Point Me at Info in re: Crossbeaks?

[3KillerBs]

The search feature is only turning up one article on long-term care for special needs birds. Can someone point me at good general information in re: Crossbeak chickens?

One of my Olive Eggers has developed the problem and I'd like to know,

Is it genetic or environmental?

And if environmental, how is it prevented?

Is the chick, not quite 3 weeks old (Easter hatch), likely to need to be culled young or will it live long enough and grow well enough to harvest along with the cull cockerels when big enough to be worth eating?

I really would hate to have to cull a chick that's too small to eat but I wouldn't want her suffering while I wait for her to grow up. However, I have no intention of pampering a special needs bird.

 

[sourland]

A lot depends upon 'if' or how rapidly the condition worsens. I believe it is genetic in origin. Some chicks do fine. Others have rapid, extensive distortion of their beaks. Providing moistened feed in a deep dish can help enable eating. Beak trimming can help with some birds. Maintaining such birds is generally a lifetime project.

 

[3KillerBs]

A lot depends upon 'if' or how rapidly the condition worsens. I believe it is genetic in origin. Some chicks do fine. Others have rapid, extensive distortion of their beaks. Providing moistened feed in a deep dish can help enable eating. Beak trimming can help with some birds. Maintaining such birds is generally a lifetime project.

Thank you.

I guess I will have to watch and see. I have no intention of keeping her -- I just want to avoid the waste of culling her before she's big enough to eat.

 

[3KillerBs]

P.S. If there were something environmental I could do to prevent it I'd be willing to adopt best practices, of course.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

The ameraucana i had that had it was genetic as i bred her and all her chicks had it so all where culled just aint worth my time for that

 

[3KillerBs]

The ameraucana i had that had it was genetic as i bred her and all her chicks had it so all where culled just aint worth my time for that

It is my intent to do what's necessary to have a healthy flock that thrives in my environment under my management system.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Depending on how bad it gets, the chick should survive until harvesting age, but may not get as big or meaty as others.

From what I can tell, there's a genetic component to crossbeaks but I don't know if anyone's ever actually analyzed it to figure out what's going on. Seems to be a higher percentage of them in EE type birds.

 

[3KillerBs]

Depending on how bad it gets, the chick should survive until harvesting age, but may not get as big or meaty as others.

From what I can tell, there's a genetic component to crossbeaks but I don't know if anyone's ever actually analyzed it to figure out what's going on. Seems to be a higher percentage of them in EE type birds.

I guess I just keep an eye on her.

 

[3KillerBs]

I forgot to update this thread.

The crossbeak was male and I should have culled him young. I kept checking his crop at night and he *seemed* to be eating properly, but once I got the feathers off at harvesting age it was evident that he'd spent months semi-starving. He was half the weight of his brothers and a definite condition one on this chart.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

The search feature is only turning up one article on long-term care for special needs birds. Can someone point me at good general information in re: Crossbeak chickens?

One of my Olive Eggers has developed the problem and I'd like to know,

Is it genetic or environmental?

And if environmental, how is it prevented?

Is the chick, not quite 3 weeks old (Easter hatch), likely to need to be culled young or will it live long enough and grow well enough to harvest along with the cull cockerels when big enough to be worth eating?

I really would hate to have to cull a chick that's too small to eat but I wouldn't want her suffering while I wait for her to grow up. However, I have no intention of pampering a special needs bird.

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I've seen it pop up from injury as well as just suddenly, likely from something genetically not matching up how it should. I don't keep them and absolutely won't breed them, so I don't know if it's inherited or not in those.

I did have a quail I eggtopsied that had horrendous crossing even before it hatched, likely why it didn't hatch, but I think that was incubator issues, since I did quite a bit wrong by accident in that batch.

I would let her keep growing until her beak gets worse (it might or it might not), just know she won't be as plump as the boys her age because she isn't eating as well. It would be easier if it was both top and bottom beak that was crooked since they would still line up, but I would keep an eye on it