Hens beak is broken

[FlyingNunFarm]

Mine love the Nutri-Drench. I think it smells like molasses. You can mix it in her water to drink or even put it on the wet mash. Couple drops on some bread of that's a treat she likes. I really have never had a problem getting them to eat it.

 

[smills4635]

I give ND by rubbing my finger on the dropper and wiping it up the beak. Much less mess and not as much splatter! Lol
Also always follow the ND with fresh clean water.

As far as laying stopping, as the daylight hours get shorter, it is natural for hens to take time off from laying. Most first-season layers may lay thru the winter, but older hens usually stop almost completely, start back in the spring, when daylight is longer.

My girls are young. They only just started to lay fairly regularly. The last egg I found wasn't in the nesting box. (I've been proud that they all got the hang of the box with no problems!) It was under the perch in the coop, and it had such a soft shell it broke open on impact. I have heard that they slow down in winter, but i didn't expect them to stop so abruptly?

 

[smills4635]

Well, I went to Tractor Supply and Rural King. No nutridrench! I got some save-a-chick electrolytes and vitamin supplement to add to the water. I'm going to call around tomorrow and see if I can find some in a neighboring town. If nothing else I'll order some online.

 

[WVduckchick]

My girls are young. They only just started to lay fairly regularly. The last egg I found wasn't in the nesting box. (I've been proud that they all got the hang of the box with no problems!) It was under the perch in the coop, and it had such a soft shell it broke open on impact. I have heard that they slow down in winter, but i didn't expect them to stop so abruptly?

Hmmm. Is it possible that something spooked them, like a predator scare? Or have you changed feed, or any major differences? Do they get to free-range?
There are some other odd things that will interrupt laying cycles. Also, could the broken beak have happened around the time they stopped laying? Wondering if something could have tried to get at them, causing the one to break her beak, and it messed with all their cycles??
Just throwing out thoughts.

Well, I went to Tractor Supply and Rural King. No nutridrench! I got some save-a-chick electrolytes and vitamin supplement to add to the water. I'm going to call around tomorrow and see if I can find some in a neighboring town. If nothing else I'll order some online.

Bummer! I think it is worth having on hand, even if you do need to order it.
Don't think I've ever seen it at my RKs, but TSCs usually have it.

 

[smills4635]

Hmmm. Is it possible that something spooked them, like a predator scare? Or have you changed feed, or any major differences? Do they get to free-range?
There are some other odd things that will interrupt laying cycles. Also, could the broken beak have happened around the time they stopped laying? Wondering if something could have tried to get at them, causing the one to break her beak, and it messed with all their cycles??
Just throwing out thoughts.
This is what I've been thinking also! Buffy, my biggest girl, who I think acts as the roo since she's the most aggressive and dominant, has been acting more protective than usual. I can't be sure when Essy hurt her beak but I'm thinking something is going on. My daughter opened the coop a night or 2 before I noticed Essys beak and a couple of mice ran out. Could mice in the coop cause the disruption and could Essy have been going after one and that's how she hurt her beak? Would her beak break/chip that easily? I'm going to set up my husband's field cam as soon as I can and see what I can see. We live in town and so far I haven't let them free range because I need to put up a taller fence on the back side of the yard. But I did see a hark come down in the yard a couple months ago and grab a robin. I just feel in my gut that something is wrong. And they don't fight with eachother.



Bummer! I think it is worth having on hand, even if you do need to order it.
Don't think I've ever seen it at my RKs, but TSCs usually have it.

I'm going to go ahead and order some if for no other reason than to have it on hand!

 

[chickens really]

My Hen that broke and chipped the end off her beak ran into the side of the Coop...My Drake Call Duck flew into a tree I presume when I had a Fox attack...Both were fine and were able to eat and Drink ...Healed up in no time..I glued the Beak and the Bill...

 

[smills4635]

Just a quick check in. So far so good! I ended up using liquid bandage on my Essys beak and I think it's already grown back a little bit! She acts like it's still a bit tender, but shes eating and drinking. She still hasn't started laying again yet though. Thanks again for all the help and encouragement!

 

[casportpony]

Thanks for the update! Glad she's doing well.

 

[Abriana]

Yay!

 

[WVduckchick]

Awesome. Can you show us a new picture??

I thought of this thread the other day. In my bantam cochin pen, I just caught the end of a scuffle as an older chick was running off a young one. The younger one ran into the end of one of those long metal tray type feeders, with the divider that hangs/twirls in the middle. It has holes on the end, where the divider snaps in. Well this chick's beak somehow got stuck in the hole! It was pulling, trying to get loose, going nuts! They had a habit of turning the whole feeder over, so i screwed it down to a wide board. There was no way he could move the feeder. I quickly grabbed him, and tried pulling his beak out. It was stuck good! I had to push it out from inside the tray. If he had kept pulling, I suspect it would have broken off like your chicks did. Freak accident. It bled a little, and has a little knick on one side, but he is fine.