badly broken beak on hen

[Lothiriel]

My broody Black Australorp Sweetie went outside the other day and when I went out to check for eggs, she had blood all over her face and her beak was broken half off just below the nose. I've isolated her and have put water and mashed up food in the cage, but she won't touch it. She won't even drink water. I broke an egg and gave it to her, and she took 2 bites, but she can't eat it very well because the inside of her mouth is all swollen. She keeps flicking her tongue out and clicking her beak. My mom and I cleaned her beak with soapy water the night it happened, and we are planning to get some betadine. She just sits in the nest she made and sleeps and does nothing. (She's been broody before. It's pretty irritating sometimes, except now. I could let her be broody all the time if she wanted to now.

)
I've read elsewhere that sometimes the beak will grow back, either all the way, partially, or deformed. I would post pix, but our camera doesn't work very good and I don't know how to post pix here.
Does anyone think it might grow back?

 

[NewGuineaChooks]

It depends on how old she is. If she has been broody before, that means she is a hen already? It is usually the younger ones, still growing in general, that can regrow beaks.

Make sure she is getting some water (if she won't drink, you should consider using a syringe or eyedropper and squirting little bits at the corner of her mouth). As the injury swelling goes down, you'll be able to tell more clearly whether she can still live happily like that. Is it just the top beak, or both top and bottom? If its an uneven break, it will be harder for her to eat, even after/if it heals.

I hope it all turns out well!

 

[Lothiriel]

She's an old one. I've had her about 3 years.
It's just the top beak that got broken. It split totally in half and is only attached by the inside/roof of her mouth. And it looks a little uneven.

 

[dlhunicorn]

read through this thread when chickchair had similar (but worse) beak injury:
http://p098.ezboard.com/fbackyardchickensfrm4.showMessage?topicID=4788.topic

 

[Lothiriel]

OK. She is acting fine now - she was just being stubborn about the water. I put her in the coop the other night and as soon as she was on the floor, she went straight to the water and drank and drank and drank. (She was probably saying in her mind, "I'm not going to drink anything until you let me out of this cage!") So she seems fine. Except she still can't eat well. She ate a little, but not much. Her beak also seems to be healing well also.

P.S - dlhunicorn, that rooster in the thread you showed me really has a broken beak! Sweetie's isn't nearly that bad!

 

[dlhunicorn]

If you go to a petstore and ask for handfeeding formula (this is for baby parrots and cockatiels and such but can be used to concentrate the nutrition in your feed) this can help... it is a powder that you mix up with water...make it a bit runny and add your crumbles or mash to it.