Diary of a Crossbeak: Support for Special Needs Chickens and their Keepers

[Firekin1]

Most times it's a genetic issue, once in a while its an incubation issue

I couldn't read ALL the pages here. Is cross beak + one small eye a problem with how they were in the shell or a genetic issue? We have a cream legbar rooster chick who has a mild crossbeak and one small eye. I really wanted a blue egg layer! I am thinking of breeding him with one of my white egg layers but if it's a genetic issue, I don't want to breed him. If he just grew that way, then it should be fine. We can't have roosters so we will eat him once he starts crowing, but we should have a couple of weeks when he is fertile and mating before we have to cull him. Just trying to decide whether he is breedable or not (and I don't care that the chicks would be mutts; they are just for our own fun, eggs, and meat).

 

[hundleychickens]

hmmm lets try this again, i am sorry if this is a repost, i dont see the one i just did....

I'm glad i was shown this thread. about 2-3 weeks ago i got 8 chicks from a farm store (Wilco) and got discouraged when i discovered one of them had a cross beak. this is my first time raising babies and my grandparents have never had any cross beaks in any of their flocks. if i keep her, how often will that trait show up in the babies that we have in the future?
here is a picture of her.

 

[BullChick]

hmmm lets try this again, i am sorry if this is a repost, i dont see the one i just did....

I'm glad i was shown this thread. about 2-3 weeks ago i got 8 chicks from a farm store (Wilco) and got discouraged when i discovered one of them had a cross beak. this is my first time raising babies and my grandparents have never had any cross beaks in any of their flocks. if i keep her, how often will that trait show up in the babies that we have in the future?
here is a picture of her.

I really wouldn't recommend hatching her eggs. She probably won't lay for a long time anyway. I think a year or more is what we have all found.

 

[hundleychickens]

hmmm lets try this again, i am sorry if this is a repost, i dont see the one i just did....

I'm glad i was shown this thread. about 2-3 weeks ago i got 8 chicks from a farm store (Wilco) and got discouraged when i discovered one of them had a cross beak. this is my first time raising babies and my grandparents have never had any cross beaks in any of their flocks. if i keep her, how often will that trait show up in the babies that we have in the future?
here is a picture of her.

i was able to find a home for my cross beak i was worried i wasn't going to be able to have enough time for her. she will have 4 new slightly younger siblings to play with. it sounds like in the new flock babies and all there will only be about 9 hens (a third of our flock). and i can always go over and check on her. this makes me so happy

 

[pins2danes]

I just rescued a crossbeaked silkie hen I named Matilda. I have no idea her background or age since I think she was surrendered to the local feed store who called me to come get her for free so of course I couldn't pass her up. When we got home I took her out to look at how bad it is and she had quite a lot of debris in/around her mouth so I cleaned that all off/out and because of this thread I knew to Dremel her beak which I did and I couldn't believe how calm and easy she was to handle all that even by myself! I put her out with my other rescue (Beverly a n older red star) and after reading how chaotic It can be adding new birds I have to say it went amazing! They were both quote stressed but after just a couple hours Matilda was allowed to eat and drink a bit and as I write this she's dug herself a nice little dirt home to lay in/bathe. I can't say thank you enough for this group I don't think I ever would have known how to care for this girl without you all!

IMG]https://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/6377152/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

 

[Firekin1]

This is my hawk face hen, I had posted a photo of her a while back as a week old puff ball, she's now 11 weeks, eats and drinks with everyone else, she's a bit smaller than the rest but not by much and she definitely holds her own no problem..lol

 

[Nimby Chickens]

I couldn't read ALL the pages here. Is cross beak + one small eye a problem with how they were in the shell or a genetic issue? We have a cream legbar rooster chick who has a mild crossbeak and one small eye. I really wanted a blue egg layer! I am thinking of breeding him with one of my white egg layers but if it's a genetic issue, I don't want to breed him. If he just grew that way, then it should be fine. We can't have roosters so we will eat him once he starts crowing, but we should have a couple of weeks when he is fertile and mating before we have to cull him. Just trying to decide whether he is breedable or not (and I don't care that the chicks would be mutts; they are just for our own fun, eggs, and meat).

A small eye (microphthalmia) is genetic, not a deformity from trauma in the egg. Genetic causes of microphthalmia include chromosomal abnormalities (trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome),Triploid Syndrome, and Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome) or monogenetic Mendelian disorders.

I would not breed him. Sorry!

 

[ChickCrazed]

Hi! I just wanted to introduce myself! I adopted a crooked (NOT cross) beak silkie about a month ago. The whole beak is crooked on the face. I am preying it is a girl so she can be a useful broody, and am not quite sure what I'm going to do if it is a boy! It seems to eat ok and is keeping up with the other silkie's growth. I am hopeful that SHE (i hope) will live a long and normal life! Does anyone know anything about why a CROOKED beak happens? Is it genetic?




As a baby

 

[AlpineButterfly]

Hi! I just wanted to introduce myself! I adopted a crooked (NOT cross) beak silkie about a month ago. The whole beak is crooked on the face. I am preying it is a girl so she can be a useful broody, and am not quite sure what I'm going to do if it is a boy! It seems to eat ok and is keeping up with the other silkie's growth. I am hopeful that SHE (i hope) will live a long and normal life! Does anyone know anything about why a CROOKED beak happens? Is it genetic?

As a baby

Not to say yours is the same, but my girl started out looking like her beak was just crooked, but over time, the top one started curving over the side of the bottom one. I now file both beaks.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/g/a/6511146/violets-crossbeak-progression/

I'm not sure what causes it, but good luck! She/he's adorable!

 

[Wishapup]

This is my hawk face hen, I had posted a photo of her a while back as a week old puff ball, she's now 11 weeks, eats and drinks with everyone else, she's a bit smaller than the rest but not by much and she definitely holds her own no problem..lol

The resemblance to my 15 week old black Ameraucana pullet, Polly, is striking. Polly's crossbeak started as a "falcon/parrot" type beak at around 4 weeks of age. It has now progressed to curving and starting to cross over so her mouth is open all the time.

I have not interceded at all yet. I think she is having more trouble eating and drinking now. I took her out separately to drink today and it seemed to be difficult. She continued to do it for a long time; even after I returned her to the flock, she came back to the waterer for more sips. I think she has trouble scooping up enough in her beak. It seems to help if the water is elevated above her head so it doesn't drip out when she lifts her head to swallow. She may be having trouble eating pellets as well. I can tell after she's been drinking because her beard/muff is soaked.

I am curious to know if trimming will make much of a difference. I hope none of her normal siblings carry the defect as well.