Diary of a Crossbeak: Support for Special Needs Chickens and their Keepers

[featheredheart]

This is a great idea!! I'm getting a bucket tomorrow and trying this. Esther is eating well, but most of the crumble winds up all over the coop and outside the coop. She's such a sloppy eater lol

 

[cottonwood]

Yes, she stands right in it. She eats fine, her beak is pretty severely crossed! She has been healthier than ever since we figured this out (hence the egg laying. Good luck!

 

[HelloChickies]

Thank you Cottonwood, for the great idea! I'm going to try this too. Sweet Baby's beak looks just like my Cleo's, so I bet it will work. Right now Cleo eats a wet mash, and flings most of it everywhere but into her beak! Let me know how it works for Esther too, Featheredheart.

 

[CarolB865]

So glad I finally found this thread! I have a severely cross-beaked pullet that is spending half her day at the feeder with little success other than making a mess. I'm thinking trying the tube feeding may make Cleo thrive a whole lot more...and less trips to the feeder!

I do trim her top beak but it doesn't seem to make any difference since she's so off kilter.

 

[CarolB865]

I've had 2 successful tube feedings with my Cleo pictured above. It's interesting to watch her go to the feeder and kind of look at it like she should be trying to shovel it in but doesn't need to! I'm using the formula posted at the beginning of this thread with crumbles and Greek yogurt. How much should I be trying to get in her each feeding? I'm assuming start out smaller and add more each day?

 

[HelloChickies]

I've had 2 successful tube feedings with my Cleo pictured above. It's interesting to watch her go to the feeder and kind of look at it like she should be trying to shovel it in but doesn't need to! I'm using the formula posted at the beginning of this thread with crumbles and Greek yogurt. How much should I be trying to get in her each feeding? I'm assuming start out smaller and add more each day?

I'm so glad your tube feeding is going well! I'd love to see another picture of of your sweetie if you get a good one! I'm not sure about the amount to feed- just until her crop feels full, I guess? How old is she?

 

[CarolB865]

I'm so glad your tube feeding is going well! I'd love to see another picture of of your sweetie if you get a good one! I'm not sure about the amount to feed- just until her crop feels full, I guess? How old is she?

If I don't grab her first thing in the morning, it's a challenge to get a hold of her again until later afternoon at treat time. Yeah, they have their own treat time where they come get mealworms, corn, scratch, etc from my hand. I've talking with Kathy and I'm feeding her as I should and making sure her crop is empty before refilling it. I did notice just a few minutes ago, that her crop is actually beginning to turn red. I assume that's a good thing. She's right at 19 weeks old tomorrow!

 

[teaton]

I cant seem to make up my mind on wether to euthanize this baby using baking soda and vinegar or to try to give her a chance, its a tough one i have a big heart but on the other hand i dont want her to suffer and die a slow horrible death, if i am to euthanize i want it to be while shes still a young chick.

So heres her story tell me from your experience what you think: i picked her up as a day old hatchling along with several other chicks so i didnt notice anything was wrong with her until i got her home. First her beak is cross second her right eye is dried out and more than likely dead/going to fall out. She has been eating and drinking with my assistance and wetting the food down, i dont watch her 24/7 but from the peek ins i do she doesnt eat or drink on her own. She is 4 days old now. She does hang out with the other chicks and besides her deformity seems to be doing well.

 

[teaton]

I did notice her eating and drinking today on her own, i guess i just never caught it at the right time. So i filed her beak down and am going to stop hand feeding her and see how she does, im just not sure how severe this is, or how much worse it will get as she grows. Does she even have a chance? Or should i put her down now?

 

[HelloChickies]

@teaton

Hello, teaton! Your special little chick looks so sweet, even with her bad eye! My vote is to try and help her thrive! Although, it probably will get worse as she gets older. :-( I suppose it depends on whether they are just an egg-laying 'business', like most of the farmers I know, (in which case the extra time wouldn't be worth it), or whether you have a small flock that you dote on like pets. Most of my neighbors would say cull her, but in my small flock, my crossbeak was the star! She only lived until she was 6 months old, but she gave me a lifetime of joy and laughs in her short life. She definitely wasn't "suffering".... she was as active and happy as a 'normal' chicken, although she was always much smaller. So with her head and beak deformity, who knows what other handicaps were going on inside? I never really expected her to lay, so I just set out to enjoy her as long as she was with us. I had to put a bowl of soupy mash down for her twice a day, so it was a bit more work, but she was the tamest of all the girls, the goofiest, and the sweetest. She always flew up to sit on my arm as soon as I went into the coop!

I miss her so much! Maybe there's someone else out there that's already caring for a handicapped animal, that would take her? So I guess either answer is OK, cull her or work with her. (Yeah, I know, I wasn't much help- LOL!!) Let me know what you finally decide!