Help! We are DE-BEAKED!

[Morning_Song]

galanie: Nope not using tape

Here is what we are doing for the experiment. On the day after hatching, we took the little pullets and dipped their beaks in water and then right into comfrey root powder. And no I am not holding my breath. I was taking a closer look at my ex-battery girls yesterday and that is when I decided the comfrey won't do any harm to the birds and would at least make for an interesting experiment. Now don't get me wrong, We aren't sacred animal lovers...We try to raise out animals according to the verse in Proverbs 12:10 A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. That to me might be summed up as someone else said like this ...If we do our jobs correctly, our animals only know one bad day. Chickens are for eggs and feeding the family, but managing them kindly is a duty until that day they provide for our table the last time. And it may be possible that clipped beaks are part of that care necessity in some places but we don't see the help of it in the way we raise our birds.

Oregon Blues: We do plan on hatching more! I might be addicted to hatching. But I understand I maybe in good company on this forum

We had planned on selling some of the pullets at point-of-lay and possibly to 4-Hers of other backyarders But it seems as that will not be as likely now so we deal with it and go on. Their eggs will taste fine here..They would probably be better buggers in the garden if they had the whole beak; especially for bean beattles.

And yeah my son ask me, Mom, are you going to become a crazy chicken lady..? LOL!

Thanks everyone! If the beaks grow back I will post it and we will be glad! They should be wonderful layers at any rate!

 

[Morning_Song]

NOTE: IMHO I personally do not think de-beaking is a good practice.

The Chicks are 3 and a half weeks old and the pullets do look different. The beaks have grown with the chicks to be sure but they look almost normal. The little boys have some hanging over the top. The girls look like they have had just that extra bit trimmed off. The bottom point is still blunted off a bit but, I have to think now that their is a good chance they will be 'normal'????


Cockerel on the Left, same batch, that was not de-beaked~Pullet on Right de-beaked on hatch day.
These are 3 1/2 weeks old. There should be a '?' after the words 'Growth Point' as I do not really know.



Also, we have only had one chick get picked in the batch with 125 chicks with 100 cockerels that were not de-beaked. The cure we used was to put generic brand minty back rub ointment; the kind you use when you throw out your back. Putting a dab on the open pick spot did not seem to hurt the chick (it actually seemed to help heal it faster) and the next couple of chicks to peck the spot got a little more than they had bargained for and they stopped the picking. It worked! We only reapplied it once more.

Thank you to anyone and everyone who is, has or will comment and look at these postings!

 

[galanie]

I don't know for sure what they look like debeaked as day olds but Gosh! Those do look like they are growing out almost normally! I sure hope they do!

 

[Morning_Song]

galanie Thanks for checking out the pics...I wish I has taken some photos the day they came home but it didn't happen. I would be really nice to compare them now

And I really don't have a clue as to whether the comfrey did anything or what. File it under the 'wish I knew' catagory and sail on.