Pullet with cross beak

[Mamalana]

Hi y'all.

I have some 6 week old chicks and one has a pretty severe sissor beak. We have affectionately named her Quazimota. She is at least half the size of the rest of the chicks and always hungry. She can't catch bugs and has a hard time foraging. She seems to always be eating, but I don't know how much gets in. I am considering culling her. I'm sad to do it because she is so sweet and also because out of the 10 chicks I got at least 5 are cockerels, so it's hard to loose a pullet. However, I don't want her to suffer. Is there anything I can do to help her? Or is it too extreme?

 

[FunClucks]

Wow. That's pretty extreme. I don't have a crossbeak and don't know much about them, but I've read a lot on here. My understanding is that you have to make a mash for her of her commercial chicken crumble whenever she eats, like oatmeal or applesauce consistency, in a deep dish so she can eat it.

If she's already struggling, she may not be able to survive without significant care from you long-term. Also, since she's half-size, if she does not catch up and stay a normal size soon, what are the odds she'll get enough nutrition to lay eggs for you?

 

[Mamalana]

Thanks @FunClucks. I was thinking the same thing. As you know from my other post, I just inherited 33 chickens that need a lot of revitalizing care and don't have energy for this cross beak situation. I imagine I could care for her, but it will be a lifetime of high maintenance. I already have a lot on my plate (bees, goats, chickens, quail, fruit trees, gardens, children, cat, dogs, rabbits, and so much more).

The kids love this bird because she runs to them to try to get food. I could try to put her care in their hands, but if/when she dies I just don't want the to think its their fault.

At what point is it most humane to cull her and do y'all have suggestions for how? Or is the old cone the best way?

 

[JaTexas]

Hi y'all.

I have some 6 week old chicks and one has a pretty severe sissor beak. We have affectionately named her Quazimota. She is at least half the size of the rest of the chicks and always hungry. She can't catch bugs and has a hard time foraging. She seems to always be eating, but I don't know how much gets in. I am considering culling her. I'm sad to do it because she is so sweet and also because out of the 10 chicks I got at least 5 are cockerels, so it's hard to loose a pullet. However, I don't want her to suffer. Is there anything I can do to help her? Or is it too extreme?

We nipped the tip of the out of place beak..just a bit for 3 days... It did not help. Day 8 she died and was about 1/4th the size of the others hatched the same day. We did go to Tractor Supply (not the original store) and purchased 4 more to make up for the one that left us.

 

[FunClucks]

I think the sooner she is culled the better, honestly. Because the longer she stays around the more attached your kids will be, and the harder it will be when she eventually dies. I just don't see good outcomes here. She is literally slowly starving to death right now. This is the hard part of chicken keeping. At my house there would be tears and a burial for this chick. We would probably give it a eulogy and a prayer. Some parents would just make this chick disappear, I see it as a learning opportunity. Neither approach is wrong - I'd pick whatever you think will work best for your family.

There will probably be a number of folks on here who completely disagree with me.

New healthy chicks and learning how to tame the other chicks you have can be a good task for children. There are many other things for them to love.

Knife and kill cone will work fine as long as you have a cut-proof glove for your non-cutting hand. I like to wrap them in a towel to keep them in place good before putting them in the kill cone. For a chick this small, tree loppers or pipe cutters would work fine also.

Personally, I'd wrap her in a towel, set her on my lap, and dislocate her head by pulling it quickly away from her body. No blood, no mess, almost no pain for the chicken, and death happens instantly. A clean body to bury for the kids. Just don't keep pulling after you feel the pop or the head can come off all the way (I've never had that happen, but I'm also not super strong). I dispatched at least 7 CX that were 5 wks old (dressed out to about 4-5 lbs) using this method, and it worked very well - I like it better than the knife because it's quicker and practically painless for the chicken, but you have to have the arm strength (5 wk old CX is my limit on size).