Advice on clipped beak girls...

[polecatsfan]

I recently purchased 2 new girls (Cuckoo Maran Cross and a Bluebell), and introduced them to the coop that night... (2 nights ago), tonight was the first night they have made their own way into the coop come nightfall, they seem to be slowly settling in, after the (what i presume) usual and initial bullying (slowly easing up on them)..... so i'm quite releived on that score as its the first time i have done this...

In the car on the way back, i noticed that the top part of the beak on both girls have been clipped, now, i have a few questions on this... as they are going nowhere! Im attached already... you know what its like right?! hehe

1: Will this effect their staying with the other girls?
2: Will they grow back atall?
3: Will it effect their ability to eat?

I only ask as they seem to only be going for grass at the moment (something they have not seen before as they were kept in a shed), and MAYBE a little seed....

any help is appreciated...

cheers
Brett

 

[GardenGal]

Shoot, newbie here, so I can't answer that. Hopefully I can at least bump your post up. Glad those girls found you!

 

[AccentOnHakes]

1. They may be picked on, because they can't peck other girls to stay on top of the pecking order.
2. Won't grow back, sorry!
3. They can't pick up a thin layer on the bottom of the feeder, so the feed dish needs to be deep and always filled.

Other:
They may have trouble preening.

 

[polecatsfan]

ok thanks for that, i'll just keep a close eye on them,

I think.... the bullying is slowly dying off, i guess they just need to accept that they are bottom of the pecking order.... but.... how long does this behaviour last? its hard not to interfere......

as for the beaks.... i had a feeling that they wouldnt, but several sites around the web say different.... at least now i know hehe

and as for the feeder, i never let it get low enough for it to be thin anway, so thats all good...


they still wont cme out of the coop by themselves in the mornin... but i guess thats part of the pecking order process....

cheers for the reply

brett

 

[MOChickenz]

Just to reassure you, I have a bunch of ex-battery white leghorns that have clipped beaks. They eat fine, don't get picked on, and are having a happy life.

 

[blkpoodles]

Quote:
i got 4 girls with a wrongly clipped beak, they eat fine, i never had a problem with anyone picking on them, and no it wont grow back, i was hoping mine would grow back too, kinda sucks. but they eat their feed, worms, bugs. here's a pic of one of mine, some of them are clipped worse then this, like their mouths are always open

 

[Ksane]

I got these 6 sex link hens from a flea market out of the back of a trailer (made me sad). All of them were debeaked. I'd never heard of such a thing before. I put their food in a deep bowl but they seem to do well enough with catching bugs, it just takes them more tries. They also always look.....scruffier than the others because they can't preen themselves. They're sweet girls though and great layers. Here's the beak on one of them (all look the same). They have a good home now though and we're keeping them.

 

[mstricer]

If you buy started pullets from a hatchery they are like that too

 

[polecatsfan]

awesome, thanks guys, this puts me at ease, makes me feel much better for them... i guess its a case of waiting for the bullying to stop then... they have a pigeon that likes to come and sit by them, maybe he gives them some support?! hehe

This is Bluebell....

and this is Poppy.....

can't really see their beaks too clearly... but they are very much like blkpoodles' pic....

just wish they'd come out from behind the feeders....

 

[blkpoodles]

idk why people do it, my hens(3 red sexlinks 1 white leghorn) were in pretty bad shape, but they're happier now, and im sure yours will be too, once mine see me they come running over, they all free range, never been outside till they came here, they all were locked up in a dirty part of a barn full of chickens with nothing but poop filled wood chips to walk on and a window too look out of, all had mites and scaley legs, one barley able to walk, but she walks and runs now. she was the worst condition one, had to use a file to get a ball of poop off her nail