Beak Injury....PLEASE HELP!!!

[mtnhomechick]

One of my Red Stars has a crack in her beak. I was in the run with them when it happened BUT, I didn't actually see what happened.

Suddenly, she started running around screeching. I noticed her beak was cracked and bloody.

I put her in with my 8 wk olds but that didn't work so I tried isolating her in their brooder and she just paced.

Finally, I put her back with the other chickens and they were all pecking at her beak.

She would just sit with her head in the corner of the coop but they were after her.

Finally, dh got home and we put some super glue on the top of the beak hoping it would hold. So far it's holding but she is not eating or drinking. Poor thing it looks so sore.

I don't know what caused this injury and I don't what to do for her.

I know the super glue sounds awful but it's the best idea we could come up with.

Now I have the 8 week olds in the brooder closed up and she is segregated in that part of their run.

Would anyone here have any advice?

Thanks,

Mary

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Quote: Hi @Gwynny7 You can try wetting your normal feed and making it into a paste - sometimes this is easier to consume. You may even need to hand feed for a little while. I'm not exactly sure what Guinea Fowl eat

but if she can have egg - you can try a hard boiled egg as well. For drinking, sometimes having a deeper bowl can help.

If she is still having trouble, then you may need to consider syringing or tubing fluids into her. Search at the top for "Go Team Tube Feeding" and you will find a lot of information on tube feeding.

Hope this helps.

 

[speckledhen]

I really dont know. I would have suggested super glue, which was developed for closing wounds in the first place. Not sure what will happen with the beak though. Since it's sore, I'd give her a baby aspirin three times a day for pain.

 

[dlhunicorn]

do you have a pic?

 

[mtnhomechick]

Cyn..........Thanks for responding. Right now she is out laying in the corner of the pen and I am wondering if I should try to open the beak and at least get some water in her. She hasn't eaten or taken water for several hours. Any thoughts on that?

Don't know anything about debeaking........but would you know if a chicken can eat without the top half of the beak?

I'm worried about her.......she's one of my favorites.

 

[mtnhomechick]

Quote:
I can ask dh to get one but it will take me awhile to upload it. He is taking a pic right now.

 

[speckledhen]

If you dribble some water from a syringe (no needle) alongside her beak, she will swallow. Is it cracked across or split down the middle? I bet it's very sore, like a broken nail in the quick. I doubt she can eat with only a bottom beak, but dont go there just yet. Let's see if you can fix the damage. Beaks grow sort of like fingernails if they arent filed down, by natural foraging or by clipping, so maybe it will grow out past the cracked part eventually.

 

[jhm47]

If she's healthy and in otherwise good health, she can go for several days without eating or drinking. Birds store quite a bit of food in their crops, and they usually have a very nice store of fat to carry them over a bad period like this. I'd worry about trying to force water down her. You could easily get water in her lungs and cause pneumonia.

I would leave her separate from the others till she's eating and drinking normally. Her beak will heal naturally in time, however it may be somewhat deformed.

I had a very nice SLW show cock that got his beak caught in a cage, and he lost the entire "shell" from the top part. Of course, he was ruined for show, but he healed up eventually, and I used him for breeding. Got some very nice chicks from him, and I'm still using him after 6 years.

 

[mtnhomechick]

Here's the pic. Sorry it took so long.

 

[speckledhen]

I agree, dont force water down her. Just dribble it alongside the beak like I said. She will naturally swallow. You may not need to do that at all. She's probably just sore now and will drink later.
Is that split across just above the tip? If so, it's just gotten into the quick and is very tender. She'll be fine, I'm sure.