Crossbeak and eye deformity

[teaton]

Ok so i picked up a batch of chicks thursday that were 1 day old, the woman must have known something was wrong because she couldnt throw them in the pet carrier for me fast enough, when i got home i noticed 1 of the chicks was deformed she has crossbeak and something wrong with her right eye, im pretty sure it will eventually fall out.

I did my research and know i have 2 options, 1 would be putting her down with vinegar and baking soda, thats the only way i could do it. Option 2 would be to care for her and never breed her.

I am torn on what to do because i dont want to cull her if she has a chance and could still produce me eggs. But on the other hand i dont want to keep her alive only for her to eventually die a slow long death. I know at 5 days old her skull is going to keep growing and she is only going to get worse, but i wanted everyones opions before i make a final decision,if i did put her down i want it to be while she is still a baby chick. I have posted on the crossbeak thread but havent had any replies. She does eat and drink on her own for now, and other than her deformity she acts just like all the other chicks.

Seeing as ive never dealt with this before i dont know how bad she really is, im sure other people have dealt with this and can tell. Any advise is greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Shame on unscrupulous people who intentionally sell animals with special needs without full disclosure.

I sincerely hope it wasn't the case with your chick.

Even with only one good eye and cross beak, I think your chick could still have a chance for a good quality of life as a layer. If she was mine, I'd give her a chance, monitor, and adjust course along the way as needed. She may surprise you.

I have a drake who who has basically been blind from hatching but does fine in a large mixed-species flock. Here's a thread related to cross beak that might be helpful: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/44060/chick-with-cross-beak-pics/60. Best wishes.

 

[teaton]

I know she sold me 7 other very sick one month olds 2 died, it is just horrible, i actually wrote a post about it. I dont understand how people like that can sleep at night i would never do that to someone! With that being said you reminded me that i was going to call the department of AG on said person because they breed and sell birds to several people on a regular basis. The conditions were just deplorable! Someone needs to step in!

Thank you for your advise as long as she doesnt get too bad i am leaning towards giving her a chance, heck i had a possum rip out one of my hens crop once, and she pulled through surprisingly, it did have to be stiched though. I guess i have a soft spot and i always want to save what i can. But with that being said i would never keep anything alive just to suffer!

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I know she sold me 5 other very sick one month olds 2 died, it is just horrible, i actually wrote a post about it. I dont understand how people like that can sleep at night i would never do that to someone! With that being said you reminded me that i was going to call the department of AG on said person because they breed and sell birds to several people on a regular basis. The conditions were just deplorable! Someone needs to step in!

Thank you for your advise as long as she doesnt get too bad i am leaning towards giving her a chance, heck i had a possum rip out one of my hens crop once, and she pulled through surprisingly, it did have to be stiched though. I guess i have a soft spot and i always want to save what i can. But with that being said i would never keep anything alive just to suffer!

Wow - the torn crop story is amazing. I had a chicken that suffered a large skin tear in her breast during a storm - a large flap of skin was hanging loose. I was pretty new to chickens and considered euthanasia, but she was healthy otherwise so I isolated her, cleaned up the wound, and sprayed it with a wound healing spray several times a day. It took time, but it healed. Completely.

I look at it this way: you can change your mind later if you see her suffering, but if you euthanize now, there's no reversing it. You'll know the right thing to do when you see how she progresses.

That seller gives breeders a bad name. Based on what you described, I hope the regulatory authorities bring the full weight of enforcement down on her.

 

[teaton]

I agree, Me too!