How to hand feed a severe crossbeak 5-week old chick?

[counterWULF]

Her bottom beak is as far to the right as it can possibly go. She uses her top beak to peck at food but we don't see how she can even pick anything up. I'm not sure if she's able to drink water. She HAS been growing, so she must be getting something, but this week we've noticed the other hens are outgrowing her and our daughters believe she is starting to starve. We'd like to do what we can to save her but aren't sure how to hand-feed and water her. I read someone else on here who switched off normal chicken food and was feeding hard boiled eggs and fruits. Not sure if the chick can somehow get that down easier. Others suggested force feeding with wet/mushy crumbles/pellets. We can try that too. I would just need some sort of video or tutorial explaining it all so we don't make matters worse. We'll help her the best we can until we realize there's nothing else that can be done. I also remember reading someone on here mention their crossbeak was their best egg layer, so we have some hope that this might work out. Not sure if their crossbeak was as extreme as ours. I'll see if I can get a photo to post. I've noticed the other chicks will try to peck at the inside of her open bottom beak and there's nothing she can do to stop them.

 

[ChickNanny13]

A picture would help us see what you're dealing with. You could wet some of the crumbles, making like a mash, she maybe able to get it scooped into her mouth and get water at the same time. Most will recommend culling with a severe crossbeam unless you have the time for the extra care.
Yes, I've read how some have raised a cross beaker with extra care & probably need to be separated from the main flock. Possibly keeping it with another that's mellow & not picking on it.

 

[counterWULF]

A picture would help us see what you're dealing with. You could wet some of the crumbles, making like a mash, she maybe able to get it scooped into her mouth and get water at the same time. Most will recommend culling with a severe crossbeam unless you have the time for the extra care.
Yes, I've read how some have raised a cross beaker with extra care & probably need to be separated from the main flock. Possibly keeping it with another that's mellow & not picking on it.

I will try to get photos. Thanks for replying. Fingers crossed this works out. The ones that need the most love are the ones we seem to love the most here at our farm. Culling for many is a first resort, whereas with us it is the last resort. Of course, we don't want any of our animals to suffer, so there has to be balance in that decision.

 

[KSH1]

I would think wet food would be easier for her to not drop as well as to slide down. If it came to it, I wonder if you could rig up something like a nipple waterer with liquid food...

 

[Arkady]

I have a girl missing her entire top beak and she eats a liquid (pudding consistency) diet. When she first came in she was skin and bones so we used the ‘baby bird food’ recipe from the rescue I volunteer at (with a few additions tailored to an adult hen) until she regained her weight. Now I make one batch every week and I’m starting to substitute layer crumbles for some of the other dry ingredients before I mix it all up with water. Hopefully I’ll soon be able to use all soaked and pureed layer crumbles in another month or so which will greatly simplify the process. She’s laying 5-6 eggs per week so I think this must be meeting her nutritional needs.

Here’s the original recipe I used, quadrupled for a week’s worth of chicken food:

8 cups dry cat food soaked in warm water
2 Tbsp smooth peanut butter
4 Tbsp yogurt (if this gives her diarrhea use avian probiotics instead)
2 cans ‘Fancy Feast’ cat food (classic pate’ style is easiest to mix in)
2 scoops Kaytee Exact
2 Tbsp Omega 3-6-9 oil (fish oil is fine; I use Udo’s for less odor)
3 Tbsp Avian Calcium (if she’s not laying she won’t need nearly this much; can be hard on juveniles’ kidneys)
2 cups pureed greens/veggies/fruit

Mix it all together using a food processor or an immersion blender. I usually freeze half of it to thaw out and use in the second half of the week.

One thing I found that works great for a bird with a faulty beak is using a martini glass to put her food in (I bought some plastic disposable ones from Amazon). The funnel shape makes it possible for her to get nearly every drop. Also, if you feed her in the house you might want to stand a box on its side and put the food in there so she doesn’t shake food droplets all over the surrounding area. Good luck and bless you for loving this special needs baby.

 

[sourland]

Provide feed in a deep bowl so that she can access it - in my experience moistened/fermented feed has worked best. With some birds beak trimming is also needed.