Scissor beak hen not able to eat

[spicewood chick]

I have a little scissor beak hen I bought and she is about 4 months old now and was eating ok until we this morning she is weak and obviously can get her food. I give
Them
Chopped tomatoes and squash in afternoon as a treat and she dives into it and now I know it's because she is starving. What can I do to help her eat

 

[lazy gardener]

IMO, she is so seriously deformed that you would either have to tube feed her, or euthanize her. sorry. She's loosing condition b/c she can't eat enough to meet her basic needs.

 

[lazy gardener]

IMO, that is a deformity, not an injury. Scissor beak often starts out very mild, but it is not just a beak deformity. It is also a skull deformity. So as the bird grows, the deformity becomes more and more severe. As for using a fish net to catch birds, sometimes that is the easiest and most humane way to catch a bird. Better to net one than chase her around to the point of exhaustion. Unless you are prepared to learn how to tube feed her, culling would be the most humane option.

 

[bobbi-j]

Had her put down today, very sad

This is the hard part about chicken keeping. Sometimes we have to make the hard decisions and put them out of their misery. You did the best you could and gave her every chance before you put her down. You did good.

 

[MagpieDucks]

I have a little scissor beak hen I bought and she is about 4 months old now and was eating ok until we this morning she is weak and obviously can get her food. I give
Them
Chopped tomatoes and squash in afternoon as a treat and she dives into it and now I know it's because she is starving. What can I do to help her eat

Can you post a picture?

 

[Mrs. K]

I had one, when they are small, they can keep up. But as they grow, their body requires more food, and overtime, they cannot eat enough to maintain the body. They are slowly starving to death.

I do not believe you can trim this to improve eating, and even with food modification I think she will fail to thrive. I agree with Lazy Gardener, it is time for the coop de grace.

 

[spicewood chick]

Had her put down today, very sad

 

[Margie Mae]

So sorry for you and your little one.
I had a polish chick that started showing signs of cross beak at a couple of weeks. I wanted to try and give her some life to live as she had the best personality of the four chicks that I got. Gave her personal feeding time everyday but did not thrive as well as the others. She lasted eight weeks and was not well enough to make the transition to coop living. Hindsight I should not have tried to move her out with the others. And I would have been tied to this special needs chicken for as long as she lived. She died while I held her. Cried for not being a good chicken Mom and buried her next to the coop.

 

[sourland]

Trim her beak just as you would a dog's toenails. Provide moistened mash in a deep bowl so it is easier for her to eat. Good luck.

 

[spicewood chick]

Trim her beak just as you would a dog's toenails. Provide moistened mash in a deep bowl so it is easier for her to eat. Good luck.