Broken Beak Chicken

[susanamme]

When our chicken was just a couple weeks old it got attacked by our male duck. The bottom beak is what is broken. Four months later this chicken is still alive and we've become very attached. But I am wondering if anyone else has had this before and what you fed your chicken. She has to peck at say a piece of bread for sometimes 5-15 times before she gets it in her mouth. Although she is not the size of the other chickens, she's still growing a lot each week now that she left her flock during the day and we feed her scraps. She just doesn't seem to be getting the nutrition of say the pellet. She is a free range chicken during the day. Here's a funny picture of her......we somehow find beauty in her! Thanks in advance!

 

[chooks4life]

I suspect that's a very set-back male, underdeveloped due to the injury and subsequent malnutrition.

As with chickens with beak deformities it's very hard, nigh impossible even when handfeeding daily, to ensure they get what they need when they need it. Long term outlook is not good. Ideally that should have gone to a vet asap, perhaps they could have helped get it back to normal; now the bones would have set wrong so it'd be harder... But a vet is still the best idea for that animal, because the chances of it living a healthy life are very, very slim indeed if it remains in this condition. It can't feed or drink normally never mind preen, all important for full health. Chickens with such problems tend to slowly but inevitably decline in overall health until they die young.

Sorry to be such a downer but that is a serious condition and unlikely to be survived for much longer. Even a slight deviation of the lower or upper beak is often fatal within a year, never mind such a complete re-angling of the structures.

I understand a vet may be outside of your means, I'm not trying to judge you or anything like that. Anyway, best wishes with her/him.

And hello,