2 week old chick with crooked beak

[snowflake]

don't know what happened, got home from work , went down to check chicks and found one of my EE 2 weeks old with a crooked beak. Is there any thing I can do?

w.backyardchins

 

[CheerfulHeart2]

That's a tough one. We had an EE with a crooked beak. I read all the old threads I could find on it. You might want to do the same. Search for both crooked beak and scissor beak.

 

[snowflake]

Thank you I did as you suggested and found some good info. now we need to decide what we are going to do

 

[newchicksnducks]

I believe it is a genetic issue. You may not have noticed a small cross beak earlier, but as she ages, the beak crossing will become more pronounced. I have an EE with a cross beak. She is now a year old. Her top beak will curl down past the bottom beak, which is straight and off to one side. She cannot eat treats as well as her siblings, but she gets along ok with her pellets. She likes a deep bowl for her pellets, and pecks a lot more than the others to get the same amount of food. But she is good weight (bigger than her EE sister) and lays a pretty blue-green egg 3-4 times a week. I have trimmed her upper beak twice with toenail clippers, and she has worn or broken it off twice. I have cinder blocks in the run that I think she uses to help file it down. If there comes a time when her weight drops and she cannot eat well on her own, I'll know it is time to cull, but as long as she seems to be healthy, we'll just monitor her condition. Good luck with your little chick!

 

[hipeatall]

I have a hatchery faverolle hen, "Tweak", that is about a year now and has a crossed beak... she was a few months old when the defect appeared overnight. It freaked me out... I was very worried at first and thought I might have to cull, but she seems to do fine. Sure, she has to work a little harder for food... but she is a sweet girl and a great layer. I trimmed her beak a little a few months ago when I noticed it was giving her trouble... I used a pair of dog nail trimmers and took off just a wee bit at a time cause I didn't want to make matters worse... I've heard of people filing it down as well. As long as she is healthy and happy she will have a place in my layer flock.
I hope everything works out well for you.

edited because I can't spell

 

[snowflake]

Thanks again it is good to hear from those of you who have kept theirs. we haven't decided yet but she is a good size at this point.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I have a BLRW with a VERY crooked beak and she is now at laying age and she is doing wonderful! She is head of the crew and eats and drinks with no help at all. All I have to do is clip the beak down every few weeks so it doesn't get to long. It happens quickly...I never noticed when mine started either, it was just there on day

 

[Garden Daddy]

I went out just now here in Jackson, TN to put my 4-week old brood to bed and noticed then that one of my Ameraucana chicks (4-wks old) has the very same crossed beak, just happened today. I watch them like a "chicken hawk" and keep a close eye on them daily. But today is the first day I have see that and handle them a good bit and have not noticed this. It looks just like the picture posted here on a chick about the same color, etc. Will it survive? It appears from what you all have said she will be ok, but do not want her to suffer any either. She is otherwise healthy and keeping her place in the brooder in check as far as self protection, eating, drinking, etc.
I see someone said it is genetic. Interesting. Hope all will be ok with her. And thanks for any other information.

 

[Dora'smom]

Interesting. That is quite a profound cross beak. We were given a few-days-old hatchery EE with a crossed beak, but not as severe as that one. She grew out of it over the next four weeks or so. She is now about eight weeks, and you can't tell at all. Good luck with your girl.

 

[zipzip314]

Last year when we got out Americana chicks one of them ended up with a severe cross beak like that. She was pretty lethargic and mopey since she didn't want to eat. Called a local vet who luckily had a bird guy on staff. He was able to trim her beak and filed a line in one side of her beak. Within a few days her beak was back to normal and she hasn't had any issues with it since.