Crooked Beak: Baby Chick

[NoelleBP]

I just noticed that one of my Polish chicks has a crooked beak. The bottom is growing out to side. It is eating and drinking fine, and is still happily living it's little life with the others. Is there anything I can or should do?

 

[realsis]

I can't see the photo as I'm on a cell phone but it sounds like a cross beak. I also have a cross beak. mine is 5 months old now. you will want to keep the break trimmed the best you can and offer her mash food to eat. it helps with there weight. I mash up regular feed for mine because left on seed alone she was too thin. once a month I trim the beak in very small incremental trims. it keeps the over growth from getting too bad and helps her eat better. with a little help from you she can lead a happy normal life. when mine was about 2 months old I started the trimming but you can start younger. you don't want the over growth getting too bad. watch her weight as they have a tendency to be thinner. I feed mine separately with her mash. give her vitamins to help too.keep up the trimming as it will really help. those are the things I do for my cross beak. hope this is helpful. best of luck.

 

[NoelleBP]

Thank you. I will watch her weight most definitely. How or what do you trim it with?

 

[fogandcopper]

I have a pet that has a crooked beak. We use a file to file it down.

 

[NoelleBP]

Gosh, I was looking over the website at all of the cross beak chickens. It get worse and worse. I hope my little chick doesn't have severe one, although I think it will because it showed up so young. I really hope it is a hen as well, so I can keep her. It will be hard to place a cross beak roo. I am going to try a file, because it is so little, I don't want to use a dremel on it, or nail clippers. I guessing a metal file from the hardware store is what you use.

 

[fogandcopper]

A very fine one, yes. You don't want to breed her because she could give you more cross beaks so it had better be a hen. Mine isn't too bad. Hers showed up at tw weeks. I'll try to get a picture of nikki(my cross beak) or you.

 

[NoelleBP]

Mine are pets at this point. I live in a neighborhood, so I cannot have roosters. I won't be breeding it. If it is a hen, she'll live out her days happy, filed beak and all. If it is a roo, I will have to re-home it.