no beak

[summertimeislife]

hello, I have a hen is about two years old and lost her beak (has the new nickname toothless) in a fight with a possum! she doesn't seem to be in pain and I'm feeding her wet feed and mushed up worms. any tips? am I doing the right thing?

 

[JadeFarms]

Omg! Do you have pics?!?

 

[summertimeislife]

Omg! Do you have pics?!?

she looks like this gal

 

[JadeFarms]

As long as you keep doing what you are doing, she should be fine. Get her rooster booster with the most vitamins.

 

[summertimeislife]

As long as you keep doing what you are doing, she should be fine. Get her rooster booster with the most vitamins.

thank you

 

[AmyJane725]

Wow, so she really has no beak at all? That's rough.

Yeah, keep up with the soft food and get some Poultry Cell (I believe it's Rooster Booster brand).

Are you prepared to have a special needs bird for life?

Also, you might have to give her baths every so often. She's not going to be able to preen herself without a beak. Keep a close eye out for parasites.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Oh, and by the way, I guarantee she's in pain. She just had a significant amount of bone amputated in a violent way. Prey animals are just really good at disguising their pain.

 

[AmyJane725]

@Fishkeeper

Do you think some aspirin would help with the pain? (As long as she doesn't have any bleeding still going on from the attack)

 

[Fishkeeper]

It would, yes, but you should research the dosage. I have no idea what amount would be appropriate, I just know you can use aspirin on chickens. Kudos for caring about pain relief, by the way.

 

[AmyJane725]

It would, yes, but you should research the dosage. I have no idea what amount would be appropriate, I just know you can use aspirin on chickens. Kudos for caring about pain relief, by the way.

I can help with that one.

Aspirin: 5 mg/kg which is ~2.3 mg per pound three times a day or dissolve a 325 mg tablet in 250 mL (8 ounces) of water.

And if you were talking to me about the caring about pain relief thing, thanks. I love my chickens so flippin' much it's not even funny. I've looked into just about everything I can on their health and medical treatment. I'm still learning, but the desire to always improve is there.

Meloxicam (Metacam) is also an option. It helps pain and inflammation. It's Rx only though, so you'd have to take her to the vet.