Cracked beak, is it trying to peel?

[BugStalker]

Nearing 6mo old Easter Egger, started laying early (as a 5mo old) has oyster shell, cracked her beak, probably on the run wire. It seems to be doing ok, not very deep, but looks like it might be peeling a bit. I'm wondering if anyone has advice on if I should super glue it or anything else that might be helpful. Thanks.

 

[blackandtan]

I’d give it a scrub, make sure it’s dry then use a drop of super glue.....if she’s a quiet hen I’d hold her beak open (wearing a rubber/latex glove) with a finger, so you won’t glue her beak together, and if a little overflow happens you can trim or peel off any glove that gets stuck.
I do broken dog nails like that (sometimes mine too!) and it lasts really well. I’d file any sharp edges too so it doesn’t catch on anything and get worse

 

[BugStalker]

Thanks for the advice. She didn't lay yesterday, (I assumed because of the stress from cracking her beak,) but is in the nest box now, so hopefully she's feeling better.

 

[blackandtan]

That’s good! You just want to secure it before it gets worse - I’ve seen them rip right off and that’s just awful. The hard part won’t heal, but there are soft tissues underneath that will if given a chance

 

[BugStalker]

I only have the gel kind of super glue. Would that work? It says it is better for porous surfaces.

 

[BugStalker]

She laid her egg, so I'm going to try it.

 

[coach723]

The gel is better than the liquid, stays put better. You don't want to glue her tongue, a little goes a long way!
You can use a bit of tea bag with the glue to stabilize the crack until it grows out.
More info here:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/repairing-chickens-broken-beak/

 

[BugStalker]

She ran to the wet feed after laying her egg, so I wiped that off and cleaned with saline and iodine water, but it looks like the peeling part came off. I wish I'd been here to fix it yesterday. I'm posting pictures in case you helpful posters have more advice.

 

[coach723]

I think I would just leave it alone. As it grows you may need to file that one point down on the side if it's a risk for getting caught on something, but she may hone it herself. It may be tender for a few days, so feeding a mash by mixing some water in the feed may help her, and feeding in an open dish, and raising feeders and waterers up to shoulder height so she can scoop more with the lower beak. It should harden/dry up, and then will be less painful. Since it looks like the quick has not been damaged it will probably grow out eventually and be fine, but will take a while. They often get injuries like that from putting their beak through wire to try to get something on the other side. Or getting caught on feeders or waterers. So check those things. I've had roo's do it fighting.

 

[BugStalker]

Thank you very much for the advice. I will continue the wet feed, maybe with extra water in case it soaks in or dries. (It is crumble with water in a short bowl or cup on a can with rocks inside, about her shoulder height.) She's also grazing some soft grass. Her feeder was soft plastic drain pipe. The waterer is hard plastic with a plastic quart bottle, tied on a string. The run has thick wire on it. I am thinking of replacing it with plastic-coated chain link, either large enough for their heads to fit through or maybe half that size. I have both. If it is left a bit loose, maybe it wouldn't grab as much... Still thinking about it.