Broken beak, fighting and/or nutritional issues?

[EggsandExtraEggs]

Hi! I noticed today that a few of my hens had some injuries on their beaks, which I assumed was a result of some fighting. One in particular had a bit of dried blood and a piece missing with a crack in her beak. She was acting normal and still seems to be eating and drinking for now. What should I do? The girls are free range when we are home but that’s only 1-2 hours a day. But, they haven’t had this bad of issues before. They just started laying last week for the first time, could that be contributing?

 

[Debbie292d]

Do they have concrete, cement, or gravel in their coop or run? They can get broken beaks from trying to peck food or bugs. Those surfaces could also lead to bumblefoot as well.

We had one cracked beak once, and she healed fine. I would up their protein and also give some vitamin boosters like Poultry Cell or Nutri-Drench to help.

What size do they have for coop and run, as that fighting could be from overcrowding. In coops they should have 4 sq feet each, and 15 sq feet each in their run.

Our hen cracked hers the long way. I see how yours is broken from the tip. You might want to file that so it's smooth. We have a fingernail dremel we use for a cross beak that works great. Just know that's probably painful for her.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi! I noticed today that a few of my hens had some injuries on their beaks, which I assumed was a result of some fighting. One in particular had a bit of dried blood and a piece missing with a crack in her beak. She was acting normal and still seems to be eating and drinking for now. What should I do? The girls are free range when we are home but that’s only 1-2 hours a day. But, they haven’t had this bad of issues before. They just started laying last week for the first time, could that be contributing?

I'd leave the beak alone, it will heal on its own. She's acting normal/eating/drinking.

You assume the pullets were fighting, how many do you have and how much space?

Photos of your coop/run set up along with the other pullets may be helpful and we can offer some suggestions.

Welcome To BYC!

 

[coach723]

If they have just started laying, and you don't have adequate nest boxes for them, that could be a cause of spats. It's not uncommon for a hen to get pecked and bullied by someone else that wants the box she's in.

 

[EggsandExtraEggs]

Do they have concrete, cement, or gravel in their coop or run? They can get broken beaks from trying to peck food or bugs. Those surfaces could also lead to bumblefoot as well.

We had one cracked beak once, and she healed fine. I would up their protein and also give some vitamin boosters like Poultry Cell or Nutri-Drench to help.

What size do they have for coop and run, as that fighting could be from overcrowding. In coops they should have 4 sq feet each, and 15 sq feet each in their run.

Our hen cracked hers the long way. I see how yours is broken from the tip. You might want to file that so it's smooth. We have a fingernail dremel we use for a cross beak that works great. Just know that's probably painful for her.

Hello and thanks for the response! Yes, the bottom of their run is concrete. We inherited the chicken coop setup with the purchase of our home and it was built on a small slab (maybe there used to be a shed there). The coop is open to their small run below, but we can only let them out in the yard when we are supervising due to predators. We are working on a chicken tractor solution or covering a small part of the yard for the upcoming spring and summer.

We have kept an eye on her over the past few days and all is still normal (eating, drinking, etc). No more signs of fighting and blood among the chickens since then. Not sure if it was just one day of being all cooped up or something that triggered them (or one of them to bully).

 

[EggsandExtraEggs]

I'd leave the beak alone, it will heal on its own. She's acting normal/eating/drinking.

You assume the pullets were fighting, how many do you have and how much space?

Photos of your coop/run set up along with the other pullets may be helpful and we can offer some suggestions.

Welcome To BYC!

Thank you! It does seem to be healing on its own. I will return back and post some photos if I see any more issues.

 

[EggsandExtraEggs]

If they have just started laying, and you don't have adequate nest boxes for them, that could be a cause of spats. It's not uncommon for a hen to get pecked and bullied by someone else that wants the box she's in.

I did notice almost all of them like the same 2 boxes! We have 6 haha...