scissor beak help!!

[comedianchick]

i have a 7 week old silkie who has a slight crossbeak i am wondering if it will get worse and if there is anything at all that can be done to fix it.I will not cull because she isny in pain right now. although I know it can get to the point where they can no longer eat i very worried because this has happened to my bird before and she passed away

THANK YOU

 

[comedianchick]

i forgot to mention that the bottom beak is crooked and i have heard about using rubber bands to fix it

 

[Chickenaddict]

Cross beak is a skull deformity there is no way to fix it, I have heard it could get worse but tell that to my year old cross beak serama hen. Her case is still mild. You can clip the bottom a bit but be careful not to hit the "quick"

 

[mypicklebird]

Slight at 7 weeks will likely be severe as an adult. The beak grows constantly- and if not aligned properly- the problem will perpetuate itself and get worse.

search for scissor beak, lots of discussion on it. trauma or genetic cause. no easy fix, and unlikely the bird will ever be normal. most do not get appropriate care and monitoring and do not get enough to eat, are stunted and end up sadly starving to death around 6-12months as the problem gets more and more severe.

you can try to correct it, but if you cannot commit to weekly checks on crop and weight, as well as probably weekly to every two weeks beak checks and dremmeling- culling would be the kind thing to do in most cases.

The chick may not be in any pain right now, but it will likely become perpetually hungry. In many cases, the lower beak dislocates as the top beak curves around and pushes it to the side. This is painful.

The rubber band might help realign the lower portion, if the upper beak is dremmeled to a normal shape. But as the underlying problem is still there (trauma or genetic issue with growing part of beak), it will likely continue to grow crooked.

 

[comedianchick]

so there is absolutely nothing to be done except monitor her? how would i go about doing the rubber band thing?

 

[mypicklebird]

dremmel it every 2 weeks to as close to normal as you can get. I wouldn't bother with a rubber band myself, it is more likely to get in the way of eating. When I am dremmeling a scissor beak, I will dremmel to the quick if needs be. be ready to stop the bleeding with styptic powder or silver nitrate if needed.