Cross Bite 4 week old Buff Orpington chick

[CatheB]

Hello- I am a new chick mama. I set 12 fertile eggs and hatched 9 cuties 4 weeks ago. One chick had some deformities at birth. one eye was "crusty" and did not clear up after several gentle washings. This chick also had splayed legs and after two days in a straw and hair band contraption- "Eileen" joined the rest of the chicks and acclimated well. The same chick has a cross bite that seems to be worsening. Although the chick has figured out how to eat sideways- it is not growing as quickly as the others.

My question is if I can clip or file Eileen's beak to try to improve the alignment?

Eileen is on the right (a few days old) and above at 4 weeks old.

I look forward to any/all advice. Thank You, Cathe

 

[Silkies for life]

Yes you can trim down the beak but be careful to not go into the quick or it will bleed a little, considering it is so young I would instead try to feed it mashed up food or supplemental food to help it catch up to the rest of the flock growth wise.