Problem child

[Rktekt]

There is always one problem child. Ours is a severely cross beaked 7 week old. She is half the size of the other five. She is constantly feeding and drinking she is the most vocal as well. And the most daring of them all. I trimmed the beak but that didn’t really do anything. I’m fifty feet away and it jumped onto the ledge and is calling me.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

My guess is she is getting very little food or water with that severe of a cross beak making her cry out in hunger and thirst all the time. Her small size is testimony to lack of nutrition and possibly other internal malfunctions as well. She would be designated as "failure to thrive" as she is half the size.

The answer is likely how much time and effort you are willing to exert for her, times that over her lifetime.

If you are dedicated to her care, I would recommend hand feeding her directly into her mouth being careful to not flood her gullet. She may become happier and begin to gain weight.

She likely is never going to be your strongest chicken. As said I suspect other factors are at work as well.

LofMc

 

[LaFleche]

There is always one problem child. Ours is a severely cross beaked 7 week old. She is half the size of the other five. She is constantly feeding and drinking she is the most vocal as well. And the most daring of them all. I trimmed the beak but that didn’t really do anything. I’m fifty feet away and it jumped onto the ledge and is calling me.

If you want to keep her, you should learn to tube feed her so she no longer has to starve as she obviously is not able to ingest enough on her own.

 

[BunnyEberhart]

Try giving her food that is wet like a mash. I agree she is probably not getting enough food so she is always trying to eat. Here is a video about a crossbeak chicken. It has good info on feeding and such.

 

[LaFleche]

This article might help you how to do it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...kens-including-tube-feeding-techniques.64321/

In addition she needs help with her personal hygiene as she is not able to preen herself.

 

[Rktekt]

well, she is eating better now because they are no longer in a small plastic box under a heat lamp. So the chickens are not knocking the feeder over and let her eat. The other chickens like to scratch around for their food mostly. While the cross beaked one sits at the feeder and then the water, feeder, then water. Then once in a while the other chickens eat the leftovers on her beak.

 

[LaFleche]

well, she is eating better now because they are no longer in a small plastic box under a heat lamp. So the chickens are not knocking the feeder over and let her eat. The other chickens like to scratch around for their food mostly. While the cross beaked one sits at the feeder and then the water, feeder, then water. Then once in a while the other chickens eat the leftovers on her beak.

She is half the size of the other five. She is constantly feeding and drinking

Imagine: Although she is constantly feeding and drinking she still is only half the size of the other same aged chicks. This translates: She is starving. Although she is constantly trying to get food and water she just gets half of the necessary amount of nutrients.

 

[LaFleche]

Taking a closer look at your feeder shows, that she is not really able to get food out of it as her crossed mandible will hinder her to dig in these holes. Let her have a deep dish like a well filled bowl to get at the feed. I suppose the same goes for the water.

 

[Rktekt]

The problem child, now named Dim Sum, likes to eat out of a solo cup. So I made this.

 

[LaFleche]

The problem child, now named Dim Sum, likes to eat out of a solo cup. So I made this.

Seems to work for Dim Sum. What solution did you come up with for the deeper water bowel?