Beak too long need advice please

[winekntrychicks]

Have a little white silkie that lives in the house now as she was almost featherless due to rooster activity. Since she has been in the house her beak and talons have become to long. What can I do? I will put her back outside come spring/ summer. She lives in a huge box with pine shavings. She is so funny cause she has a little box beside her huge box. She lays her eggs and roosts in the little box and hops to her huge box the rest of the time. She never leaves to wander but she will perch on the edge of the big box to look outside. She does have a "play area" outside but she is pure white and so pretty I hate to put her out right now.....

 

[welasharon]

Can you put something cement like a stepping stone on the bottom of her pen? She can wear them down like that or you can trim them carefully. I worry about splintering. You could file them down. Do a search on filing I read where people have done it but I have not myself.

 

[tinychicky]

just use some nail clippers (the kind for dogs or cats, not human) and carefully clip her beak. take only a little off at a time and clip one side, then the other to avoid splintering. you can also cut her claws if you avoid the red vein (the quik) inside. again, take only a little off at a time. if you need picures lemme know

 

[elmo]

Nail clippers are fine to use on toenails. I trim several of our chickens' toenails regularly since they seem prone to overgrowth.

I would not trim a beak, though, unless I saw the bird was having trouble eating.

 

[winekntrychicks]

Thanks for the replies. I like the stone in the bottom of box idea a lot. When I was a kid we had a bird in a cage and had to have a special stone for them. I am confident to use clippers just wanted input. Thanks everybody. Have s blessed Christmas!

 

[spiritdance]

Quote:
Why not? I trim beaks all the time, especially in winter when my birds are not free ranging as much (and thus not wearing them down as much), and especially on my roos, as it helps reduce the wear and tear on my hens from breeding. As long as you're careful not to cut the quick, beak trimming is just like for any other domestic bird ... not only possible, but often necessary.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I have had 2 Orps over the years that have had a longer top beak than the bottom. I trim with dog nail clippers, never a problem.

 

[AinaWGSD]

Because a splintered beak is a much bigger deal than a splintered toenail. And in my years of experience working for a board certified avian vet, I can assure you that beak trimming is not often necessary in any species of bird, domestic or otherwise, and is almost always an indication of poor nutrition, improper husbandry, genetic malformation, or trauma. It is possible, and it isn't really even that difficult, but it is really something you should have an experienced person show you how to do before you attempt it yourself, if at all possible. For beaks, I much much prefer using a rotary tool such as the dremmel with a grinding stone. By filing the beak down this way you more or less eliminate the risk of splitting the beak and if done at the proper RPM it has the added bonus of cauterizing if you take too much off and get into the quick.

It sounds like providing a stone or similar hard surface might be all this bird needs since the problem didn't occur until she was moved inside onto shavings. Birds naturally file their nails and beaks by scratching and scraping their beaks on surfaces such as rocks, branches, etc to clean them. Being inside she may just not have access to an abrasive/tough enough surface to keep them filed down on her own.