Hello from Iowa! We have been trying to raise chickens for a couple years now and it always ended in disaster. cwe have ordered chicks from Metzer Farms Hatchery twice and bought grown laying hens once. When we got chicks they would grow up but never lay eggs and then my husband or I would end up in the hospital and when we were away from home something would kill them all. Then with the hens we had them through the summer and the winter then the next summer something killed all of them in one night and left a pile of dead hens in the far corner of one of our fields. We think we have the security problems finally fixed this year.
We bought some "laying hens" from a guy but when we went and picked them up they were chicks with just a few feathers. (Apparently because he sold the hens he was supposed to be holding for us because everyone is worried about prices for chicken and eggs to go up because the bird flu stuff.) In two or three days we lost 7 chicks. They were just sickly. So we went to the farm store to get more chicks and their chicks were a week younger then the others we already had but they were twice as big! We got some Ameucanas and Silver Laced Wyandottes. It has been almost a month and we lost 4 chicks cause goats broke a whole in the coop wall and while I was trying to fix it the cat jumped in grabbed 2 chicks then chased some out on her way out. I found most but when all was fixed 4 chicks were missing. The rest are doing great and growing fast. We have one with scissor beak... not sure what to do about it.
Right now I just call it "Ol' Scissor Beak" and think of it like a pirate. Lol. It eats and drinks just fine and is just as big as all the others.
We bought some "laying hens" from a guy but when we went and picked them up they were chicks with just a few feathers. (Apparently because he sold the hens he was supposed to be holding for us because everyone is worried about prices for chicken and eggs to go up because the bird flu stuff.) In two or three days we lost 7 chicks. They were just sickly. So we went to the farm store to get more chicks and their chicks were a week younger then the others we already had but they were twice as big! We got some Ameucanas and Silver Laced Wyandottes. It has been almost a month and we lost 4 chicks cause goats broke a whole in the coop wall and while I was trying to fix it the cat jumped in grabbed 2 chicks then chased some out on her way out. I found most but when all was fixed 4 chicks were missing. The rest are doing great and growing fast. We have one with scissor beak... not sure what to do about it.
Right now I just call it "Ol' Scissor Beak" and think of it like a pirate. Lol. It eats and drinks just fine and is just as big as all the others.
welcome to BYC !!
Looks like your bird has a crooked beak. We've had birds with that too, it's a genetic problem. Try trimming the beak so it fits better. Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do. Don't cull her though, I'm sure she'll get around okay--mine always have.
