genetic deformity? *picture*

[speckledhen]

Cross beaks are usually genetic. You see them most often in the Easter Eggers and Ameraucanas. And they can slowly get worse over time and the bird can literally starve to death. You'll have to see if you can keep the lower beak trimmed so she can eat, but don't hatch any babies from her because she will most likely pass that on to her chicks.

 

[becstalls]

Her beak doesn't actually cross--it's just very hawkish... But it's probably the same thing. So how do I safely clip her beak? And it should be the lower, not the upper? Will it grow back?

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
If you look closey at her beak you will see a clearer part of the beak--like a dog nail or finger nail?? You trim it like a dog nail dont cut to near the quick though. If you need to do both then I would but even a little trim is better than none---each time you trim her beak the quick will shrink back a tad ( I mean a very small amout) but it will get smaller-and you can eventually trin it to the size it should be-you just have to be patient and consistant doing all the time to get this to work. nail clippers are great

 

[sharol]

Ahhh, I don't think she looks evil. She looks sweet. But maybe I'm transferring from my white EE (18 weeks old and pure white).

Quote:

 

[robin416]

Does her lower beak appear shorter than the others of the same breed?

I looked for something in the genetics book on beak deformities that are not crossed but about all I found said it would be fatal before or shortly after hatch. I don't think she fits that criteria.

It is possible that there was an injury causing it to curve like that. Only way to know is to breed her and see what hatches.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

For those who do not know, Toni-Marie is a VERY EXPERIENCED breeder of long-tail fowl. While she might be new to this board, she is FAR from new to poultry breeding. Also, I've done a lot of research on crossed beaks and there are a NUMBER of causes; incubation and hatching issues are among them, as are genetics. The bird shown has a very untypical beak issue; that alone leads me to think it is a different cause than some of the more common cross beak issues.

 

[chick-george]

She is so pretty. Like a cockatoo without the Mohawk. At 7 months it looks like she's been able to eat enough to grow well.

 

[Chickanmanfromarkansas]

Here's what I do in a situation like this. I would never use her for breeding purposes, it may not be genetic but I would not take the chance and have it get into my flock and have to get rid of everything and start over again. Just me and my opinion for what it is worth.
And by the way I've seen this in every breed that I've ever had at onetime or another.

 

[becstalls]

Thanks for all of the help everyone! As I said, I got her from a hatchery, so if there were incubation issues, I don't know. When she was about 7 days old though, she started acting a bit listless and just kind of hunkered down and kept still. She wasn't eating or drinking, and prior to that she had been the thirstiest. So I used a papertowel to squeeze little drops of water onto her bill, which she sipped up to get rid of the drip. She was back to normal in about two days. I don't know if the two issues are related or not. I'll check to see if I have any good pictures of her from when she was tiny.

Anyhow, the beak clipping. Just bottom or both top and bottom?

To answer someone's question: her lower beak appears to be as long or maybe longer than that of my other EEs

 

[robin416]

From that pic I don't see any clipping that can be done. It might work out OK for her since the beak isn't crossed and with regular eating and picking at things will not need it.