Silkie thread!

[Fancychooklady]

Yes TC, I caught onto you back when LOL!

I know the booties, bandages, tapes work to straighten out chick toes, splayed leg, but didn't know crooked/crossed beak could be fixed.  There's a lovely Silkie roo photo with a crossed beak on the Silkie thread that is being given away as a pet because it can't even hold on to mate, poor thing.  I wonder if anyone on this thread knows of your method as it seems there are a lot of Silkies born with crossed beak and only gets worse as they mature.  Your method makes sense to straighten the jaw since as it grows it seems to get worse.  A wire brace or something to keep it straightened as the juvenile grows makes a whole lot of sense and at roost time - it gives a good overnight undisturbed brace setting!  There's no correcting of deformities after the chicken matures but a lot of deformities should be corrected to the best of our ability while the bones and body of the chick is still growing.

From what I've read such therapy would be equivalent to torture. The skeletal movement begins high up in the skull and whilst some have survived a couple of years , you do have to question the quality of life. I have a young cockerel that has the mildest offset beak that I will be keeping a close eye on. As I'm unsure of him he will be looked after but removed from the breeding program.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/03/scissor-beak-aka-crossed-beak-what-it.html

 

[rnchick74]

I just got home from picking out my 2 silkies! I took your advice & passed on the black silkie because it had a 6th toe on one foot. Not even just a little nub, a very large almost full 6th toe. It also had a lot of white in the beak.

I took the younger, 2 buff babies. My son is in 7th heaven! I hope at least 1 of them is a female!!!


baby #1
baby #2

They are about 1.5 weeks old. I had to give them a quick bath when we got home, as baby #1 sat on baby #2 and pooped on him/her all the way home! Then there was rolling in the poop. Sigh. Quick warm bath, followed by warm blow dryer did the trick. It also gave me a good chance to check them out head to toe. 5 toes each foot, no nubs. Bottoms of feet in good condition. Pooping well! Beaks are nice are dark & line up well. Eyes are dark & clear/shiny. Both give good snuggles.

 

[Fancychooklady]

I just got home from picking out my 2 silkies! I took your advice & passed on the black silkie because it had a 6th toe on one foot. Not even just a little nub, a very large almost full 6th toe. It also had a lot of white in the beak. I took the younger, 2 buff babies. My son is in 7th heaven! I hope at least 1 of them is a female!!! baby #1 baby #2 They are about 1.5 weeks old. I had to give them a quick bath when we got home, as baby #1 sat on baby #2 and pooped on him/her all the way home! Then there was rolling in the poop. Sigh. Quick warm bath, followed by warm blow dryer did the trick. It also gave me a good chance to check them out head to toe. 5 toes each foot, no nubs. Bottoms of feet in good condition. Pooping well! Beaks are nice are dark & line up well. Eyes are dark & clear/shiny. Both give good snuggles.

Gorgeous ! You are now a bonified ' silkie momma ' .

 

[rnchick74]

Gorgeous ! You are now a bonified ' silkie momma ' .

Thank you!!!! I don't know who is more excited...me or my son! He runs back to the brooder every 10 minutes to "talk" to them. I go back to "check" on them. I'm loving the premier 1 heating plate. They snuggled right down under it and not a peep! I am pulling them out & making them drink from the nipple waterer every so often, until I know they "get" it...I'm paranoid.

I know it will be awhile before I can tell the gender - but what would be the 1st signs I should look for?

 

[youngchooklover]

I have got 4 new silkie chicks

 

[Sylvester017]

From what I've read such therapy would be equivalent to torture. The skeletal movement begins high up in the skull and whilst some have survived a couple of years , you do have to question the quality of life. I have a young cockerel that has the mildest offset beak that I will be keeping a close eye on. As I'm unsure of him he will be looked after but removed from the breeding program.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/03/scissor-beak-aka-crossed-beak-what-it.html

Hi Fancychooklady - read the scissor-beak article but didn't find anything about how to correct it other than filing down because the chicken can't do it herself as normal-beak chickens do. Is the "equivalent to torture" your feelings about it or is there a medical reason not to correct it with a brace while the juvies are still growing/forming? Even a cast on people for a broken bone is equivalent to torture but fixes the bone for the remaining quality of life.

