Hen with top beak broken at 45 degrees. UPDATED PICS POST #1

[ll]

Wow kudos to you for gluing it yourself - I would have been mad that the vet sent me home to glue it myself, I would think the vet could glue it.
Question1: you didn't manipulate it at all? It looks straighter in the updated (very nice) photo.
Question2: did the vet say the whole beak would grow back?
Question3: you've had it glued for a bit now, does it seem like it's growing out like a broken fingernail & do you have to reapply the glue if it wiggles?

Best of luck to your pretty & patient bird.

 

[ChickenSnake]

I'm interested in some updates as well. I'm so glad shes doing better, what a beautiful girl you have!!

Thanks for the pics *shiver*

 

[Rockin' Reds]

Quote:
I wasn't real happy when she said to do it myself but it was a short notice visit and she is a really great vet who takes excellent care of my chickens whenever I see her. She said she would have done it herself but she didn't have any super glue at the office. Oh well...she only charged me 10 bucks for the visit and said as the beak grows out if I have trouble trimming the end that she will do it. She did say the whole beak will regrow...I was not aware that it could but she said yes. The glue seems to be holding well and I don't think it has started to regrow yet. She said it will grow like a fingernail and to just let it happen. It will push the old beak out and off apparently. I am supposed to trim the end as it grows so she can eat. Not sure how that's gonna work, but we will just roll with it I guess.

She gave a time frame of 3 to 4 weeks for the process to take place. It has been 5 days so far.

Itsy - vet didn't say anything about extra calcium but that's a great question. I may try to give her a call today and ask.

Thanks everybody for your endless support...it means A LOT to me.

Tough caring for an injured baby...but we are all hanging in there! Go Nugget!!

 

[froggiesheins]

Quote:
I second that!

Here I learned something new this morning [and its only 7:46AM

] ...it takes 3-4 weeks for a new beak to grow back......

YOU GO NUGGETT!

 

[Chickenaddict]

Quote:
Yes that be me

OP I am so glad to hear she is doing better I had my

hoping for a good outcome! She is gorgeous! I wasn't aware the beaks grew back either, I have a roo that lost most of his bottom beak, it literally dried up and fell off from the injury he had, it never grew back, so now I trim his top beak frequently so he can eat.

 

[ll]

Wow all so very interesting - certainly a learning experience.
For trimming ... you may want to try this instead of cutting =
At the pet store (Pet Supplies Plus has it for sure) there is a little kit to do dog's nails. It is a small hand held tool that has spinning sandpaper on the end and very quickly files the dog's nails. I use it for my dog and it works very well.
Good luck! Please be sure to post another photo in a month, I am so curious to see it grow in.

Go Nugget! You can do it!

Rockin' Reds :

Quote:
I wasn't real happy when she said to do it myself but it was a short notice visit and she is a really great vet who takes excellent care of my chickens whenever I see her. She said she would have done it herself but she didn't have any super glue at the office. Oh well...she only charged me 10 bucks for the visit and said as the beak grows out if I have trouble trimming the end that she will do it. She did say the whole beak will regrow...I was not aware that it could but she said yes. The glue seems to be holding well and I don't think it has started to regrow yet. She said it will grow like a fingernail and to just let it happen. It will push the old beak out and off apparently. I am supposed to trim the end as it grows so she can eat. Not sure how that's gonna work, but we will just roll with it I guess.

She gave a time frame of 3 to 4 weeks for the process to take place. It has been 5 days so far.

Itsy - vet didn't say anything about extra calcium but that's a great question. I may try to give her a call today and ask.

Thanks everybody for your endless support...it means A LOT to me.

Tough caring for an injured baby...but we are all hanging in there! Go Nugget!!

 

[MiddleChild]

II - "there is a little kit to do dog's nails. It is a small hand held tool that has spinning sandpaper on the end and very quickly files the dog's nails. I use it for my dog and it works very well."

I got one to use on my cats. When I got out of the emergency room I put it in a yard sale.

 

[navychick]

Quote:
I'm still laughing...

 

[welasharon]

Ha! It went right past me at first.....now I'm gonna laugh at the most inopportune moments!!!

 

[Nambroth]

Hi there!

I had a 13 week old pullet with nearly an identical injury today. The break was in the same location, just under the nostrils, and nearly broke her upper mandible off. Really, it is almost exact!

Anyhow we rushed her to an avian certified veterinarian about 2 hours away because Kua (the pullet) was in very obvious pain. You could tell; she'd open and close her beak and then shudder and close her eyes. She is usually very rowdy so I knew she was in pain. There are a lot of nerve endings that deep in the beak.

I wanted to let you know what my vet said and did in case it can help you with your Nugget!
The vet stabilized the wound by patching it with dental acrylic. This is an (obviously) surgical safe material, very hard. She used it to attach a small fiberglass piece over the beak. The idea behind this is to stabilize the break so that it could not move, become worse, and also to help seal it against infection. It is a deep type of wound right into the core of the beak, which is bundled with living tissue and nerves, and is very prone to infection when the break is so deep and bad.
Right now Kua looks like someone stuck a tiny piece of bubblegum to her beak! I will take photos tomorrow.


(I won't say how much it cost. Lets just say that I might have the most expensive chicken in my state right now.

)

My vet said that two things will happen, either:
1. The beak will heal over the period of 2-3 weeks and it will regenerate the damaged areas and all will be well (though it may not exactly grow back because of how high up the break is, so any misalignment may always persist) or
2. If the nerves and blood supply have been badly damaged, the broken part of the top of the beak will be taken by necrosis (the living tissue will die) and it will fall off and not regrow.


IF I can just get her to eat. She cries in pain each time she tries, even with the softest of foods like babyfood. I feel so terrible for her. I have a prescription for antibiotics and painkillers that I administer twice a day. I will keep you updated....