Beak Trimming

[HomesteaderWife]

Went back a few posts and saw that you got his beak all trimmed up- awesome to hear! I'm glad to hear you have a Dremel too. I'd swear by one if I had it- they're so useful. I'd fill a book with how many times I've used them for finishing dog nails at vet clinic/shelters. Find it for future use!

 

[MontanaChickDoc]

Now I feel like I need to check out my roo's spurs!! He would never hurt anyone on purpose but it's like having skewers sticking out of your legs. Things happen! I have a hen I call "Snape" because of her long curved beak. I've trimmed it once (bled like heck) and once it just broke off. She's definitely a genetic reject. She is supposed to be a Marans (got the eggs off Ebay, the other two that hatched were a rooster and a BLIND rooster) -- she's skinny, gangly, bug-eyed and has that tremendously hooked beak. Nothing like my sleek fat glossy black Marans from Cackle... But she is THE BEST momma (to her surrogate eggs - I don't hatch hers). And she lays lovely speckled deep brown eggs so...I also have a hen with severe scissor beak. I've never trimmed her but perhaps I should. The two halves of her beak don't meet in the slightest but she is able to scoop up soaked mash enough to stay fed. I don't have a breeding program so I have the luxury of having "special needs" chickens Anyone have a good name for a one-eyed chicken? My kids call her Cyclops but that's an ugly name.

 

[HomesteaderWife]

@MontanaChickDoc - Too bad most one eyed cartoon characters are male (Mike from Monsters Inc or the Minions from Despicable Me). My only suggestion is Cy for short, or Gypsy like the little bot from Mystery Science Theater 3000?

 

[MontanaChickDoc]

Maybe Celia the Cyclops, I like that! I have a "Gypsy" already - my Egyptian Fayoumi - craziest chicken on the planet. Flighty as heck and roams all over the yard (flies over the electric fence, not just over but many FEET over, like a "real bird"), definitely seems to be a good breed for free ranging. We have too many predators to try it for the rest of the flock but we'll see how she fares in the long term I guess!

 

[Bamabexchicks]

Now I feel like I need to check out my roo's spurs!! He would never hurt anyone on purpose but it's like having skewers sticking out of your legs. Things happen! I have a hen I call "Snape" because of her long curved beak. I've trimmed it once (bled like heck) and once it just broke off. She's definitely a genetic reject. She is supposed to be a Marans (got the eggs off Ebay, the other two that hatched were a rooster and a BLIND rooster) -- she's skinny, gangly, bug-eyed and has that tremendously hooked beak. Nothing like my sleek fat glossy black Marans from Cackle... But she is THE BEST momma (to her surrogate eggs - I don't hatch hers). And she lays lovely speckled deep brown eggs so...I also have a hen with severe scissor beak. I've never trimmed her but perhaps I should. The two halves of her beak don't meet in the slightest but she is able to scoop up soaked mash enough to stay fed. I don't have a breeding program so I have the luxury of having "special needs" chickens Anyone have a good name for a one-eyed chicken? My kids call her Cyclops but that's an ugly name.

I would call her "Winky"

 

[townchicks]

No problems with my hens, but I had a budgie years ago that had a severely misaligned beak. I would trim it with a dog nail clipper, and then file. She could eat a little better with it trimmed, but not enough, so I hand fed her twice a day as well. She lived about a year like that. Now, I probably would just euthanize her, but I was young and soft back then.

 

[Bamabexchicks]

No problems with my hens, but I had a budgie years ago that had a severely misaligned beak. I would trim it with a dog nail clipper, and then file. She could eat a little better with it trimmed, but not enough, so I hand fed her twice a day as well. She lived about a year like that. Now, I probably would just euthanize her, but I was young and soft back then.

Gotta watch exotic avian species with overgrown beaks and/or wonky feathers: Beak and Feather disease is fairly common and contagious too.

 

[casportpony]

Someone commented about birds picking lice off of each other, which I have seen them do. Here are some pictures that @Dany12 posted:

 

[townchicks]

Gotta watch exotic avian species with overgrown beaks and/or wonky feathers: Beak and Feather disease is fairly common and contagious too.

Yes, back then when I had the budgie, I worked as a groomer at a pet shop. The shop offered beak and nail trimming for parrots, and we'd usually get one a week in for it.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have one female budgie who's beak grows out, quite quickly, so I trim it quite often. Luckily her mate feeds her, so she does okay. I use a small dog nail trimmer. I can't file it because she just bites down on the file.