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

[Maligator]

How do I know where to file? What do you use to file/trim?

A pedi-paws, like ramirezframing said. I have a shop dremel I use on the lowest settings and it does the same thing. Just a more powerful tool. I have had success with large, heavy grit nail files, also. I have been able to find them anywhere from the dollar store to Walmart. Just have to go to the nail and beauty and look for them, typically in a bucket or a flat package on the racks. Just go slow and shape it. You can see some parts of the beak that are kind of see-through-ish. It's hard to explain, but it's easier once you really get working on them. You will see a line of growth and then a more solid end where it forms the quick. Kind of like a nail where you have the growth and then the part that attaches to the finger. Just gently trim away with the file or dremel until you get that excess growth off. If you are using a dremel, you often will get a tiny drop of blood if you are still learning where the quick is. If you nick them, just shape and round it down but don't take it back any further.

You should be able to see on the sides of the beak where it has a bit more growth. It's like shaping a lid for a tea kettle! You just need to gently shave off what you can so that the beak seats correctly. My crossbeak's face wont seat correctly. I take down the sides as best as I can so it has a more solid fit. I am hoping, eventually, if I keep at it that the beak will either stay the same so he can still eat/drink OR get a bit better with grow out. We'll see. If I can, I may try to do a picture guide! Just hard to do that and hold a chicken at the same time, lol!

 

[Nimby Chickens]

I use a pedi paw to file/ trim the beaks. You should be able to see the quick line just like a dog or cats nail. If you go slow and take breaks you should see a little red dot of blood before you actually get blood. But if you keep checking for the quick line you shouldn't even see the red dot. My mom has a twisted beak hen like your little one. She hasn't needed hers trimmed yet and eat/ drinks just fine

Yeah twisted beak is not the same as cross - with the crossbeaks the upper and lower mandible do not line up and overgrow. Twisted beaks may have a little less accuracy than regular beaked chickens while eating but they do not usually require trimming because the bottom and top line up and keep themselves trimmed.

 

[AlpineButterfly]

Yeah twisted beak is not the same as cross - with the crossbeaks the upper and lower mandible do not line up and overgrow. Twisted beaks may have a little less accuracy than regular beaked chickens while eating but they do not usually require trimming because the bottom and top line up and keep themselves trimmed.

Thanks. I'll keep an eye on her, to make sure her top and bottom beak don't start getting offset. I've been weighing her regularly, so I think I'll notice if she starts eating less.

 

[BullChick]

My cross beak hen wants to be a mama. She is meaner than the boys! That alone makes it funny to me. Then there is the fact that she doesn't get enough food in her in a short period to keep the eggs warm enough. And lastly, you know a hen loses weight while brooding. Cadbury can't spare any weight.
So, I finally got her broken. Poor thing. She just wants to be like the other three broodies.

 

[Nimby Chickens]

My cross beak hen wants to be a mama. She is meaner than the boys! That alone makes it funny to me. Then there is the fact that she doesn't get enough food in her in a short period to keep the eggs warm enough. And lastly, you know a hen loses weight while brooding. Cadbury can't spare any weight.
So, I finally got her broken. Poor thing. She just wants to be like the other three broodies.

Awww, that's so sad. Maybe if she gets broody again you can set her up in a little cat carrier with food and water all to herself, then get a couple feed store babies to stick under her so she can be a mommy?

 

[BullChick]

It is a thought. If I have room, I may do that.
I had only planned for 30 chickens max. I am now at 39, with 15 more eggs due in less than 2 weeks. I have room for 40 adults.

I do not have a chicken math problem as you can see.

 

[artsyrobin]

have another crossbeak- a bantam faverolle- ok, i tried an experiement, mix a cup of crumble, pancake mix and enough water to resemble pancake batter, cook it up and the little crossbeaks can get food into them much better- you can make it ahead of time and give it to them like you would a piece of bread- if you don't mind going a little extra effort- - my little one has a full crop and isn't crying- the others get spoiled too- since the serama's are raising a pair of faverolles, i don't mind-

 

[AlpineButterfly]

My 6 week old bantam frizzle cochin is turning into a cross-beak. I was hoping she would just continue to have a crooked beak that lined up, but now it's showing misalignment.

 

[artsyrobin]

well, i am just going day by day with mine, as long as they are eating, i give them all the help i can- here is my girl, pics from last week

 

[Brookliner]

Well with Bernard gone I tried to steer away from the thread as it is still quite sad for me.
But this week, I noticed I seem to be a magnet for special needs birds.
One of my 5 week olds has a cross beak. She was one of the two day olds I bought from the feed store to keep Bernard company!!! I have no idea what breed she is, as they weren't actually sure either lol. Here are some pictures of her little beak







I was also wondering if anyone has any neurologically special birds? I moved my 5 week old birds to the outside brooder a month ago and haven't paid them much attention out there with somuch going on around here. I had some older birds die in the same coop so cleaned it all out really good and turned it into my new grow ou coop - where the now 9 wk olds will stay until they start laying or crowing - and I noticed that one of the silkies was being weird. Here is a video of her. I have no idea what's up with her. She CAN lift her head up all the way and even walk around and bobble like a normal chicken. I've been watching her for a few hours now and I've only seen it once when she was afraid. She mostly does circles, backs up a little, and sleeps. She rarely opens her left eye, but it does open all the way.
Any ideas what's wrong with her? Or what I can do?


I posted in the emergencies diseases and illnesses page but no one is responding. When I pick her up she freaks out (probably from not being handled much) and she curls and thrashes her head around like she doesn't have any control. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I have a special needs Wheaten Ameracuna bantam. Agnes was hatched with an extra piece of skull on her head. She eats well and lays eggs. She is 9 months old now. She did have trouble laying her first few eggs but is now doing well. I have her in her own coop for the summer. Will reintegrate her with the flock in the Fall. She circles always in the same direction and is the bottom of the pecking order but even so is not much bothered by the other hens. She is very sweet and I have always handled her a lot. I think she is reasonably happy. I am keeping her separate for the summer because when she was having trouble laying eggs (the first few were bloody - but with the application of some KY jelly to her vent she now is laying fine) and some of the hens were harassing her. I will be integrating 6 chicks later in the year and will put her back in with the flock then. This was Agnes last winter at about 4 months old. I usually tucked her into my vest or jacket while I was cleaning the coop. She doesn't fly very well so I have to put her up on the roost at night.