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

[Nimby Chickens]

Thank you for making this thread... I wish I had found it sooner but it still would have been too late, we lost our Blue Ameracauna Grisabella on Sunday. She was 8 mos old and had been laying beautiful eggs. I think I just didn't know enough and she wasn't getting enough nutrition.

Very sorry for your loss. They can be hard to keep. But hopefully this thread will help others!

 

[hangartnerchix]

So sorry you lost your Sweet Pea. Some animals are extra special. I'm sure she was comforted to be in your arms for her last moments.

I am so glad to see this thread. I had a chick with a deformed leg last summer. I kept her and fed her and she thrived, until one of the other chicks poked a hole her side. I didn't see the wound as it was up under her wing. When I did see it it was past being able to be helped. Sweat Pea died in my arms the following day. When I went to check on her she was burning up and having seizures from a fever. I just sat in the rocker on the porch with her wrapped in her favorite towel and me singing to her like I did all the time. She gave a shudder and was gone, way to soon to suit me but just when she was supposed to. Sorry, I still cry thinking about the 3 months I had with her. She was special and I haven't called any of my pets by her name since. Everyone wanted me to put her out of her misery but I just kept saying no, she will tell me when she has had enough. I learned a lot of valuable lessons from my little girl and I would do it all again if given the chance. So many people just say cull them if they aren't perfect. It is nice to see someone who wants to give support to the ones of us who can't cull our babies. Thank you!

 

[Nimby Chickens]

Does anyone have any definitive information about crossbeaks - I have heard many things about the cause. Is it genetic, is it a deformity, is it a muscle tension problem?

Why are they born this way, fine in the beginning and slowly worsening?

 

[Kara515]

Thank you for starting this thread! What wonderful information you all have provided! I used to have a mildly crossed, cross beak Partridge Silkie rooster. I trimmed his beak with toenail clippers to keep it closer to even and he was able to eat fairly normally. I wish I had this information back when I had him (Porsche died last summer) because now I wonder if his getting sick was due to poor nutrition? He seemed to have a problem with one of his legs so I put him in a smaller pen by himself so he didn't have to fight for food or be picked on by the other rooster since he was "down". He had always been the top rooster in the coop before. Because he couldn't stand well, he would fall forward and I would have to prop him up with extra hay, a plastic bottle under the hay to give him the proper height for sitting upright and eating and drinking. But he still kept falling forward and usually toward the right. I would check on him every couple of hours to set him upright and a couple of times I found him almost standing on his head when he rolled off the hay I had piled around him to keep him balanced. I think he was tipped over so much that he was having fluids, etc come out of his mouth and I think it was going into his esophagus and he caught pneumonia or something. He got a sour crop and any time he tipped forward, stuff would come out. I knew it was just a matter of time. He went downhill so fast. I may have been able to help him if I have had this site to come to before.

 

[EMantooth]

I have a banty chicken I was told was a silkie but looks more like a frizzle mutt. She really is the sorriest excuse for a chicken there is, but I still love her. She has a severely deformed leg -- was that way from hatch. I got her off Craig's List -- "Free Special Needs Chick" post. Because her leg is deformed, she twists her whole body in order to balance. As she has grown older, the twisting has become more and more pronounced. She uses her wings for balance as she flutters/hops around so they are always worn down and tattered. "Bitty" has never laid an egg. She will be 2 this summer. She lives outside most of the time, although she usually has to be by herself. This fall I let her mother 2 chicks for me -- she was very attached to them, but now that they are full grown, she just can't keep up with them for her share of food and she tends to be trampled. So she lives near them in her own little cage where she can see them and talk to them. I bring her inside during what little cold weather we have, and also I have to watch carefully during wet weather.
Bottom line is that she seems happy, enjoys her food and treats very much, and gets company from my family and other animals. I'm surprised she has has lived as long as she has, but I will continue to do my best to keep her comfortable and happy. I've also already had a long talk with my 7 year old daughter that when the time comes and Bitty is showing signs she is in pain that we will humanely put her out of her pain. Most people would have put her down as soon as she hatched especially if they knew how her deformity was going to continue to worsen, but she has been a good lesson for my daughter in compassion and how animals have a will to live. She has also exercised our creativity on ways to house her comfortably and let her enjoy life to the fullest. Given the chance to do it all over again, knowing what I do now, I'd still stick to my decision to give her a chance at life!

 

[robinwiththechickens]

Aww...Bitty is a beauty!

 

[Nimby Chickens]

Awww! I love Bitty! What a sweetie. My friend had a chicken with a twisted foot and she walked on her wings and remaining foot like crutches!

Truly, they have a remarkable will to live and deserve the chance at a good life.

 

[Justhatched]

My 3 week old chick has a problem with "her" beak. I am hoping for some help/ advice. What do I have to look forward too with "her"?

 

[buckabucka]

A strange thing happened the other day. Our cross beak hen, whose upper beak was getting really long, suddenly has a much shorter upper beak, like it broke off. It broke off farther up than we would have dared to trim it, but she isn't bleeding or anything. It's hard to tell if it's making it easier for her to eat, but it seems like it must be a little easier.

Justhatched, it is hard to know what is in store for your chick. Generally speaking, the cross beak gets worse as the chick grows. There was someone on here who fixed their chick's cross beak, - it involved taping the beak in it's proper position with lots of feeding breaks, and I don't remember what else, but it might be worth doing a search. Good luck.

 

[Nimby Chickens]

My 3 week old chick has a problem with "her" beak. I am hoping for some help/ advice. What do I have to look forward too with "her"?

You will need to make some changes in the way you feed her - deep bowls for food and wet mash works better because it's a little sticky. She will probably hang out a the feeder a lot. Extreme crossbeaks need tube feeding but she might not end up with one that bad. As chicks, generally they can swing it with little help but as they get older it worsens so you'll just have to wait and see. You probably wont want to use her for breeding since it could be genetic.

I would suggest handling her a lot at this age so that it will be easy to trim her beak and feed her in the future. Is she able to get a full crop by herself?