 Cochins (2 blue, 1 part.. 1 Red)  1BA, 1BS, 1 SLW, 1 GLS, 1 CWL, 11 Beautiful Mixes, 8 Silkies, 2 SF/Silkie,  Broody sitting 10 Split Coro. SS eggs and Coming soon a dozen Pure Coro. Sussex Eggs!!

Rooster are Zeus (Orpington), Oliver and Rally (Sal.Favs) Blackbeard (SF/Silkie) and Truffle...

Reply
post #9 of 12
4/19/10 at 1:48pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mypicklebird 

A dremmel works well too. Is the beak growing at an angle (cross beak or scissor beak) - meaning the bottom beak is being pushed sideways, or is the top beak just too long- but is still aligned with the bottom beak. Can you post a photo from the front and the side?


Actually her bottom beak has been misaligned since she has been about 20 weeks old and she is now13 months.  The bottom beak seemed to happen all of a sudden.  I figured one of the other chickens jumped on her or she got injured some way while free-ranging. Her top beak has been totally straight and still is.  It just started growing like this in the past couple months.  I will try to get pics but she is quite skittish - way more than any of my others.  As a matter of fact, I am going to have to wait until tonight when she is bedded down to go in there and get her.  She will eat out of my hand with the others but am aware if I am getting too close to her with my hands.

Have patient Husband for over 35 yrs., 34 yr.old D, 32 yr.old D, 26 yr.old S; Home-schooled - 10 yr.old GD, 8 yr.old GS, 6 yr.old GS and 2 1/2 yr.old GS
55 Bantams, 3 Stand. Speckled Sussex, 3 Cats, 1 Great Pyrenees,  2 Fainting Does, 1 TexMaster wether, Obi Wan Kenobi - Holland Lop, Chewbacca - Holland Lop, Emil - tan hooded rat, Linguine - black hooded rat, rest in peace Remy.

Reply

Have patient Husband for over 35 yrs., 34 yr.old D, 32 yr.old D, 26 yr.old S; Home-schooled - 10 yr.old GD, 8 yr.old GS, 6 yr.old GS and 2 1/2 yr.old GS
55 Bantams, 3 Stand. Speckled Sussex, 3 Cats, 1 Great Pyrenees,  2 Fainting Does, 1 TexMaster wether, Obi Wan Kenobi - Holland Lop, Chewbacca - Holland Lop, Emil - tan hooded rat, Linguine - black hooded rat, rest in peace Remy.

Reply
post #10 of 12
4/19/10 at 1:49pm

Make SURE not to cut the quick. Shell Bleed. Cut small Increments only.

"Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic. But destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country"  William Jennings Cross of Gold
www.newenglandbantamclub.org
Come Join the Java Thread !  http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=292829&p=1
Reply
"Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic. But destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country"  William Jennings Cross of Gold
www.newenglandbantamclub.org
Come Join the Java Thread !  http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=292829&p=1
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home

Featured Stories on BackYard Chickens

The Basics Of Raising Chickens - Raising Chickens 101
Poll: Why raise backyard chickens?
Join Our 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-A-Long
BackYard Chickens › BYC Forum › Raising BackYard Chickens › Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures › My Chicken's Beak has grown so long she is having problems eating.