HelpMe!! Emergency! My Rooster lost top of beak! (Pics)

[silkiechicken]

Who here has butchered chickens and prepared the carcass with the head on or even chicken feet?

If you have, you will note that after scalding, not only do the feathers pull out of the skin easily, but the "caps" of the toe nails and the beak pops right off exposing the bone/nail bed underneath much like the second picture. From what I can see in the pictures versus what I have seen in person when preping food chickens, it appears that this beak cap is what is "broken off", meaning the bone is still in tact. So in short, it may or may not grow back, but it is certainly painful and up to the OP on whether or not they feel the bird can recover, if the pain for the next few months will be worth it, and if they are willing to do trimmings and beak maintenance if it does not grow out right.

The beak cap is a protein shell just like our nails, I smashed my thumb nail so hard it fell off once, it has never been the same.

For pain killers, 5 regular asprin in a gallon of water is a standard dosage if I remember right.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Several months ago I had a rooster who got into a through-the=wire fight with another rooster. The wire was expanded metal (sharp edges), and he had an injury similar to yours. It obviously hurt, and he ate little to nothing for a couple of days, but he recovered far faster than I would have expected. Today you can't really tell that it was ever injured

 

[stephys_fluffybutts]

Well I decided I will give it a go and try to see if it grows back.

If he has any problems at all then I will put him down.
He seems to be doing ok today. He is still happy and crowing plus eating and drinking fine also. Its just harder. So I will wait and see how he does in the next few weeks

The only problem I am thinking about if he gets frostbite on his beak then he is basically done for. I plan on getting a heater bowl in there and trying to get a heat lamp in his cage during freezing weather.

Like I said I don't know. I will do whats best for him.


If I just lived somewhere it was warmer

 

[Sillystunt]

can he be an inside chicken???? chicken diaper and all? Oh lord, i am in tears looking at him!

 

[twistedpickle]

very important to watch for infection. As long as he can eat I agree to wait and see what happens. DO NOT USE GLUE. this will cause infection at the worst or hinder regrowth at best.

 

[CallyB57]

Have you ever seen that whole grain spaghetti? It would go a long way in feeding him as a treat - boil it until it is really soft, then hold a short string up and he'll just open his beak and grab it, even if his beak isn't there on top, he will be looking up and will be able to swallow the soft spaghetti. I have a little chicken that will hardly eat anything at all and discovered that she will eat a lot of soft, soft spaghetti. I would say to give him all the chance you can while considering the quality of his life. If he seems happy and can maintain a steady weight, I would just let him try.

 

[silkiechicken]

Don't worry about frost bite on his beak. If it is cold enough for frost bite, he will lose his toes before his beak, even if he dips it in cold water. The beak is well vascularized so will stay warm.

 

[Rocky Top Chick]

Once the tenderness of a new injury goes away, he will adjust fine. Even if you decide to glue the beak on for protection, the new will still grow. Glue will not in any way hinder new growth. I work in medicine and it is used all the time in the ED. I'm glad you made this decision to give him a chance. We are all pulling for you.

 

[tagra123]

I have 2 chickens that were debeaked (Not by me). 1/4 to 1/3 of the beak is missing. The tissue and bone is cut through on a debeaked chick and never grows.
I'd put a very thin layer of triple-antibiotic where the beak meats the face a couple of times a day. As long as it is not squawking in pain and can eat and drink there is no good reason to cull it.

Cooked ground beef mixed with yogurt might be a nice treat for him tonight. Corn meal could also be mixed with the yogurt to make it easier for him to eat.

If he's doing alright in a day or two , well chickens are tough and can heal fine from pretty bad injuries.

Debeaked chickens can grow back the beak if the cut was not made far enough back to damage the tisue and when when the beak is cut the right way it heals with a shorter beak.


Good luck.

 

[peepsnbunnies]

Hi Steph -

I had 2 roos fight through the wire last spring and one got his beak caught in the wire and pulled the top portion off, just like yours exactly. He did not eat for a day or two, but soon started eating wet food. His beak DID grow back. At first it was not as nice as his original beak, but now you can hardly tell there was ever an injury.

Give your boy a chance, just watch him closely for infection.

Good Luck!

Lisa