Beak Deformity?

[WoodlandWoman]

The tips and surface of the beak are like fingernails. As you go further back and deeper in, you hit live tissue and nerves. If you cut back far enough into live tissue, you keep the beak from growing back again. Only commercial operations usually do that. It's done to keep over-crowded chickens from pecking each other to death. A beak trim on a pet chicken or a parrot, is like a nail trim on a dog, where just the dead tip is trimmed, as needed.

If you want to keep her, I would just make sure she has food in a bowl that's deep enough that she can scoop it up with her lower beak, since she can't peck and grip as well as a normal chicken.

Keep an eye on the lower part of her beak and trim if it needs it. Over time it may need a little trim, just to keep it in shape, since it doesn't have the upper part of her beak over hanging it and keeping it short from the friction.

She looks sweet.

 

[Fowl-Language]

If you decide not to keep her, I'll take her off your hands; I've got one with a messed up lower beak, so yours would fit in well with my gang. I think she's a doll!

 

[bheila]

No no no....I want her. She'll go good with my Wild Bill.

As I said he does well as long as he can scoop his food. Isn't he a cutie!

 

[CHICKEN little 1]

I have never seen a debeaking like that. Dh and I have debeaked roo's before, but not like that. The sides do not look like debeaking I've ever seen.
Looks like a deformity to me.

Take care of her.She'll love you back for it.

 

[lurky]

This is my little misfit with the crossbeak. I think she is one of my favorite chickens and i give her special treatment. I buy her the crumbles and i hold it in a coffee can so she can scoop it up. She is not able to pick up much.......but she is great. You should definately keep her

 

[bheila]

We should have a post for all of our misfits.....

 

[Fowl-Language]

Quote:
WILD BILL!! Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!! Oh shoot, that's soooo good!

I've thought a time or two about starting a "Show off your special-needs chicken" (ducks too) post but I don't often have the time to fool around with Photobucket. Perhaps the time has come, though; there sure are a lot of us with extra-special birds...

 

[scubagirl]

I have a chicken with a beak deformity just like that. I got him from a hatchery as a day old chick. He is a black sumatra I named him Gimpy. He eats and gets along with it just fine. His is not as bad as yours but very close.

I read that beak deformity is like # 2 on the list of chicken deformities and why chicks never make it out of their shell. # 1 is brains outside the body.

So ya figure. He tried hard to get out of that shell and have a chance at life.

Strong willed chicken.

 

[Debo's Chickens]

I didn't realize I got more responses in this thread. I have another thread in Everything Else Chicken where I mentioned this beak thing & some other questions. This is what I wrote about the beak this morning:

Well, I totally feel like a jerk about it, but I was planning on returning the Wyndotte to the guy & getting another. He sells eggs too, so maybe he will just put her into his own flock??? I'm totally new to this kind of thing (I'm totally a city/suburban kid) & I kinda don't feel like I'm really qualified to keep a potentially handicapped chicken She already seems less active & much less out-going than the other two. She spends much more time in the top part of the coop than the other two. I don't know. I just feel like I should start off on the best foot possible. Like I said, I feel like a total jerk though.

~~~~~~
So, for example (on why I don't think I'm quite qualified) someone above was explaining about making sure the bottom beak stays trimmed. I have no idea how to trim a beak! I haven't even had to try to catch & hold them yet! Though, I guess I'll have to tomorrow if I'm taking the Wyandotte back.

 

[Jenski]

You should do what you feel is best. Keeping pet chickens should be fun; if you are in a position to feel worried about her care, sending her back or forwarding her on to someone who wants her seems like a responsible decision. Several folks volunteered to take your misfit - - are any of them close to you?

Follow your gut! No worries.