Overgrown beak

[bridgetcanfly]

Hi all, just wondering what you can tell me about overgrown beaks and what to do about them?

I've done some research and come up with conflicting opinions; some say cut it yourself in small increments but that it will be an ongoing job for the lifespan of the hen, some say take them to the vet for an underlying disease and others say it fixes itself after a few trims.

So far her beak still opens fine, she's eating and happy but this seems to have developed over the last few weeks and she doesn't grind her beak or attempt to fix it (there's bricks in the run to hold up a second waterer). She's 3 months old and has just been changed over to hi-lay mash from pullet grower to accomodate our laying hen.

Any input will be appreciated!

 

[lisameow]

Try filing. I know you can do that with other birds but maybe take her to the vet just to sure it's not serious

 

[rosemarythyme]

You can probably just file it back or use a dog/cat nail trimmer carefully. If you look at it with a good source of light, you can see through the beak and see where the outer portion is in comparison to the inner (sorry, don't know the terminology - it's like a dog's nail or your own fingernail, it's see through there it's safe to cut back and opaque otherwise.).

I have an EE that has developed a very mild misalignment and the tip was starting to hook over, not as severely as yours but it was noticeable enough. I used an emery board, filed back the tip and the one side that was more overgrown, and she immediately went right back to eating. Beaks grow constantly just like nails do, so it's just something I'll need to stay on top of.

 

[lala4578]

Wow I had no idea their beak can get that long! I have a blind chicken who needs beak and nail trimmings. I have her story on here called Keeping a Blind Chicken. I purchased nail clippers for small dogs and only take a small amount off at a time. They have worked great so far.

 

[bridgetcanfly]

Thanks for the advice all, I have cat/small dog trimmers and a file so ill give that a try and see how she goes.

I was pretty surprised how fast it grew, she's always had a slightly hooked beak since I bought her as a day old chick so I didn't think much of it but then within the last 2 weeks it's grown out like crazy so I've been checking her daily and watching to see if she'd do something about it.

I'll have to have a look at your story Lala, one of my splash silkies is sight impaired and frequently loses the flock or runs into things

 

[lisameow]

let us know how it goes