Please tell me I'm doing the right thing here

[PollyGirl21]

We've got a porcelain d'Uccle chick, about 8 weeks old (I think). She's got a cross-beak.
She hasn't been getting enough to eat because of her deformity, and so she's much smaller than the other chicks. She seems active enough, but I know chickens like to mask their illnesses and her keel bone is prominent. Today we're going to move the other chicks in with the big chickens. She will get picked on by the big girls i'm sure, as well as have trouble expending all that energy trying to keep herself warm without the heat lamp. She might also have trouble climbing up all the ramps they climb and flying up on the roosts, as well as reaching the big feed and the water.
My family thinks that she is suffering and we should euthanize her today.
I just want to get a second opinion before we go through with it. Confirm that I'm doing the right thing?

I can post pictures if necessary.
Thank you.

 

[Kloie Grace]

Can I see some pics?

 

[Kloie Grace]

Filing the ends of the beak down with an emery board can help it to close more properly.



- Filing the beak every few weeks with a Dremel is sometimes suggested, but that can often terrify a young chick. A better option might be a pair of dog nail clippers. Regardless, any time you attempt to trim a chick or chicken's beak, be sure to have cornstarch handy, as the beak can easily bleed if you cut into the quick.

- Feeding crumbled feed and moistening the feed with warm water, raw egg or some yogurt to make it easier for the chick to scoop the feed instead of pecking at it.

- Feeding some foods that are high in protein such as scrambled eggs, mealworms and sunflower seeds can help the beak grow normally.


If the chick really is suffering, and you cant care for her. Euthanization might be best.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I have a girl with scissor beak that's almost 8 weeks (wow, they grow fast, feels like just a few weeks since she hatched)

She's small and still rather skinny, but she does more than just pound her food trying to eat so I consider her to be doing well. Mine can't scoop food because of the angle so I find a deep dish lets get hit the crumble head on easier to eat it

 

[PollyGirl21]

I feel like routinely restraining her and putting a power tool next to her face would be more traumatic than gently drifting off to sleep. Here are some pics of her and her friend who is also a d’Uccle the same age as her so you can see the size difference

 

[Kloie Grace]

I feel like routinely restraining her and putting a power tool next to her face would be more traumatic than gently drifting off to sleep. Here are some pics of her and her friend who is also a d’Uccle the same age as her so you can see the size difference
View attachment 2208709

I also had those thoughts. She is small. You might need to put her to sleep

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Can you get a picture of her face? She might not need her beak trimmed yet and you can always just clip it with a nail clipper.


*Note I'm not saying not to put her down if it's best, but I know how hard it is to put down an animal you're attached to, especially once they've had a taste of life, so I'm trying to offer another hope. It's much easier to put down a day old than one who's gotten to explore and see the world and get a personality

 

[PollyGirl21]

Her beak is very overgrown. The top is curled around and the bottom is sticking out at such a bad angle (its almost horizontal) that even if we trimmed it, the beak would still not be aligned. It's a really severe case. She turns her head to stab at her food. I think she might be getting a bit of food down her, but not enough.

Just look at her sweet, expressive eyes



If she was acting desperate or listless, I would put her down with no doubts. But she isn't acting like she's suffering. She's acting so....normal. That's what is throwing me off.


If she can't maintain a good body temperature without a heat lamp in 60 degree weather though, theres no way she could make it through our harsh New England winter.


My family is still planning to euthanize her today.

She's so alive right now. Soon i'm going to be holding her lifeless body. It's really hard to think about.