chick with underbite?

[JerseyHen]

I have a 3 week old salmon fav chick and I just noticed that her beak will close at the tip, but the sides remain open a bit and it seems to be getting worse as her beak grows. I am concerned that she might not be getting enough to eat, although she seems to be developing fine for now. Can/should I trim the top or bottom point a bit to help her if this gets worse? How would I do it? I am a complete newbie at all things chicken, so

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

Beak problems do tend to get worse over time and they can make it hard for the chicken to feed.

Best trim is likely done with a sanding drum on a dremel type hand grinder. You can clip beaks too with pet toe nail clippers but a lot more chance of problems. As long as you don't get into the soft tissue and cause bleeding there will be no perminent dammage. Major beek trims done at hatchery cut a substantial amount off the beaks and cauterize the cut so that the trim will last the life of the bird.

With grinder you can do a fair bit of fine tuning but expect to have to keep touching up your work as the beak continues to grow.