Hen with broken beak

[tellynpeep]

As long as she's eating and doesn't seem painful, I would probably leave it alone. If it is actually broken and that curled part is dead, you could trim it off, but be very careful not to cut into any living tissue..... very sensitive!

 

[bruinfan]

Any ideas on a time frame when she will start laying again? The attack was 2 weeks ago.

 

[Judy]

I wouldn't mess with the beak if I didn't feel I had to. The issue will be whether she can get enough to eat, whether the food is of a consistency she can eat. Just watch her eating for a while. Pick her up and feel how heavy she feels, then pick her up every week or so, to make sure she is holding her own on weight.

Laying I would imagine will take a few more weeks. She's had quite a lot to adjust to, quite a shock. She will need some time to settle in to her new home.

 

[bruinfan]

I am keeping an eye on her diet, more specifically I am seeing what is coming out! She is eating layena crumble supplemented with yogurt and mashed apples. She scratches in the yard and pecks away, although I don't know how successful her pecking is. As inexperienced as I am I do think she is adjusting to her new surrondings.

 

[bruinfan]

When Cheddy (that's what we named her) got her groove back. She laid an egg!! We were getting ready to leave for a long weekend and I gave a quick peek into the coop and there it was! It was a long 4 weeks wondering if she'd ever lay again. Her broken beak hasn't really changed much in appearance this past month, but otherwise she's doing fine.
This was our first egg also, we have 5 other girls that are 20 weeks old that we are patiently waiting to start laying. It was a great start to our mini vacation - we would have been disappointed if we were not here for the first egg!