Feeding tips for messed up beak please

[ackie]

Please disregard his messed up face. Hes healing and is even better now than this picture.

Anyway, no idea if his beak was always like this or if it happened in the fight, but hes currently drinking - definitely takes him a little longer in the bowl than I'd say was normal but hes eager about it and is definitely getting water - and hes hungry when I put food in his mouth, but he hasnt figured out eating yet. Hes pecked at some food a couple times but obviously doesnt know how to get it, which makes me think it's a new problem.

Anyone have experience with this beak situation?

Forgive me if this is cruel, but would he be better off if his lower mandible were trimmed to match the top (but obviously not back that far if it hits the meat of the beak)?

 

[chicken3fly]

Please disregard his messed up face. Hes healing and is even better now than this picture.

Anyway, no idea if his beak was always like this or if it happened in the fight, but hes currently drinking - definitely takes him a little longer in the bowl than I'd say was normal but hes eager about it and is definitely getting water - and hes hungry when I put food in his mouth, but he hasnt figured out eating yet. Hes pecked at some food a couple times but obviously doesnt know how to get it, which makes me think it's a new problem.

Anyone have experience with this beak situation?

Forgive me if this is cruel, but would he be better off if his lower mandible were trimmed to match the top (but obviously not back that far if it hits the meat of the beak)?

I don't think that would help
You might just have to help him figure out how to eat

 

[GreedySeedFeedy]

Poor little guy!! Leave the lower beak, the upper beak will grow in again very soon if the cuticle is in tact. Soft food, in a deep dish so his beak won't hit the bottom. Chop things like greens and apple slices up small for him so he can just toss it down, and hand feeding him from your fingers is a good idea.

Good luck and speedy recovery to your roo!

 

[ackie]

Poor little guy!! Leave the lower beak, the upper beak will grow in again very soon if the cuticle is in tact. Soft food, in a deep dish so his beak won't hit the bottom. Chop things like greens and apple slices up small for him so he can just toss it down, and hand feeding him from your fingers is a good idea.

Good luck and speedy recovery to your roo!

this question sounds silly, but how do you make a deep dish of soft food without having to throw away a ton of soft food every day?

 

[Sally PB]

Do you have any yogurt, cottage cheese, margarine containers? Cut them down to size and put some tape over the cut edge so that it isn't sharp.

 

[GreedySeedFeedy]

this question sounds silly, but how do you make a deep dish of soft food without having to throw away a ton of soft food every day?

Hmm. No, it's a good question! The only silly question is the one you don't ask.

Use a small, deep dish so not much gets thrown out, or you can place the food on top of a clean, folded cloth or dry sponge so that the bottom is soft and boingy and his beak won't strike the bottom without having to fill it completely with food. Give this a try and see if it will cut down on waste.

 

[GreedySeedFeedy]

Do you have any yogurt, cottage cheese, margarine containers? Cut them down to size and put some tape over the cut edge so that it isn't sharp.

I second this, an empty yogurt container is an ideal deep dish imo!

 

[ackie]

Okay I'm back with Tim. His beak looks pretty much the same. The rest of him is healing pretty well. Now I have a rooster I cant eat or sell because he has a name, but that's another problem hahah.

Anyway, hes obviously interested in food. He eats greedily when I put food in his mouth, though he definitely walks away if I get distracted for even a second. He has a deep dish of layer pellets + cat food and another of chick starter. Hes pecked at each of them a couple times and given up almost immediately. He didn't seem interested in the deep dish of mush food so I tossed it. Hes also on a homemade pedialyte to help out.

His poops are sometimes great and sometimes pretty much just water.

SO thinks his beak must hurt because hes clearly hungry and aware of where the food is. We are thinking just hand feed until hes willing to eat on his own. I could give him painkillers but I'm not sure that's the right course of action.

 

[kerbotx]

Try a wet mash with his feed - just add water & let soak for 5-10 minutes, then serve. Sometimes it takes a little trial & error to get the right feed-to-water ratio, for a consistency they like!

 

[ackie]

Hes finally started eating on his own and eating enough that he has normal poops! I'm so thrilled. SO thinks its hilarious that I'm excited about chicken poop...in the house.