People seem to just let crooked toes or scissor-beak go and see what happens but DH and I always want to fix things and make the chicken comfortable for the rest of its life. Do you cull or dispatch such birds in your flock? You've raised a lot of chicks and must have had to face a lot of issues.

Unfortunately on the farm these maladies were culled immediately as it took time to nurse injured/sick birds and time meant wasted money. However I have never been able to adopt this farm philosopy but I suppose in the long it was better than watching a bird suffer/lose quality of life because it couldn't be nursed.

A couple years ago we had a House Finch female that visited the wildbird plate feeder. She waited until all the birds were gone and we'd fill the feeder again and she would come down to eat. She couldn't stand because one foot was injured or deformed so she couldn't stand on the rim like the other birds or she would get pushed off. She sat in the middle of the plate alone and picked at the seeds all around her. We fed her like this a whole season and when she didn't return we figured a predator or infection may have taken her. We helped prolong her life but she couldn't participate as a flock bird poor thing.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Hi Fancychooklady - read the scissor-beak article but didn't find anything about how to correct it other than filing down because the chicken can't do it herself as normal-beak chickens do.  Is the "equivalent to torture" your feelings about it or is there a medical reason not to correct it with a brace while the juvies are still growing/forming?  Even a cast on people for a broken bone is equivalent to torture but fixes the bone for the remaining quality of life. 

People seem to just let crooked toes or scissor-beak go and see what happens but DH and I always want to fix things and make the chicken comfortable for the rest of its life.  Do you cull or dispatch such birds in your flock?  You've raised a lot of chicks and must have had to face a lot of issues.

Unfortunately on the farm these maladies were culled immediately as it took time to nurse injured/sick birds and time meant wasted money.  However I have never been able to adopt this farm philosopy but I suppose in the long it was better than watching a bird suffer/lose quality of life because it couldn't be nursed. 

A couple years ago we had a House Finch female that visited the wildbird plate feeder.  She waited until all the birds were gone and we'd fill the feeder again and she would come down to eat.  She couldn't stand because one foot was injured or deformed so she couldn't stand on the rim like the other birds or she would get pushed off.  She sat in the middle of the plate alone and picked at the seeds all around her.  We fed her like this a whole season and when she didn't return we figured a predator or infection may have taken her.  We helped prolong her life but she couldn't participate as a flock bird poor thing.

Oh Sly you have a kind soul. I have special needs chickens too. It is frustrating to see people do nothing about crooked toes when it is so easily corrected but I feel that cross beak is another matter. I'm a hands on kind a girl. Have had to take matters into my own hands several times when a vet just couldn't make it, but manipulation or bracing of a birds beak is something I would only consider under the strict supervision of a vet. The link I gave you from chicken chick is a practical approach to an all too common problem. Responsible breeding is a must!
This link may satisfy your enquiring mind.

http://beautyofbirds.com/scissorsbeak.html

 

[Fancychooklady]

Thank you!!!! I don't know who is more excited...me or my son! He runs back to the brooder every 10 minutes to "talk" to them. I go back to "check" on them. I'm loving the premier 1 heating plate. They snuggled right down under it and not a peep! I am pulling them out & making them drink from the nipple waterer every so often, until I know they "get" it...I'm paranoid.

I know it will be awhile before I can tell the gender - but what would be the 1st signs I should look for?

Waddles and comb are usually the first signs. When all else fails ' egg or crow '. This article will be a great learning tool for you and your son. Keep an eye on the temp and pasty butt. Keep the water clean and shallow but most of all enjoy this experience with your little one.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/03/baby-chick-basics-what-you-need-to-know.html

 

[Fancychooklady]

I have got 4 new silkie chicks

Yay, what colour are they ?

 

[RockerHen]

Quote: Haha so true. Thank you, I haven't hatched any from him yet (haven't attempted, I've downsized my flock to just 5 silkies and one mix and I've just been enjoying the fluffy butts for their looks and antics without worrying about breeding. I do use them as turkey parents though, I have 7 half-grown turkeys in with the flock now who are totally convinced they are silkies, will even sleep in the silkie pile, even though they're more than twice their size) but I'm sure if I do he'll make some cute babes.