Chick born Cross Beak and Blind

[h2ocutiegirl]

Hello and thank you for your insight on care for a crossbeak chick. I could really use some advice from everyone on how to manage our situation. Our chick is about five weeks old and has a terrible case. Just this week she really stopped being able to eat in her own. We have tried everything from mixing the crumble with water to making a liquidy feeding paste made of egg yolk, whole fat Greek yogurt, and crumble all mixed. I’m just not sure if we’re going to be able to syringe feed her enough times a day to keep her from starving. It is such a slow and painstaking process. I was hoping we could put it in a jar lid and she would try to consume it herself, but she doesn’t even try. Please let me know any tips! Thank you.

Honestly we had to do it about every hour to 2 hours. Just do the Kay Tee extract off of Amazon. It is enough vitamins and stuff to live off of for her. The liquid is better cause then she doesn't have to try to chew right now. Just raw egg yolk, no yogurt. Yogurt is very hard for them to digest at such a young age. Dairy isn't that good for them and very hard on their system and can cause poops but and other issues. When they're older yogurt is fine about once a week with lots of fresh greens. As for baby, order the supplement on Amazon. Use egg yolk to get her through and syringe feed her for now. It will take time for sure and is messy. Patience is key on this. When she learns to eat on her own is when you start the crumble softened. I let mine sit in hot water over night to get super soft. You can do that for now, but egg yolk (no whites at all), will be the key for now. I wrapped my girl in a little hand towel not too tight and she was easier to control to syringe feed. I hope this helps. If you have any more questions feel free to PM me.

 

[sarah_d]

Honestly we had to do it about every hour to 2 hours. Just do the Kay Tee extract off of Amazon. It is enough vitamins and stuff to live off of for her. The liquid is better cause then she doesn't have to try to chew right now. Just raw egg yolk, no yogurt. Yogurt is very hard for them to digest at such a young age. Dairy isn't that good for them and very hard on their system and can cause poops but and other issues. When they're older yogurt is fine about once a week with lots of fresh greens. As for baby, order the supplement on Amazon. Use egg yolk to get her through and syringe feed her for now. It will take time for sure and is messy. Patience is key on this. When she learns to eat on her own is when you start the crumble softened. I let mine sit in hot water over night to get super soft. You can do that for now, but egg yolk (no whites at all), will be the key for now. I wrapped my girl in a little hand towel not too tight and she was easier to control to syringe feed. I hope this helps. If you have any more questions feel free to PM me.

Thank you so much for your insight and being willing to help. The part that surprised me here is that she was able to eat on her own for about her first 5 weeks of life, then she suddenly regressed. I assume this is because her beak malformation has become significantly worse over time. I’m wondering if she will ever be able to eat on her own. What do you think? Sending a photo so you can see how it looks now. Please note she’s wet from a bath so her feathers are not fluffy as normal. Thanks again!

 

[h2ocutiegirl]

Oh wow that's pretty bad. Massage her little cheeks to get the muscles moving and stuff. Might wanna shave her beak back as well you have a little room so shave. I hope she gets better!!!

 

[Silly Indie]

So sweet! It’s very nice of you to give Princess a chance, many people would’ve probably just put her down. I’m glad to hear she does so well considering her disabilities. I currently have to half blind chickens, one is Flap she’s 6 going on 7 and has a cataract in her left eye that just recently developed, the other is Rio he has that blindness issue that is common amongst RIRs thankfully it’s only affected the one eye. We give everyone a chance here, my sister had an old hen with a breathing condition that we managed for 10 months before it became worse and her quality of life wasn’t very good. Or Tino, a young rooster who’s leg was injured at an early age and healed crookedly, he gets around well just in a funky amble that we call the Tino Tango. Seeing posts like these make me smile!

 

[h2ocutiegirl]

So sweet! It’s very nice of you to give Princess a chance, many people would’ve probably just put her down. I’m glad to hear she does so well considering her disabilities. I currently have to half blind chickens, one is Flap she’s 6 going on 7 and has a cataract in her left eye that just recently developed, the other is Rio he has that blindness issue that is common amongst RIRs thankfully it’s only affected the one eye. We give everyone a chance here, my sister had an old hen with a breathing condition that we managed for 10 months before it became worse and her quality of life wasn’t very good. Or Tino, a young rooster who’s leg was injured at an early age and healed crookedly, he gets around well just in a funky amble that we call the Tino Tango. Seeing posts like these make me smile!

