Crooked beak question...causes???

[speckledhen]

Nupine, you have to understand something. A hen has a purpose (eggs) and if she has a crossbeak that can be managed and someone is willing to take the time, like my friend Lynn and her EE hen, Hootie, that is all well and good. Naturally, it may also depend on the severity of that. I know of stories of crossbeaks who just could not eat and died of malnutrition, not a nice thing at all.
If a rooster has a crossed beak and it is a genetic deformity that is passed on, what is his purpose? He should not breed, his primary function. He cannot lay eggs. All he can do, IF he can manage it, is eat and maybe crow and be a pet. But, let's be honest, how many people only want roosters as pets, and special needs pets at that? So, if someone wants to take a crossbeak rooster on as a pet, that's wonderful, but as a breeder, I cannot keep one. If it was a hen, sure, she could leave my breeding flock and go in my laying flock as long as she could thrive and I could handle her problem on a daily basis. We all must, as silkiechicken says, respect each others' management decisions with our flocks.

 

[Frozen Feathers]

Quote:
Mario2 girls is a good friend of mine and came to that decision
because she can't eat properly, is half the size of chicks her age, she is suffering. She can't peck or defend herself, how is she supposed to live happily with in a flock? Obviously your bird isn't as bad as this one since she can bite you, as well, so really you don't know do you?

I can only imagine that is will get worse as she gets older. I personally wouldn't sell or even give a way a bird like this as pet. You never can tell if a person may try to breed or sell that bird.

Some crooked beaks aren't as extreme as her.

You should really figure out which birds are throwing the crooked beak chicks, especially if you bred those chicks and plan on selling any. Just my two cents.

 

[mario2girls]

i do have a special needs crook beak roo that i keep, i keep because i wouldnt want to sell him and i really adore him,,,,he is not in a breeder pen,,,his beak i would say is crooked when you look him straight on,,but he is big and healthy and happy,,
believe me i am sick about this whole thing,,i hate to have people argue over this,,it hatched in nov, and it is 3 times smaller than the others and they are terrible to this bird,i just dont know what will happen to it when i turn it loose into the grower pen with all the other birds when its litter mates are already pecking her,

i really wanted to show it, so people can see it and find out if it is genetic or incubation issue,,,and let me ask you this...if you are the breeder that the egg came from would you be interested to know? and if you knew what could / would you do about it,,,, meaning,,,would you switch your breeders around so you change the genetics , really it is still up in the air,,,genetic or incubation,,,,i guess we will never know,,

 

[Cuban Longtails]

I, personally, would want to know if I was the breeder. At least then maybe you'd be able to get some information on if this sort of thing had happened before with the breeder (hopefully they're honest about it).

 

[Blisschick]

I've had a few crossbeaks, and usually they do not make it, even if the beak doesn't deform all that bad. I have one crossbeak girl that is moderately misaligned, who fortunately is very smart and adapted to her problem early on. She lives in the pen with the rest of the girls, her only difference is that she hops inside the feeder to eat rather than eating out the bottom like the other girls. She is the same size and weight as the others. She has been the only exception. I have had others that I've had to put down because their beaks became badly deformed and couldn't eat. One I thought was doing very well at first eventually had to be put down because it stopped gaining weight and became sickly. I agree that whether or not the chick is kept depends on the quality of health the bird is able to have, and whether or not it's keeper is willing to do a little extra to help it out. If Lola my crossbeak hadn't been able to do for herself, I would have had to put her down because I work and can't be here to look out for her during the day.

 

[mario2girls]

i think that is what it comes down to, how badly it is crossed, and how well the bird adapts, thank you,,,well said,

no one wants to put their animals down,,,,i am in it because i love them,,,

 

[SpottedCrow]

That's a tough decision...
Since she was for show, you couldn't use her for that purpose.

She could've made a good pet, if you have the time to do all the things that she'd need to be done for her. Beak trimming, deep dishes, making sure the others don't beat on her...
As much as it breaks my heart to say it, you did the right thing in putting her to sleep.