Cross bill chickens and eating well

[Aves]

I picked up from a friend today;

1 Buff Orp - cross billed
1 Easter Egger - cross billed
1 Pendensenca - normal bill
1 Easter Egger - normal bill
1 Americana - normal bill

My friend gave me the first two and sold the last 3 for a low price. They are all around 12 - 14 weeks

My question is; what do I need to do with my feeding system to ensure the two with cross bills have adequate food available.

I heard that I need to have deep food dishes with a deep level of food.

Can you think of any other advice?

Will they be able to eat scratch feed, corn and oats? I give these as treats daily along with kitchen and garden scraps.

Thank you

 

[Iheartchicks<3:)]

i0f they are eatting, with there bills (i assume you mean beaks for the chickens XD) then they should be fine, keep there beaks trimmed tho!

try givving the scratch in bowls, and maybe some oatmeal too. mix the grit with the food, and yes make it a deep container ..

good luck!

 

[maizy'smom]

My (about) 9 week-old Silver Laced Wyandotte, Sylvie, has a wicked cross-beak. I stumbled upon a very helpful contact while browsing coop designs on this site, who also has a crossbeaked Blue Laded Red Wyandotte. She was kind enough to share some of her wisdom. The biggest part you have already mentioned; deep feeders kept full. But wet mash is also very helpful...just add water to your regular feed to make a porridge-like mixture, also in a deep dish. It seems to help Sylvie take advantage of the tiny, dust-like particles of the feed by binding them together in the soupy mix. Just in the last few days I have also added some plain yogurt to Sylvie's mash, and she seems to be loving it.
Also, because her cross-beak inhibits her ability to forage for greens as well as her sisters, when we give the other girls shredded kale, I mince up the stems of the kale and add them to the mash, too.

One more thing that I've noticed is that Sylvie can't groom herself as well as the other girls, especially from eating the wet mash, so, she needs a little help occasionally in the form of a wet wash cloth, (bibs on chickens, hmmm....), and a comb for the dandruff that comes from new feathers coming in.

Hope this is useful to you. Good luck!

mm

 

[teach1rusl]

Wow - it's so heartwarming to read of how much care you guys put into your special needs chickens

They are lucky birds.