Cross beak too severe for survival?

[Lacy Duckwing]

This chick is about 3 weeks old. The cross beak has progressively been getting worse and now appears quite severe. Hatched from local hatching eggs. My question is can this one survive? We definitely would never breed it. Can't have roosters anyway. I don't have the capacity to hand feed a chicken daily either. My son is very attached to this specific chick "Neddy." Trying to get him mentally prepared to the idea of us having to cull her or him. Thoughts?

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A crossbeak can survive, but she's only going to get worst until she's full grown. By three months old, you'll need to file her beak every two weeks. (I use an emery board nail file for my crossbeak.) Watch her carefully. As long as she can eat and drink, she's fine, but if she's having too much trouble, she may need to be tube fed eventually. (For now, keeping her on mash is good, and sometimes moisting it down might be helpful. Give her deep water dishes, no nipple waterers. Expect her to naturally take longer eating and drinking than everyone else.)

On tube feeding and other helpful tips on crossbeaks, please read this article here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...kens-including-tube-feeding-techniques.64321/

 

[MommyGirl]

I have a cross beak hen whose beak is fairly severe and she has never had a days trouble at all eating and drinking with no assistance from me so I think sometimes they can adapt. Don’t give up unless she starts to suffer