Injury to beak- leave it alone or treatment options?

[Cleopatra Opal]

We have two flocks soon (hopefully) to be joined as one; our two-year-old girls and our 10-week-old girls. The younger pullets are in an enclosed coop and small run within the big girls run. They are separated by hardware cloth. Getting ready to integrate them so we have them as close together as possible without physical interaction. One of our big girls (which happens to be lowest in the pecking order) has decided to constantly try to get at them and shove her beak through the hardware cloth. It has caused an injury to it. Is this something that will correct

and heal on its own or is there some type of treatment that can be done to prevent it from peeling further?

 

[azygous]

Beaks are made of the same material as our toe tails - keratin. I've had issues with brittle toe nails and coconut oil seems to soften and nourish the keratin and they seem less brittle.

Chicken beaks can repair themselves as long as you can keep the beak intact. Coconut oil will moisturize the beak and keep it supple and less likely to break. I would rub coconut oil into her beak morning and evening until the damaged part fills back in.

If the beak threatens to break, you can super glue a small bit of tea bag paper over the damage to hold it together until it repairs itself with new protein material. It might be helpful to give her animal protein a few times a week to help generate the protein for repair.

 

[Cleopatra Opal]

She won't like me for it, but that's a great idea! Thank you for the reply