Beak underbite??

[AHardy]

This is my 6 week old Ameraucana. Her top beak is curved and lower beak is a little longer. Will this fix itself when she is out of the brooder and pecking around in rocks, etc? Or should I file down the lower beak? Any advice is appreciated.

 

[nuthatched]

You can give her a rock in the brooder.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Won't know for sure until she's older if she can maintain it on her own. If not, an emery board works well to whittle down beaks in need of extra maintenance.

 

[AHardy]

You can give her a rock in the brooder.

Thank you! I will give it a try.

 

[AHardy]

Won't know for sure until she's older if she can maintain it on her own. If not, an emery board works well to whittle down beaks in need of extra maintenance.

Thank you! I filed a little last night and she did pretty well with it. I file a little more later today. It looks like she has a lot of beak before the tissue starts.

 

[WoDia]

I had a hen with the same condition. She got used to me filing the beak at a young age, so she would actually sit still on my lap while I worked on it. She was unable to maintain it on her own, and got very used to me helping her out.

 

[AHardy]

I had a hen with the same condition. She got used to me filing the beak at a young age, so she would actually sit still on my lap while I worked on it. She was unable to maintain it on her own, and got very used to me helping her out.

Good to know. This baby is already very cuddly so hopefully she will handle it well if this is a constant issue.

 

[WoDia]

Good to know. This baby is already very cuddly so hopefully she will handle it well if this is a constant issue.

My sweet girls issue was that she attempted to sand it on the big rock, but it would just get really sharp! So, I watched it closely. Here she is below. You can see where it’s starting to grow out yet again!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

She has hairline crossbeak which can be a genetic flaw, so you shouldn't try hatching her eggs in the future. With hairline crossbeak, it doesn't always show up like that but is often more hidden. (See link below of a mild case of hairline crossbeak.)

You can file her beak down with a regular Emery board nail file. Be careful not to hit the quick. File her beak every two weeks for now. You can file it once a week if you're trying to get her beak down faster. If you do this, use extra caution of the quick. For starters, file the bottom beak: tip and the top part that could curl in. Later, you might need to file the top too, but your main focus for now is the bottom beak.

After a while if you're consistent and can keep her beak down, I think it will be fine. With hairline crossbeak, the beaks don't require a lot of maintenance. As some others has suggested, you should give her a rock, brick, or cement block near her feeder so she can wipe her beak on it. When she is older, you'll want her on pellets and grit to increase grind.

(Of caution, because of her age, I suggest watching her beak to be sure it doesn't cross further. I'm calling it a hairline, but as she grows, it can get worst.)

Post in thread '#TeamCrossbeakAmber' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/teamcrossbeakamber.1529072/post-26429054