Deformed beak

[pinklily]

Last week I got a new chuck for Mother's Day - I went to choose her and tbh I picked her cos she was so tatty looking dirty and getting picked on while trying to eat - and she is a lovely brown colour - anyways when we got her home I was holding her to show her round and I noticed her bottom beak is longer than her top beak - there doesn't seem to be any chips or damage so wondered if it was a birth defect or has her top beak been broken - she seems to be eating ok with her head tipped to the side - it makes her look kind of cute but if its going to cause her issues I'll get it sorted
IF I can get her still long enough I'll take a pic tomorrow and post

 

[CGinJCMO]

Chicks are so difficult to photograph, aren't they?

My current batch seem to be extra flighty when the camera flashes in heir faces. I think I have a 2 week old chicks developing crossbeak so when I saw your title, I had to see.

CG

 

[pinklily]

Finally got her to pose!!!
Front view

Side view

 

[CGinJCMO]

That isn't looking too bad. ~Look for the Diary of a Cross beak thread for some really bad beaks and for help treating her. You can file the part that sticks out (like how you'd file your nails) a little at a time. It helps to keep the ends aligned. Also, wet feed and deep feeders/waterers help them feed and water themselves.

My chick was growing bad fast. I had a cross beak chick last year and he didn't start getting crooked this young and it didn't get this bad this quickly. I went ahead and made the decision to cull her. First time I've killed an otherwise healthy chick but I felt it wasn't going to last long (start starving or getting dehydrated) and I didn't want to see it waste away or get to a point where it was as big as a bantam and harder to dispatch.

Good Luck raising him/her.
CG

 

[pinklily]

Thank you for that - I've looked at the page you said OMG those poor babies - the food bowl/feeder we have is quite deep and they have cabbages hanging up and when I let them out I throw some of their grain round the slab bed area - she does peck these up too so we have noticed her beak is getting shorter from pecking on the concrete - she does actually look healthier since we got her - she's cleaner!! And her feathers look a lot shinier - I'm not going to attempt filing yet as she is still worried by being held so will let her get used to cuddles before we try
Again thank you xx