Broken Beak (picture included)

[Want Less]

Woke up this morning to a pullet with a broken beak. It looks like it is just the outer surface tip that broke off because the bone part underneath is still intact (referring to the bloody part in the photo, I assume that is the underlying bone structure). The inside roof of her beak looks fine, and I dont see any further cracks on the outside.

She seems to be fine otherwise. Ive seen her drink water this morning which is good. However I was curious to see if she would eat so I threw out some scratch for the flock and watched her specifically. She would peck at the pieces but I dont think she ever picked any up. I'll keep watching to see if that changes, because I am sure it *just* happened right before I found her. (Heard an argument and went out to find her cowarding in the corner)

Any advice or suggestions? I assume anything I try to put on it she will just end up ingesting.

 

[GoldenSparrow]

Oh poor baby,

I wonder how she did that?
sorry I cannot help,

 

[StarLover21]

I suggest seperating her from the flock for a few days, with plenty of food and water. Maybe a dog kennel or something? Quarintine pen? Watch her to see if she eats...Good Luck!

 

[welasharon]

You can make a wet mash out of food for her and she will be able to eat that easier. You can do a search on here there are some interesting threads about this.
sharon

 

[chickencrazylady]

Just happened to my Roo last week, keep her separated for a few days and use deep water dish and deep food dish, I chopped and shredded my food ie: lettuce, fruit, bread very fine and left it in a deep pile for him. 3 day later swelling of his pallet came down and his beak is back in his normal position, but still have a stress fracture on the side, so I painted it with acrylic nail polish (clear). My Silkie-boy is doing fine now, he is the Alpha roo in the coop, so my other younger 2 roos didn't hassle him at all, and he seems to know that he is unable to peck normally and stays away from hard surfaces.

I hope that this is useful to you, and that she gets better! Give her time and the beak will grow back to an tip, but very slowly.

 

[Want Less]

Thank you everyone for your responses! Here's an update...

Esmay is a 6 month old EE and is usually kept in a pen with her 3 siblings. We have a separate pen for the older flock (right now this is our only option while we repair major hurricane damage on the farm). Both flocks free range together during the day and in the evenings they typically separate themselves into the right pens.

The night before this happened, Esmay put herself in the "big girls" pen. She's done this a few times before and as long as there are no major issues we just let them be. Apparently one of the hens woke up on the wrong side of the roost yesterday morning and decided Esmay was no longer welcome. Not sure how the beak was broken in the tussle, but it happened.

I let both flocks, including Esmay, free range all day yesterday like normal and kept an eye on Esmay. When it first happened she didnt want to try to eat anything, and when she did try to peck at stuff, I wasnt convinced she was able to pick it up (watched her fail at trying to pick up scratch I threw out for a while). I took the advice of a poster here and made her a deep dish of chicken pellets soaked with water and she seems to eat that fine. As the day progressed, I noticed her pecking around the farm a little more and more.

I decided not to separate her from her siblings and allow her to continue free ranging so she doesn't get stressed. If I notice any problems or that she isn't eating enough, I will separate her. But she's one of the more dominate girls in her baby-flock and so far she's maintained that role with no problem. While free ranging during the day, the baby flock and the bigger flock pretty much do their own thing and dont bother each other (they have 6 acres to roam freely so arguments are very few and far between). She did lay an egg yesterday so that was good

Thanks again for all the advice! I'd still love to hear more info from you guys on dealing with broken beaks.

 

[chicmom]

Why not try coating that injured area with some liquid skin product. You clean the area and dry it, and then paint it on. It's like crazy glue...really stays on well. I use it when I get a bad cut on my fingers, and it works great!

Sharon

 

[rbaker0345]

She'll be fine. Anything you do to treat it is for your own comfort. Dont close the wound though, you could seal in pathogens, Air and sunlight are the best, separate her if she gets harassed by the rest of the flock. I am in Eastern NC too. I am trying to put together an APA club would you be interested? I am in Beaufort.

 

[Want Less]

Yes, I'd be interested in hearing more. We are in New Bern. If you get a chance send me a message with any info.

 

[chickencrazylady]

Glad to hear she is eating good. My Silkie-boy's beak broke off at the stress fracture point about half way up. He is feeding okay, but I watch him constantly now. My other 2 younger roo's, Magoo and Hawkeye tend to stay away from Silkie-boy. As an old time and old fashion vet told me "Chicken are tough old birds, they can take a lickin' and keep on tickin'" Just keep a close watch on her and if any of her character or habits change then separate her for a while.