Problems with beak

[jamieanne9]

Hi! I am new to chickens as of this year! (Loving it already!!) The first 12 we got are pullers from Tractor Supply. They are getting big and are awesome! We recently inherited 9 more chicks from a school who hatched them in class. We have no clue the breeds. My pmroblem is that one of them has a pretty severe beak problem. The top and bottom beak are not even close to matching up. Is there anything I can do for it? He/she pecks at the food and water but I am not sure how much it is getting. I am starting to notice that it is not as big as the other ones anymore either. The pic I attached is from last week and the beak has gotten worse since then. Any help or insight would be appreciated.

 

[jamieanne9]

Pullets, not pullers

 

[realsis]

hi this is called a cross beak. I also have a cross beak I've raised from a chick
mine is 6 months old now doing great and getting ready to lay. with a little help from you she can lead a completely normal happy life. first you MUST keep her beak trimmed or it will continue to progressively get worse. I trim once a month. mostly I trim the top beak but I have had to also trim the bottom. you must use extreme caution when trimming the bottom! the tongue is there. with both top and bottom beak trimming I use toe nail clippers in very very small increments at a time. sometimes blood is present if you trim too much but that has only happened Once in 6 months. so trimming will keep this condition in check and drastically help the bird its very important to do!! second I take the regular feed and add water to it making a mash. I mash it up and feed her separately. she is able to eat a much larger quantity this way and it keeps her weight up. I learned this the hard way.mine was on seed and appeared to be eating it OK. my bird is a silkie so she is very fluffy. until I picked her up and realized she was dangerously thin! after starting the mash she eats a lot more she really loves it and she finally gained her weight! thank God! other than doing those two simple things she is just like any other regular chicken. she now leads a happy healthy life. I do add vitamins to the water every know and then too to help. I hope this helps you with your little one! these two things are very important. this will help your bird live a happy healthy life. best wishes

 

[jamieanne9]

Thank you!