Scissor Beak Help

[SMS]

Hi, I have a beautiful breeding pair of a Buff Orpington hen and a rare Mille Fleur d'Uccle rooster, and they go great together. The only downside is that the rooster has a very mild case of genetic scissor beak. The hen is laying fertile eggs from the rooster, and I am very tempted to hatch this rare crossbreed. Does anyone have experience with breeding scissor beak chickens? Do all of the chicks have the genetic deformity, or just a few? Should they even be bred at all? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

You really shouldn’t breed a scissor-beaked chicken.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I wouldn’t breed him unless you’re fully prepared to care for or cull any and all of his offspring that end up with a scissor beak. If you do breed him, don’t sell or give away his offspring for breeding purposes, as they could pass it on, even if they don’t have a scissor beak themselves. If you really want to breed this cross, I would use a different d’uccle. Where I live, d’uccles are very common and I always see d’uccle roosters offered for free on Craigslist. If that’s not the case for you, you could try to find a booted bantam or a d’anvers bantam instead, as they do have a lot of similarities.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

It will be passed genetically. One special needs bird is one thing a flock of 20 unmanageable. Just something to think about, and mild can become extreme in the down line especially a closed breeding group. What do you plan to do with the eggs and chicks... I would not be happy if I bought hatching eggs for instance and all chicks hatched had scissor beak. If you plan to sell the young birds you don’t want who is buying them? For meat they will fail to gain weight well in my experience and I would not purchase a scissor beak bird on purpose even if I planned not to breed them. These are just things to think about... and if the chicks have extreme deformity then you will have to cull. Heartbreaking.

I would look for a better breeding rooster.