help baby americana hen scissor beak

[puppy767]

my hen licorice is half the size of her siblings she is eight weeks old and has alot of troble eating the beak is pretty severely disfigured and ideas plz

 

[Katy]

It will only continue to get worse more than likely. I would cull her if she were mine.

 

[ChooksChick]

I have a bird that had this problem occur at two weeks- it seems to be a common thing in Easter Eggers.

I worked very hard to keep my bird healthy and have a roo now that is gorgeous and huge, but must be hand fed three or four times daily. I have to make a paste of yogurt and pellets and water that is just the right consistency for him to pick up with his upper beak and his tongue. It's a normal part of our day now, but do you see me getting someone to do it if I ever want to go visit family or take a vacation?

I posted about it when it first started, and I've given advice to those wanting to work to keep a cross-beak alive. I've seen lots of posts from others who had birds that didn't need special care save to have a deep dish for the food- but if it were me again and I could see how hard it would be on him and me, I would cull before I had such an incredible attachment and can't imagine it. I still have to consider it occasionally- if he has a growth spurt and I think he's getting too thin...is he eating enough? I have to give him water using a syringe...what if it's hot out and I don't up the amount enough?

It's going to be hard to cull, but there isn't much else to do without making a MASSIVE commitment and understanding the quality of life won't be what it is for the other birds- mine can never pick up a bug or worm. He can't have treats because it's impossible to get them into his beak- his attempt to eat them always pushes them out with his tongue. He can't grab his ladies by the back of his head very well to mate, and he has a large adoring harem...that must be very frustrating.

I am usually the last person to recommend to cull, but it's the nicest thing you can do in this case.

 

[puppy767]

there is nothing i can do? what about hand feeding her and she must be eating a little bit shes so friendly i cant do that. i already have an attatchment to her shes my first and only chicken. by the way thankyou so much for ytthe nice response i would be willing to care for my chicken the way you did if it ment her living but does your chicken have a quality of life at all

 

[ChooksChick]

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You can hand feed- it's a massive time commitment, and you must know, it's messy and a pain, and you can't leave for more than a few hours EVER unless you have someone who can do it properly (whom you trust to take on a ludicrous task like hand-feeding a hen three times daily! It gets feed paste all over, because shaking the head makes it fly, and you can't do it where any other bird can see or you'll get mauled- I have to do it in the house and then wipe the mess off of the cupboards, the floors, the walls...

It takes half an hour to 45 minutes 3 times daily for a grown bird. I don't get to not do it if I'm sick, have a migraine, etc. My kids can do it, but not as well, so he eats very little if I'm down for whatever reason. I can't NOT go home for lunch- if I'm not able to, he doesn't eat or drink. I'm unemployed right now, but what if I get a job that doesn't allow for his care? ...and I need a job!!!

I'm just trying to help you see what you're really getting into- I can't give this special needs rooster away to save my life...who would give him this attention? He'd be dinner in a heartbeat.

...and the special attention has made him a love who is content to be carried around on his back, who sits in our laps and purrs...this is a brutal choice to make.

 

[puppy767]

i saw her eat but im worried about the condition worsening .also does your roosters tounge dry out and can that become a problem .because my hens tongue does stick out and is knid of cracking a little and thankyou for warning me of such heart break and responsiblity

 

[ChooksChick]

Oy! Yes, the tongue...It's actually lost some of the tongue, due to drying out and breaking off...that sounds horrible, but it's what had to happen, since he can't get it in his mouth, closed and moist. I did bring him in to dropper his tongue a gazillion times a day, but the vet said it would self-abbreviate. It didn't seem to be too sensitive afterward, and he's healed. It's fine now.

Here are a couple of head shots so you can see how severe Professor's cross beak is- he had a very long lower beak that stuck out so far he couldn't force it into food anymore and began losing lots of weight. But when I took him to have it trimmed, it BROKE. This then went into a saga of surgery, pins and staples to hold it together, and a lower beak prosthesis, finally it healed together, the prosthesis and metal were all removed, and now he has a CHIN! it will grow out to be a long beak again, but still going sideways rather than forward.

His upper beak was trimmed WAY back to a nub, but has since gown out- this blunted it a bit and made it so he could grab things better.

Here's before the trim, though it doesn't look as far askew as it really was- way off.

Here's his right side:

And his left side:

My daughters called him FrankenChicken even before he had metal pins coming out of his prosthetic beak- I'm glad the poor guy gets a bit of dignity now...

 

[tonini3059]

Could it be Rickets?

 

[puppy767]

losing the tongue doesnt effect there eating at all?owww!!!thanks for the pics my hens scissring is a little more severe then the first pic but isnt broken .i have a problem though my father said i can only bring her home if it gets worse im thinking by then itll be too late.shes being boarded at a farm right now with her bros and sisters but there gonna let her out in two weeks and see how she doeswith the other chickens and if she loses weight what can i tell my dad . also is there a way to save the tongue

 

[mypicklebird]

If she is half the size of her sibs, she is starving to death. Almost all of these birds with severe cross bite/scissor beak/cross beak starve to death before they reach 6mo, and if they make it that far- will likely have more problems when they reach laying age- as laying eggs takes LOTS of calories. This should have been corrected as soon as it was noticed, at this point at 8wk old with a stunted bird and severe disfigurement (your description) this bird is likely too late to salvage- her lower beak is likely dislocated and not functional. What you can do is get help to trim her beak repeatedly to see if you can make it somewhat functional, but don't get your hopes up. What you also need to do is determine what she can eat if anything. You need to try different sizes and consistencies- feeling her crop after offering each thing to see if she can eat it. It LOOKS like they are eating- they desperately go through the pecking motions as they are very hungry, but cannot meet their calorie needs to grow. She is getting enough to live barely, but not grow. This can't be done at a boarding place. She need a devoted caretaker to see what she can eat, and if she can't feed herself, she needs to be tube fed or carefully hand fed multiple times per day. If you can't be her devoted caretaker, the kindest thing to do is cull her now- as she is slowly dying as is. Starving to death with a bowl of food in front of her that she can't eat. This is a harsh e-mail, but you need to get perspective on this now. Your Dad may be trying to save you from the grief of bringing her home and getting more attached to her, but you both need to talk about responsibility for this life- and either take care of her properly or have the farm cull her.


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