Pheasant with Cross Beak

[craz e laid e]

I have a ring-neck pheasant about 8 - 10 wks. old that I just noticed has a cross beak. She did not have this condition at hatch, and I believe this a relatively new development, however, due to their flighty behavior, it may have been developing for awhile. I have tried to research it, and some say it is definetly genetic and others say it can be caused by an injury. I honestly think it could be due to injury the way they peck at the wire between cages. Could she have gotten her beak caught to cause this condition and if so, is there any treatment? I hatched approximately 50 chicks this year and, to my knowlege, she is the only one with this condition. If caused by injury, I would keep her for breeding, but not if genetic. If it is genetic, could it be because the parents are too closely related? I have 6 hens and 4 cocks I hatched from eggs, all from the same supplier. I've been trying to find someone who would like to trade a couple cocks. Any information anyone can give me will be greatly appreciated.

 

[ranit]

Personally since there is not way to know for sure if it is genetic, I would not keep her for a breeder. This is one of the problems that can crop up when breeding closely related birds. It's not fixable and you may have to clip the beak once in awhile if it is bad enough that she doesn't keep it worn down.

 

[chickensbirds]

I had a male Reeves' with cross beak, and it was very bad. He was given to me for this reason. I discovered that he was born with a normal beak, so I tried to improve his nutrition, because I have heard it can be caused by this in some cases. What cured him was a diet of Mazuri feed, and fresh fruits and vegetables daily, including apples, watermelon, canteloupe, pineapples, and green leafy lettuces, like Romaine, for the calcium.

So, if the bird was not born with it, it could be due to a poor diet of low quality chicken feed. This is woefully insufficient for a pheasant. However, you can correct what the breeder may have caused in many cases.
Incidentally, my Reeves' fathered many healthy chicks, none of them with crossed beak!

Good Luck to you.