Broken Beak. Will this grow back?

[fromourgarden]

Hi folks,

I sure would appreciate your take on this. I noticed one of my hens broke off the tip of her beak and it seems very tender. We're feeding her soft foods (that's yogurt all over her in the pictures) and cleaning the area with saline.





My questions are:

1. Does this look like the kind of damage that will grow back?

2. Should I consider covering this with something (Liquid bandage or something else…)?

3. This happened perhaps a day after we switched the hens to a nipple-waterer. Do you think this might have been the cause?

4. This is the second beak injury this hen has had, the other being a sort of flaked off bit by her nostril which grew back. Could there be something making this hen more susceptible to beak damage? A nutrient deficiency?

If you have any other advice, I would really appreciate it. Thanks for your time.

 

[chloezoebob101]

1. This might grow back, just make sure it stays clean at all times.
2. If you would put liquid bandage on it, it might be harder for her to grow her beak back.
3. She might have accidentally tapped the waterer to hard , and chipped it, but who knows, maybe it was a rock she pecked at. I don't know.
4. She might have nutrient deficiency, I would not know which kind, for i am not very knowledgeable in this area. Maybe oyster shells ( ground up, you can buy them at farm stores) , those are known for hardening egg shells, I would know if it would work for a beak.

Is she in pain? ( I am sorry i am not very helpful) And is she still eating and drinking?

 

[fromourgarden]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've been doing some more reading and it sounds like the chances of it growing back are good. I wish I knew for sure (and how long it might take).

It's definitely tender when she uses it, so she wasn't drinking from our nipple waterer. She's eating some boiled mash and yogurt, but she can't really chomp like she's supposed to. Poor girl

 

[chloezoebob101]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've been doing some more reading and it sounds like the chances of it growing back are good. I wish I knew for sure (and how long it might take).

It's definitely tender when she uses it, so she wasn't drinking from our nipple waterer. She's eating some boiled mash and yogurt, but she can't really chomp like she's supposed to. Poor girl

maybe you should switch to a tank ( i think thats what it is called) waterer, it might be easier for her to drink. I really hope she gets better!

 

[fromourgarden]

Yeah, we've switched back to the tank waterer for now. I also received the following…

UPDATE: I asked for any suggestions via Twitter and received the following from the folks at Avian Veterinary Services (On Twitter):​

​

"@FromOurGarden we often coat the exposed tip with tissue glue (applied with great care not to glue beakshut !) to make a protective cap. should get keratin coverage in a couple of months so may need to apply extra layer every now & then until covered"​

​

This sounds like great news and I appreciate the advice, considering our local vet is not interested in seeing chickens. AVS has done some amazing work with damaged beaks that really has to be seen.​

 

[chloezoebob101]

That's great! I hope she gets better, keep us updates on how she does.

 

[polishchickens111]

Nambroth had a problem like this. Hope she gets better, in the meantime you might try her.