Colorado

[coloradogal]

Awesome Coop Judi! Does this mean the end is in sight?

Hey everyone, one of the mottled Houdan chicks I recieved is developing a significant crossbeak. I don't think it's right to sell her but I would rather avoid culling her if possible. If anyone in the Springs area would like her for free, PM me. She is one week old.

edit to add pics

She looks like my beakers. =) I tried doing chickie physical therapy and massaging but it's still just as bad. She's 6 weeks old now and I check her crop twice a day to make sure it's full. I give her moistened food. So far, so good. I've read that life expectancy is somewhat dimished and I feel horrible when she tried to peck on the ground for food but I can't imagine she contemplates how life sucks for her. She just lives it.

If you were NPIP, I'd take her and let her life out her life here. I'd never have any of her babies just in case.

 

[Chesterchook]

She looks like my beakers. =) I tried doing chickie physical therapy and massaging but it's still just as bad. She's 6 weeks old now and I check her crop twice a day to make sure it's full. I give her moistened food. So far, so good. I've read that life expectancy is somewhat dimished and I feel horrible when she tried to peck on the ground for food but I can't imagine she contemplates how life sucks for her. She just lives it.

If you were NPIP, I'd take her and let her life out her life here. I'd never have any of her babies just in case.

Hadn't thought of it from that angle, to not be able to do what most chickens instinctively spend most of their waking life doing...

 

[jgurshtein]

Hadn't thought of it from that angle, to not be able to do what most chickens instinctively spend most of their waking life doing...

I agree. When I first saw the pic I was more than a little upset and worried for the poor girl. But she probably just goes through life as if it there's nothing wrong. It sure is a great reminder for the rest of us!

 

[jgurshtein]

I cant beleive it , I know we need more snow, but does it have to snow on my days off? I will never get my coop built. My chicks are a couple weeks old all ready. In a pinch I could put them in my little greenhouse, but they would mess up my soil to much nitrogen. They are awful cute. My Marans are looking good and the meaties at two weeks old have doubled in size. It is so funny you can feel their weight difference when you hold them. Pozees love your Coop! You're doing a fabulous job! Can't wait to see it when your finished the chickens will be so happy

The constant 'snow on the weekends' thing really isn't working out for me either....

 

[jgurshtein]

I think I just witnessed my first 'dust bath'!! But I want to make sure because it was INCREDIBLY odd. My oldest chick (she just turned 3 weeks today) was laying down and sort of rolling to once side and then kicking her leg around and the end result was blowing shavings up on her back. She'd pause and do it repeatedly and then switch to the other side. Afterward she got up and moved around normally. Bizarre bird behavior to keep an eye on or dust bath? You decide!

 

[Pozees]

I think I just witnessed my first 'dust bath'!! But I want to make sure because it was INCREDIBLY odd. My oldest chick (she just turned 3 weeks today) was laying down and sort of rolling to once side and then kicking her leg around and the end result was blowing shavings up on her back. She'd pause and do it repeatedly and then switch to the other side. Afterward she got up and moved around normally. Bizarre bird behavior to keep an eye on or dust bath? You decide!

Yes, that is a dust bath

 

[Pozees]

Awesome Coop Judi! Does this mean the end is in sight?

It does, although the horizon keeps moving as we get weekend storms. Waiting to see what sunrise brings, right now the plan is to move snow and then go get materials. If we have any steam and light left after that, we'll try to get more frames built. The trick is getting materials into the shed without tracking it full of mud and gravel. We'll just do our best and see how far we get. If we get lucky I should still be able to move chicks into it next weekend.

 

[Crooked-Creek]

Awesome Coop Judi!  Does this mean the end is in sight?




She looks like my beakers.  =)  I tried doing chickie physical therapy and massaging but it's still just as bad.  She's 6 weeks old now and I check her crop twice a day to make sure it's full.   I give her moistened food.  So far, so good.   I've read that life expectancy is somewhat dimished and I feel horrible when she tried to peck on the ground for food but I can't imagine she contemplates how life sucks for her.  She just lives it.

If you were NPIP, I'd take her and let her life out her life here.  I'd never have any of her babies just in case. 

Hello, We raised a baby silver laced Wyandotte with a twisted beak like that. She was just a fat and healthy as all the other hens when she grew up. Most people didn't notice her beak was twisted, unless we pointed it out. She laid eggs and kept up with all the other hen just fine. We gave her away at 1 1/2 years of age to a good homeand only with the thought to improve our breeding stock. I'm not sure what the genetic chances are of the twisted beak happening again, but I do know that we hatched some of her eggs and none of her offspring inherited the problem. Good Luck finding her a home.

 

[coloradogal]

Hello, We raised a baby silver laced Wyandotte with a twisted beak like that. She was just a fat and healthy as all the other hens when she grew up. Most people didn't notice her beak was twisted, unless we pointed it out. She laid eggs and kept up with all the other hen just fine. We gave her away at 1 1/2 years of age to a good homeand only with the thought to improve our breeding stock. I'm not sure what the genetic chances are of the twisted beak happening again, but I do know that we hatched some of her eggs and none of her offspring inherited the problem. Good Luck finding her a home.

That's awesome that she lived for so long. Was she eventually able to eat pellets? Most people just cull them. I guess after seeing how hard they struggle just to break free of their shell, it just seems cruel to arbitrarily decide to cull it.That's just my opinion though. I'm weird that way. I have no problem with people making soup out of them if they are mean or after they are fat but to cull for convenience just seems wrong.

 

[Pozees]

Hello, We raised a baby silver laced Wyandotte with a twisted beak like that. She was just a fat and healthy as all the other hens when she grew up. Most people didn't notice her beak was twisted, unless we pointed it out. She laid eggs and kept up with all the other hen just fine. We gave her away at 1 1/2 years of age to a good homeand only with the thought to improve our breeding stock. I'm not sure what the genetic chances are of the twisted beak happening again, but I do know that we hatched some of her eggs and none of her offspring inherited the problem. Good Luck finding her a home.

Thank you so much for sharing this story - I have been wondering whether they could survive and thrive, and it certainly sounds like yours did! I have a Silkie chick with a crossed beak, not quite as severe as the little Houdan chick but noticeable, and I've been checking to be sure it is holding weight, which it appears to be doing so far, just getting crumble. I am planning to transition them to fermented feed after they move out to the new coop, which I think should only help.