Upper Beak Broken Off

[RedDrgn]

Came home and let the flock out of the run to roam about the yard and noticed that something wasn't right with our cockerel's beak; apparently, he somehow broke it. He's more than willing to eat and drink, but is hesitant about it because I'm pretty sure it hurts him (back to the quick), on top of that he was having trouble actually picking food up without the beak tip and seemed pretty confused about why. I cleaned it, though the soft tissue exposed didn't appear to actually be torn/cut. So we have to make some feeding adjustments and offer water from an open waterer rather than the nipple waterer so he doesn't have such a hard time.

My question is, will his beak grow back or is it broken too far back? Any other tips for helping him out? In 6 years keeping chickens, never had this problem before (first time for everything, though). Any input appreciated!

 

[EmberTheChicken]

The same thing happened to a hen i once had. The top tip of her beak broke off. I had to hand feed her for a while because she had trouble as well eating. If your not able to hand feed, try using a syringe and feed him using that with wet soft foods. He might not like it but he needs to eat. Make sure he gets as much rest as possible to speed up the healing process and make sure he is away from other chickens to avoid them pecking at it. The tip will most likely not grow back, but it will heal and he'll be able to eat by himself after it does. I suggest keeping it clean by dabbing it with a warm moist paper towel almost every day and cleaning off any dirt or substance that gets on it. Im sure he will be fine. Hope he gets better soon!

 

[Ursuline Chick]

Poor fellow, he looks like he is really pretty. There was another recent thread regarding a hen with a broken beak. Her's was also the top, but appeared a little worse, there was a lot of useful information on that thread. Stuff like making sure the the water pail was deep so she could scoop water with the lower part of her beak and elevating the food container to make it easier for the chicken to again, I guess scoop, instead of having to pick the food up. Wish I could remember more, or the name of the thread. Good luck, hope he makes a quick recovery.

 

[MagicChicken]

The birds I've had with broken beak tips haven't broken them so far back. My birds did eventually grow their beaks back. It took a while. Not sure if yours will or not because the break is so far back. Good luck.

 

[RedDrgn]

The same thing happened to a hen i once had. The top tip of her beak broke off. I had to hand feed her for a while because she had trouble as well eating. If your not able to hand feed, try using a syringe and feed him using that with wet soft foods. He might not like it but he needs to eat. Make sure he gets as much rest as possible to speed up the healing process and make sure he is away from other chickens to avoid them pecking at it. The tip will most likely not grow back, but it will heal and he'll be able to eat by himself after it does. I suggest keeping it clean by dabbing it with a warm moist paper towel almost every day and cleaning off any dirt or substance that gets on it. Im sure he will be fine. Hope he gets better soon!

We've adjusted feeder and added a different waterer to ensure he can eat and drink. Also keeping the exposed tissue clean (as much as that's possible with chickens) with warm water and iodine. Other than being confused at dropping some food and pecking hesitantly (likely from pain) he is behaving normally, including still dancing for and mounting hens.

Poor fellow, he looks like he is really pretty. There was another recent thread regarding a hen with a broken beak. Her's was also the top, but appeared a little worse, there was a lot of useful information on that thread. Stuff like making sure the the water pail was deep so she could scoop water with the lower part of her beak and elevating the food container to make it easier for the chicken to again, I guess scoop, instead of having to pick the food up. Wish I could remember more, or the name of the thread. Good luck, hope he makes a quick recovery.

I saw a few threads from the past few months that I read through and then adjusted food and water for him, accordingly. We'll be keeping a close eye on him. He's only 6.5 months old, the reckless bugger. We don't even have a name for him yet, because we've been weeding through our cockerels from this last chick acquisition, but he's pretty much destine for flock lordship at this point. This is what he looked like before he did whatever he did to his beak.

The birds I've had with broken beak tips haven't broken them so far back. My birds did eventually grow their beaks back. It took a while. Not sure if yours will or not because the break is so far back. Good luck.

Yeah, if it grows back, I know it's going to be slow. We'll have to keep an eye on the bottom, too, I'd imagine to make sure it doesn't over-grow since there isn't anything for it to grind on any more.

 

[chickens really]

Use crazy glue...Don't glue his beak closed...It works...

 

[Ursuline Chick]

DH and I talked a bout this a few days back while reading another post. We laughed about how to make sure the hen's beak wasn't glued closed, but came up with using paper between the upper and lower beak, which could be trimmed away, allowing the hen to eat and drink. Thanks for posting, nice to know that it is a fix if one should need it.

 

[chickens really]

I used a pen to prop the beak open till it dries..Q-Tip for application...

 

[Eggcessive]

Here are a few sites for more suggestions:
https://www.tillysnest.com/2011/12/how-to-fix-broken-beak-html/
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/01/repairing-chickens-broken-beak.html

 

[RedDrgn]

Use crazy glue...Don't glue his beak closed...It works...

There is nothing to glue. I don't know where the piece he broke off is and the remaining beak is solid (and smooth); no fractures, cracks, loose chips, sharp edges or other broken components (surprisingly). I have no idea how he did it, but he did it cleanly and completely.

Here are a few sites for more suggestions:
https://www.tillysnest.com/2011/12/how-to-fix-broken-beak-html/
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/01/repairing-chickens-broken-beak.html

Thank you! At this point, it appears keeping it clean and trying to assure no further injury/re-injury is where we are at; then monitor to see if professional vet attention may be needed.