Help! Cracked beak!

[The Phantom]

My cranes has cracked the tip of his beak. He has not eaten for two days. At least I have seen no food gone. Not like him. He will only drink. He bumped it earlier today and it started bleeding. I'm sure he will eventually break it off. This happened once when he was younger but not as bad. I also am afraid it will get infected once it falls of. And of how much it will bleed.
For the food part, he will not eat a thing. Should I mix some egg yolk in his water? So he gets some kind of food. Should I use hard boiled egg yolk so he doesn't get any bad bacteria in his beak and in his blood? The pink line is the crack.

 

[The Phantom]

 

[Ravynscroft]

I would clean and disinfect it with clear iodine... then get clear pics... might be able to seal it up with NewSkin... any food that gets lodged into the crack and isn't cleaned out daily could rot and cause festering...

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

I know it will come off. After it breaks off when I am worried about infection. Would me breaking it off and putting blood stop and antibiotics be better than him breaking it off and it bleeding. With out any blood stop. He has to stay inside because of the weather. Super cold!!!! I can't watch him all the time so he could break it when I am not home. I can't glue it because he drills in the dirt. So it would break off then. Have to go to bed now I'll check the thread in the morning. Thankyou

Hello there! I know this is a stretch, but as a nail technician and bird lover, you may want to try to reach out to any local manicurists or nail technicians in your area. While the soft tissue should be allowed to scab up and dry a bit, a seasoned technician may be able to sculpt a temporary repair out of acrylic or gel.

It would be tricky, but it can replicate a beak very well, and will just fall off as the beak grows. Here are some articles I found quickly on the subject.

http://birdvetmelbourne.com/beak-repair/

http://www.nailsmag.com/article/116386/injured-chickens-beak-repaired-with-nail-gel

If I were closer, I would do it for you! I had a girl with a broken beak, but I only used a little nail glue for the first night. She seemed to be eating alright and did not seem to show any distress. If it had been more severe, I would have patched her beak. Above are her pics from when it broke, it has completely grown out now and she is good as new.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

 

[Ravynscroft]

I agree with Kathy, I wouldn't give him dairy right now...

I'm gonna try to put our advice into perspective, explain a bit about why we're making the suggestions we are...

It's been at least a couple days since he has eaten, he needs more than a slurry can provide especially being injured... tube feeding a balanced diet will go a long way to helping him recover quicker and less traumatic than him trying to eat with that injury... yes, animals compartmentalize pain better than we do, but any pain you can avoid the better...

Tube feeding is not hard, the mental part of it is the hardest... Kathy made a great thread on it and is willing to answer questions as well...

Also, since the core of the upper beak is exposed, you definitely want to avoid not only contamination that can cause infection, but also damage... the keratin can grow back over it, but if it becomes too damaged or it breaks off, then that part is gone... any way you can encourage better odds of his beak healing as close to what it was, the better... especially considering the drilling he likes to do...

Talk to your vet friend, if she can't refer you to a bird vet, she will at least know general supportive care for injuries/trauma and may even have additional ideas... couldn't hurt to ask at least...

I hope this helps and he heals up well...

 

[The Phantom]

If he loses 5% of his body weight you need to tube.

He is eating mealworms!

 

[casportpony]

Bill Fractures in Cranes (Physical/Traumatic Disease Summary)
wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/PhysicalTraumatic/BillFracturesCranes.htm

That link is great!

"
Treatment

• Stop any haemorrhage as the first priority (haemorrhage can be profuse), using pressure and a haemostatic powder or solution, followed by cyanoacrylic glue to seal the stump or fracture line. (J311.21.w1)
• Infection may occur e.g. with coliform bacteria. (D441) It may be prudent to consider all bill fractures as open fractures and therefore to provide systemic antibiotic cover. (P137.1989.w1)
• Clean the bill with e.g. povidone iodine (Iodophor) solution. (D441)
• Watch the crane closely both before and after any repair and check that it is eating. Assisted feeding e.g. by gavage or using a pharyngostomy tube may be required if the crane is unable or unwilling to eat. (D441, P137.1989.w1, V.w5)"

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

The mealworms are freeze dried so they didn’t crawl away.

Perfect! A wonderful high protein treat that is easy to pick up and tasty.

Now the question we all want to know. How did you ever acquire a crane?

 

[shawluvsbirds]

My cranes has cracked the tip of his beak. He has not eaten for two days. At least I have seen no food gone. Not like him. He will only drink. He bumped it earlier today and it started bleeding. I'm sure he will eventually break it off. This happened once when he was younger but not as bad. I also am afraid it will get infected once it falls of. And of how much it will bleed.
For the food part, he will not eat a thing. Should I mix some egg yolk in his water? So he gets some kind of food. Should I use hard boiled egg yolk so he doesn't get any bad bacteria in his beak and in his blood? The pink line is the crack.
View attachment 1256797

Oh my goodness! Poor thing! I have no idea how to help but hopefully someone can give some advice for you soon

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Here is her after picture, all healed up. Look at that full crop too! Lol.