Beak trim update on Faith, my 11 wk old SF

[Cetawin]

As some may recall, I posted about my 9 week old SF that had a beak issue. Well, I could not stand to see her trying to eat and not getting as much as the others and as I am not breeding, I wanted to try to save her if possible rather than cull her. So, I grabbed the handy dremel tool, Faith, a towel and treats and went to the diningroom table.

I gave her treats and played with her so that she was full, calm and content. I swaddle wrapped her with a towel and turned the dremel tool on to see her reaction to the sound. She was wonderful, never startled over the sound at all.

I did a quick trim on the lower beak and barely tipped the top one. She did push forward as I was rounding the corner of the lower beak and we got a tiny nick of the quick. It bled very little and for a few minutes.

After the trim, she ate like a pig and drank a full coffee cup full of water. She then promptly passed out! LOL.

This past week she has been great. I pull her out in the morning and give her a deep dish of somewhat ground crumbles and do the same in the evening. She also gets liquid baby vitamins. During the day she is eating with her buddies, foraging in the tractor and really doing well.

I thought I would post pics for you of the trim job.

Before the trim...her upper and lower beaks met perfectly straight causing a gap in the sides:

day after trim...she still did not realize her beak would fully close. That took her about 4 days to realize.

One week post trim...beak is almost perfect and she is full!

Thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions, tips and advice. I think she is gonna make it just fine. However, if she starts showing she cannot go it alone (once I stop her two a day separate feedings), I will consider culling her. I will not allow her to suffer. But for now she is doing good and a little pampering is good for her as well as me.

 

[M@M@2four]

Awww...she looks GREAT! She's is GORGEOUS!!! Please continue to keep us posted!

 

[Cetawin]

Thank you. I am very pleased with the outcome and the little extra effort in feeding her is worth it.

 

[debilorrah]

Congrats on a successful fix!!!! She looks great. She probably feels like a real chicken now!

 

[Cetawin]

hehehehe she is sassy for sure. She thinks she is something special because she gets her own dish of food. Brat I tell ya.

BTW...that is Faith in my avatar. hehehehe

 

[Moriah]

May I ask what sort of "baby vitamin" you used. The feed store where I live doesn't carry any sort of poultry vitamin. I also have beak issue here and had to go to the vet for a more complicated trim of the top beak. The little one is 1/3 the size of the others, quite the runt. She is getting more food now, but I think vitamins would be a good supplement.

 

[Cetawin]

I have poly vi sol without Iron and she get three drops twice per day. Get them at a pharamcy or wal-mart or similar store in the baby or vitamin section. She has been on them for about a week and is doing great so I am about to stop them and see how she does.

Make sure it is the one without Iron.

 

[katrinag]

Wonderful job. I bet she feels much better.