crossed beak, missing eye??

[klf73]

Had my first truly deformed chick hatch today. Any other that I had never even pipped and I only knew they were deformed by opening the eggs to see why. This poor baby had a crossed beak, which I noticed sticking out of the shell....now that it's out I can see why.....one side of it's head is sunken in and the eye is missing. Should this one just be culled? I wasn't going to breed this one anyway, just go into my banty pen. Experiences?

 

[montana girl]

Strange, there was just a post titled SUCKER that someone rescued two babies with the exact deformity from a TSC. It must be a common (sort of?) chicken deformity to have the scrunched head and crossed beak and no eye?

Good luck to you.

 

[speckledhen]

I would cull the chick. Crossed beaks are usually genetic.

 

[Mahonri]

Cull the chick... probably won't live long anyway.

 

[klf73]

I don't even know how it pipped

never mind hatch.....it doesn't even stand

The other chicks that just hatched keep sitting on it. I will try to find a way to cull when the kids go to bed.....thanks for the replies

 

[klf73]

Quote:
the missing eye seems to be the reason for the crossed beak, it seemed to cause a deformity where the beak attaches......

 

[speckledhen]

I'm always so sad when I have to cull a chick. Seems they come that far and to make it into the world just to have to leave it so soon makes my heart hurt. I'm really sorry. It's the worst part of raising chickens.

 

[klf73]

I have been pretty lucky so far.....at least compared to what some seem to hatch.....it does stink

thanks again

 

[klf73]

oddly enough though I have hatched a few with issues this year already. First has curled toes, came out of the shell that way. Second has spraddle leg with curled toes and then this one. My bator is disinfected(and the cartons they are in are new). Only 1 chick was affected with each hatch. Eggs came from different sources (all shipped). Different breeds. Not in the bator at the same time.....I might have to hatch some home growns just to make sure it's not me goofing something up....

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote:
I agree. Every birth is such a miracle, considering all the many factors that must be in place for successful coupling, fertilization, incubation, & hatching. And then to have such a deformed chick as a result, it makes it tempting to want to keep it around as a reward for making it thus far.

This is the line each one of us must draw for ourselves. I don't argue with where other people draw their lines, or fault them for drawing theirs in a different place than mine. There are those who are willing to take heroic measures to sustain the life of all sorts of handicapped animals. And others who are quick to cull for the slightest inperfection. Neither viewpoint is wrong, nor any points inbetween. The important thing is to know where you will draw your line, and to be prepared to cull as humanely as you can when you must.

One thing that helps me is to bury my culls deep under a bush or tree so their life doesn't feel like a total waste, they can at least lend some sustenence to the plant and in that way, continue to live. (I don't have digging dogs, if I did I'd lay a paver over the hole)

klf73, I'm sorry for your dilemma.