Thank you. I rescue them all. Some have passed unfortunately but they're all buried together and fly free with no pain now. Funny you bring up the crooked leg. I have one girl named Baby cause she is the BABY (and she KNOWS IT)... She was walking on her "ankles" and now she has bull leg but runs faster than my 2 year old and she's only 7 months.... it's amazing what you can do with these babies with time and patience. Baby lays eggs every day and is one of the bigger eggs we get. We spoil our rotten with fresh greens and lots of protein. All of my 14 are all rescues and I'd never ask for anything else. They all have their own personalities and it's just so amazing. Thank you. We love our babies and are better guard dogs than our actual 2 dogs lol!!!!!

 

[Silkie Princess]

Your crossbeak is very cute! They are always the sweetest and funniest chixkens of the flock. I had a Crossbeak myself but sadly she got lost and eaten by something I really miss her every day. Her name was Crooksie

 

[The WinterWolf]

poor princess. she is so adorable, and i really* hope she makes it

*really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really

 

[h2ocutiegirl]

Princess is doing great! She has a little upper respiratory infection right now but on meds and doing AMAZING! SHE KNOWS SHES THE PRINCESS! She is a daddy's girl though. I brought her home even though he said NO MORE and now those two are completely unseperable!!!!!! I think he loves her more than (I'm good with it lol). He is her everything and she is his!!!!

 

[TheGentlehens]

View attachment 2891618This is Princess. As you can see she is blind and has cross beak. She is our everything. I decided to post this because there is nothing really out there on how to take care of this type of baby chick. So to start with cross beak and being blind she had to be hand fed every couple of hours by a syringe. We ordered KayTee Exact Baby Bird Food Supplement. I recommend having this in your chicken kit at all times. It's great for even older birds. It gives them all the vitamins and nutrients they need. So back on track. She was so special to us from the day I rescued her. We got the food and mixed it with water and egg yolk (no whites, and raw). Mix all together for a good consistency like toothpaste basically. She will be eating this the rest of her life, however she has gotten really good at eating so we have now mixed in her chick starter so it is soft and fills her better. She is with 2 other chicks her same age and they snuggle and the other two help her sometimes. She will never be a regular chicken, but her sisters will help her along the way. She is now 2 months old and twice the size of the picture. She gets bathed every day and LOVES the blow dryer and so does her sisters. She learns very fast. She taught herself how to do sonar. She talks and chirps to find her way around. So with simply a little time and care she will be strong and live a full life. Also make sure with blind birds that their food and water is in the same Exact spot no matter what. You can NOT change it at all, not even an inch off. But I hope this truly helps anyone out there since there isn't much on disabled chickens. We do NOT "cull" our birds. We are for long healthy lives and give all living animals a chance no matter what. All 14 of mine have been rescued. I have lost many unfortunately, but I'll never stop trying. I love my babies very much!!!! Good luck to you all!!!!!

From the bottom of our hearts- THANK YOU for posting this. We just rescued a chick with crossbeak who also has no eyes. We have parakeets that we supplemented with feeder formula and I didn’t even think about it until I read this. We have chickens and couldn’t just leave this little one and her sibling (cross beak, one eye) is coming today. You just made our very hungry baby a happy little girl.
Sincerely- Little “Medusa” and The Soul’s Rest Farm Gentlehens

 

[h2ocutiegirl]

From the bottom of our hearts- THANK YOU for posting this. We just rescued a chick with crossbeak who also has no eyes. We have parakeets that we supplemented with feeder formula and I didn’t even think about it until I read this. We have chickens and couldn’t just leave this little one and her sibling (cross beak, one eye) is coming today. You just made our very hungry baby a happy little girl.
Sincerely- Little “Medusa” and The Soul’s Rest Farm Gentlehens

I'm so happy this helped you! There isn't a lot out there for these little ones, so I wanted something for everyone for help... She is now 2 and very independent now...