Chick hatched with no eyes and a cross beak

[Sleek28]

Hi @Thedogsbark I was wondering if you could send some pics please? I'm very curious on what this would look like.

 

[Thedogsbark]

Unless a different type of situation occurs. Maybe you believe your meant to care for this bird, your meant to give him a happy life. That’s the way I felt for a chick I had born as a”special needs bird” and I decided that it wasn’t her fault I looked into her eyes (got really mushy ) and told her not to worry.

What was your chick born with, if you don't mind me asking.

Here are some pictures of the little chick.

 

[cmom]

I have had chicks with no eyes in the past, not from my eggs but from some I was hatching out for a friend. They were culled. I also had a blind cockerel in the past. I do have a cross beak who is almost 3 years old but other than her beak being crossed, she is fine. She would have been culled but was missed (I hatch out usually around 200 chicks each season) and she should have been culled. I guess she was meant to be and now it's till death do us part. I do have to trim her beak once in awhile. She eats crumbles. I took her out of the pen when I first noticed her at about 4 months old. She was thin but in that coop I had pellets and she doesn't do well with pellets. Now she has her own coop and pen. She is spoiled.
Gladys

 

[Peppercorngal]

I don't know anything about blind chicks, but I had the most beautiful rooster who had a cross beak. Everyone said to put him down, he can't survive. He did and was very big and very beautiful! I didn't use him to breed and he has since died. His name was Elwood P. Dowd, recognize it? If it were blind or cross beak I'd keep them. With both problems, I don't know. Your decision, good luck!

 

[ShannonR]

Blind... sure. Crossbeaked... why not. Not something that I would personally want to deal with, but to each their own, absolutely.
But both of these issues combined I feel make for a really poor quality of life. Are you going to tube feed this chicken it's whole life, or how are you going to address this list of special needs?

 

[cmom]

Blind... sure. Crossbeaked... why not. Not something that I would personally want to deal with, but to each their own, absolutely.
But both of these issues combined I feel make for a really poor quality of life. Are you going to tube feed this chicken it's whole life, or how are you going to address this list of special needs?

 

[Redhead Rae]

One point my about cross-beaked chickens, they can be very hard to feed correctly. Many of them eventually die of malnutrition once you think they’ve figured out how to live. Being cross-beaked and having no eyes is a sign of serious genetic issues that maybe larger than the two surface issues you can see. You can give her a chance, but I would watch to see if the chick starts striving or struggles to cling to life. If it is the former, great! If the later, you may have to make the hard decision.

 

[ShannonR]

Updates are welcome!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I woke up to a chick that had hatched with no eyes and a cross beak. I have another chick that is around seven weeks that is blind, but has both eyes. I have never had a chick with cross beak before, and have no had my blind girl for too long. How can I better care for this little chick?

I'm very sorry about your chick

I understand that you want to do what you can for her, but with no eye and a cross beak, she would have a hard time thriving. Sometimes birds with external deformities also have internal deformities/underdeveloped organs as well.
Personally, I would cull her, I know it's hard, but you need to consider her quality of life as well as how much time/effort she may need from you if she happens to survive.

 

[Cragg Klefor]

I sympathize with you. What a really, really difficult situation. I personally am hugely at fault when it comes to culling. It is part of being a responsible chicken owner, but a part I have yet to mature on. I have not however yet had to deal with any chicken who did not seem to cling desperately to life. I hope, if I am in a situation where I believe the chicken has given up, or is really struggling, is ready to go, that I will be brave enough to help it to go quickly and as painlessly as I can manage. I do have someone on standby in case it ever needs to be done I can't go through with it myself, as I never want a chicken to suffer simply because of my own selfish reasons.
I suspect you will know if this little chick needs that help also. I can't see the little thing thriving