Deformed beak not sure what to do

[MBBH]

Hello everyone. I have a sapphire gem chick that is less than a month old. I noticed she had her head down and was losing her balance. I noticed she hadn’t eaten in a while and when I looked at her I noticed her beak was growing downward. She can’t open it much and I can’t get any food or water into her mouth. I don’t know what I can do but I don’t want her to suffer. Any advice is greatly appreciated

 

[Mvan42]

Pictures would help

 

[mangotangolango]

Yes please

 

[MilesFluffybutt]

I keep a crossbeak rooster and would be happy to help you in sorting this out. A photo or video would be helpful in getting a handle on what's going on.

 

[MBBH]

Pictures would help

I keep a crossbeak rooster and would be happy to help you in sorting this out. A photo or video would be helpful in getting a handle on what's going on.

D39F75A2-1E38-49CA-B81F-9AFBABCD55C5.jpeg

• MBBH
• May 23, 2021

thank you it means a lot. I trimmed part of the beak down, treating it like crossbeak, but i reached the quick before it was even close to being correctly aligned with the top beak

 

[MilesFluffybutt]

D39F75A2-1E38-49CA-B81F-9AFBABCD55C5.jpeg

• MBBH
• May 23, 2021

thank you it means a lot. I trimmed part of the beak down, treating it like crossbeak, but i reached the quick before it was even close to being correctly aligned with the top beak

Thank you for the photo.

Crossbeak is caused by a deformity of the skull and it can effect either the mandible, the maxilla, or both. Sadly, there's nothing you can do to correct it and it will continue to shift until the bird reaches 5 or 6 months of age. So your chick has a few more months to go before the skull sets and the extent of the deformity is known.

Trimming isn't recommended at such a young age because there isn't much to trim so you'll hit the quick - as you did. We've all been there so don't feel too bad about it.

Here's my CB Roo at a few days old.



Here he is two+ years later. (He is able to feed himself mash so he's always a bit crusty.)


His mandible is obviously impacted, but his maxilla curves down, like a parrot's, which is what I think you're looking at with your chick as well. Another common thing is 'tongue collapse' where the muscles holding the tongue in place weaken and cause the tongue to sit kind of in the throat. That happened with my guy.

Is your chick able to eat and drink without issue? Have you checked her crop after she eats?

 

[MBBH]

Thank you for the photo.

Crossbeak is caused by a deformity of the skull and it can effect either the mandible, the maxilla, or both. Sadly, there's nothing you can do to correct it and it will continue to shift until the bird reaches 5 or 6 months of age. So your chick has a few more months to go before the skull sets and the extent of the deformity is known.

Trimming isn't recommended at such a young age because there isn't much to trim so you'll hit the quick - as you did. We've all been there so don't feel too bad about it.

Here's my CB Roo at a few days old.

View attachment 2684967

Here he is two+ years later. (He is able to feed himself mash so he's always a bit crusty.)
View attachment 2684971

His mandible is obviously impacted, but his maxilla curves down, like a parrot's, which is what I think you're looking at with your chick as well. Another common thing is 'tongue collapse' where the muscles holding the tongue in place weaken and cause the tongue to sit kind of in the throat. That happened with my guy.

Is your chick able to eat and drink without issue? Have you checked her crop after she eats?

I was able to get her to eat and drink a little after trimming. She’s a trooper. Last time I checked on her she was trying to eat on her own. I’m sure it’ll take some getting used to. I’ll definitely keep an eye on her crop. Will she just need special attention from now on or will she be able to adapt? Thank you so much for your help

 

[mangotangolango]

Thank you for the photo.

Crossbeak is caused by a deformity of the skull and it can effect either the mandible, the maxilla, or both. Sadly, there's nothing you can do to correct it and it will continue to shift until the bird reaches 5 or 6 months of age. So your chick has a few more months to go before the skull sets and the extent of the deformity is known.

Trimming isn't recommended at such a young age because there isn't much to trim so you'll hit the quick - as you did. We've all been there so don't feel too bad about it.

Here's my CB Roo at a few days old.

View attachment 2684967

Here he is two+ years later. (He is able to feed himself mash so he's always a bit crusty.)
View attachment 2684971

His mandible is obviously impacted, but his maxilla curves down, like a parrot's, which is what I think you're looking at with your chick as well. Another common thing is 'tongue collapse' where the muscles holding the tongue in place weaken and cause the tongue to sit kind of in the throat. That happened with my guy.

Is your chick able to eat and drink without issue? Have you checked her crop after she eats?

he looks is like Hoppy our crossbeak quail

 

[MilesFluffybutt]

I was able to get her to eat and drink a little after trimming. She’s a trooper. Last time I checked on her she was trying to eat on her own. I’m sure it’ll take some getting used to. I’ll definitely keep an eye on her crop. Will she just need special attention from now on or will she be able to adapt? Thank you so much for your help

How high maintenance she'll be will depend on the severity of her deformity. For now, I think you should just focus on making sure she's getting a full crop and able to drink. If you can keep track of her weight, that'd be helpful, too, since a full crop doesn't always indicate she's developing as she should.

If you find she is struggling to eat crumble, you can always make her a mash by adding some water to the feed and soaking it for a bit. You may have to play with the consistency and thickness some, but it's really a small consideration.

 

[MilesFluffybutt]

he looks is like Hoppy our crossbeak quail

Do you a have photo of Hoppy? I love seeing other crossbeaks.