chick with crossed beak...need answers

[Indiana hens]

I vote to cull yours and mine! Of coarse it takes more votes.

Unless it runs away from home!

 

[RockyToggRanch]

Quote:
Sorry, I guess I missed the funny part.

 

[JennsPeeps]

My banty cochin, Tribble, has a twisted beak/skull. You can kind of see it here:

Hers isn't that severe, though it does impair her ability to eat things off hard surfaces. Otherwise she's fine & thriving. She's about 10 months old and healthy.

It really depends upon the severity of your situation. If the bird fails to thrive - loses weight, parasite problems, poor feather maintenance - then it may be kindest to cull at that time.

 

[silkiechicken]

It can be genetic and it can be purely developmental. It's often caused by skull plates fusing wrong and thus causing the beak not to grow straight. Just don't breed them to be safe.

As for culling. If they are pets and you have the time, by all means keep the little guy. If you are raising a production flock for eggs and plan on keeping production high though rotation, culling may be a reasonable thing to do if it gets bad. It depends on the goals and purpose of the flock.

 

[baldie]

I wouldn't cull it. Mine has made the best pet ever!!! She is soooo awesome and loveable, all the little ones know who she is!!! Mine was born on 5/10/08 and she is doing great. I have to feed her in a special bowl, and I give her mesh, but she is great to have around!!!

 

[Mycookoonest]

We have our little Buckbeak easter egger and he is just fine! I was so nervous after he hatched but he eats and drinks. We just make sure to have a deeper dish for him to eat and drink out of.

 

[lcourtaway]

I know that with parrots and caged birds whose beaks do not get the wear and use to stay trimmed that you can with gentle filing and trimming on a semi daily basis directly affect the way the beak grows. You can't acheive perfection like would occur with a naturally normal beak but I have been successful many times with other birds in making the situation better. I trim and file gently and conservatively and just adjust it less but more often. I have never tried this approach with chickens as I am new to chicken ownership but perhaps this would work for them as well. Has anyone tried it?
PS I wouldn't cull this bird unless it can't eat and is suffering. Mother Nature doesn't make everything the same.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Everyone has to decide for themselves precisely where they will draw the line between save & cull, and few deserve criticism for where their personal line is drawn. Some will go to extreme measures & expense to preserve or extend an animal's life, others will not or can not.

Personally, the place where my line is drawn is determined by economy and quality of life. I can/will not spend much on professional treatment for any animal (that's one reason I'm so grateful for this forum for instructing me in poultry care!) but if the animal doesn't seem to be miserable, I'll give it a chance to live.

I once had a chick who developed a crossed beak when it was a few weeks old. I also surveyed my online poultry pals, and also got a variety of opinions. But this chick didn't seem to be suffering, in fact he had an admirable amount of pluck! So I didn't cull him, and he lived a seemingly happy (though short) life, and provided us with much pleasure & delight.

I don't know how to create the link, but you can do a search for my post titled "Eulogy for a great little rooster" to read more about this bird.

 

[FrizzleFreak]

I have a Dark Brahma girl that had a cross beak. I just grabbed a file that we use on our goat's feet (cleaned it first!) and filed it down until it looked normal. Her beak looks a little off, and I won't breed or show her, but she earns her keep. Oh, and she eats normally, the little pig.

 

[princess araucana]

It will probably get worse. Watch her eat to see when she can't keep up.

I have one with an extreme cross beak, she looks very deformed. When she was a a chick it was just slightly "off", I thought it was cute! If I only knew! Poor chicken hawk!

I make a soft mash by adding water and sometimes yogurt to her food and she shoves her face in and manages to choke some down.
She is still very skinny, but feisty! And recently she started to lay! Ironically she lays the biggest prettiest turquoise colored eggs!
She can not preen herself but some of the other chickens do it for her.
I do worry because she always seems hungry and is very skinny. But she does lay every other day or so, and I see her eat, so I imagine she must be healthy enough.

Good luck!

oh, sometimes I use those big toe nail clippers to trim, be careful not to trim too much or they bleed