Rooster? 🐓 / Also Cross Beak

[CaroleW]

I have a chick from a hatchery that started developing crossbeak at 6 weeks. She seems to be doing well now at 13 weeks even at times at top of pecking order. I've read and watched some videos (not specifically addressing beak issues but just general small farm/poultry keeper videos) that show thier birds with beak deformities like crossbeak or part of beak missing and the owners keep a good eye on them feeding them differently (like wetted food or feeding separately in a bowl that they can scoop up better so they get a good portion).

I was very worried at first but realize that this is life - not everyone is dealt the same hand - animals take it better than people and get by best they can for as long as they can and hardly ever feel sorry for themselves.

I also read that a mama hen can sometimes correct a chicks crossbeak - I think that is miraculous - I can't correct it but a mama hen might!

 

[AyamSiriusBlack]

I have a chick from a hatchery that started developing crossbeak at 6 weeks. She seems to be doing well now at 13 weeks even at times at top of pecking order. I've read and watched some videos (not specifically addressing beak issues but just general small farm/poultry keeper videos) that show thier birds with beak deformities like crossbeak or part of beak missing and the owners keep a good eye on them feeding them differently (like wetted food or feeding separately in a bowl that they can scoop up better so they get a good portion).

I was very worried at first but realize that this is life - not everyone is dealt the same hand - animals take it better than people and get by best they can for as long as they can and hardly ever feel sorry for themselves.

I also read that a mama hen can sometimes correct a chicks crossbeak - I think that is miraculous - I can't correct it but a mama hen might!

We are doing a lot better now. I wet her (mash) food to the consistency of brown sugar and she can now chomp it up. I also have a nutritional powder that I mix up that I used when I was tube feeding one of my sick hens this past winter. She can actually fill her crop now!

 

[Ann With A Plan]

I have one crossed beak chick. My daughter said she had several friends who had at least one each and they did just fine. I looked it up and others have said the same thing.
Ours (Chubby Cheeks, granddaughter named her that) does ok. We do give her worms off to the side because it takes her a lot longer to eat them and the others will snatch them away too quickly.

She likes to follow us and knows that if I'm near the door I MUST be opening it, haha, and she will stop what she's doing and run straight for it. She's always underfoot, too, so I have to constantly watch out for her. She has a hard time eating, but the others don't mind when she hops onto the feeder trying to eat, even walks over the tops of them while going around the feeder. But she does get food and water and is growing with the rest of them.
Sometimes it looks as if her lower beak goes back under the top one at times.