chick w/ crooked beak

[Melbourne's_girl]

my friend has a chick w/ a crooked beak and she asked me to post a thing on it. I don't know exactly how old it is, i think it is just starting to molt. The bottom part of his beak isn't aligned with the top, it is sort of off center. It has survived a while and seems to be getting along just fine. The malformation dosn't seem to be causing him any kind of pain or anything, i think he is eating and drinking just fine. Is it okay or is there somthing that should be done?
Thanks

 

[Kamus Brazil]

I've never heard of this before but now I'm curious... Can u get a picture of the chick and post here?

 

[Queen of the Lilliputians]

If you do a search for "crossed beak" you'll see quite a number of posts on this subject. Here's one I pulled out for you, since there is a picture of an older bird who is doing fine:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2127

 

[Jimagination]

Twisted beak in the search will come up with stuff too. I have a hen, "Twisty" whose beak has gotten worse and worse as she has gotten older. She is 13 weeks old now. SHe needs to have a pile of food so that she can get to it and she is not able to pick up worms and snacks unless I hold her and hand feed and still she drops them. Because of this she is smaller than the others, but she is the friendliest, loviest hen I own. She follows us like a cat and lets us hold her, kiss her and pet her. Even my three year old son.

 

[hensnchix]

I also have a chick with a "crossed beak" (the upper beak goes left, the bottom beak goes right.) From what I've read, some of these chicks make it and others don't. My little "Buff" is smaller than the rest and is the first to panic about not having food. (She starts peeping very loudly when the level in the feeder gets low.) I'm wondering if she, like the chick mentioned above, needs a certain depth of food to actually get it in her mouth. She's a sweet little thing...but a little more skittish than the rest. Very prone to yelping that the sky is falling in.

Susan

 

[Jimagination]

Here is my girl! She really is the sweetest thing and follows like a puppy...

 

[wren]

IMO maybe trim one eighth of an inch off her top beak only and see how she does. Maybe even trim again another one eighth a few days later. Her beak looks as if she could tolerate a 1/4 trim to me without any bleeding, but I wouldn't do it all at once. What does anyone else think? It should help your baby girl eat, and improve her quality of life.

 

[Jimagination]

We do trim it regularly, but the blood vessels are very close. We do what we can I was a vet tech in my early 20's so am familiar with cuuting animal toenails and was a lttle afraid of how to do iton a chickens beak, but after deciding enough is enough we have had no problems with it. I think she even knows we are trying to help.
But thanks,
Jodi

 

[wren]

I should have known that you are doing everything you can.

 

[ella]

I had a crossbeak hen 2 years ago. She got along just fine with a normal waterer and a range feeder with the bar on top removed. was accepted by the flock and not ever picked on.

She died suddenly during her first winter

but I don't think it was related to the beak thing. She was quite chunky when she died and in good physical condition.

As I understand it is usually hereditary but it can also be caused by a bacterial interference during incubation. It is the skull that is crooked not just the beak so while trimming can help it will not ever solve the problem.

Just wanted to add my experiences, not in reference to anything anyone else said.