11 day old chick with scissor beak :(

[mlward]

This just became apparent yesterday when I was holding one of my blue ameraucana chicks. I'm currently researching ways to remedy this before it gets any worse. Any of you have experience with this? Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Hate to lose the little guy!

 

[Opa]

I have had crossed beak birds in the past and have observed how difficult it is for them to eat. While some people will suggest trying to trim the beak to balance the shape. Others will advise you to do nothing. I feel that euthanizing is the best solution. As harsh as that may sound, it is much easier now then it would be six months or a year from now after you have invested lots of time and money into a defective bird.

 

[CMV]

Here's a good discussion regarding care and treatment of cross beak. It includes a discussion of the only method of treatment I have ever heard of in attempting to correct crossbeak- Penetran.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=44060&p=1

I have a crossbeaked bird, but mine is very mild and didn't become noticeable until she was about 13 weeks old. Yours being so drastic at such a young age does not bode well for your chick's survival. Crossbeak gets worse with age as long as they are growing out. Once they stop growing it usually stabilizes. I have never heard of any effective treatment methods for dealing with this other than palliative care- deep food and water dishes, trimming the beak as necessary to optimize its efficiency, and offering high calorie feed choices. The bird should never be used for breeding as crossbeak is a genetic fault that is frequently worse in subsequent generations. Chances are pretty good that your bird is going to fail, so I would try not to get too attached. It's a shame. He's darn cute.

Good luck.

 

[mlward]

Thanks guys for the info. That's what I was afraid of.

I was trying to figure out how it first develops... I mean, this chick didn't hatch this way, it was just barely noticeable yesterday and is more obvious today. And when I use a little pressure to put it back in position, it just seems that the tip of the upper beak keeps it from staying. So, I can see where filing down that tip could make a difference. But, how often and how long would I have to do that for. And how do you hold on to that tiny little head?!

It's sad because this is one of only 7 chicks that hatched out of 20 shipped eggs. And I have already given 2 away to a relative starting 4-H. If this one has to be euthanized (not that I could do that!), I will only have 4 left. And watch THEM all be roosters!