Hello there! Just wanted to share our experience with a crossbeak chick. We got our gals as 2 day old baby chicks, and like you, didn’t notice any crossbeak issues at first. As the weeks went on, it was clear that out lavender Americauna girl had a crossbeak. We did all of the “do’s”, including weekly beak trimming with a dremel, hand fed her hard boiled egg yolks, moistened her feed. She was the first one to hop up onto the chick roost, and was certainly not at the bottom of the social order. As the weeks went on, she became more and more vocal when she’d see us, and especially when it was time for us to leave the brooder/coop. She would loudly cry whenever we left. Her crossbeak only got worse, and we understood the vocalizing was that she was always hungry, never really able to fill her crop, despite the wet food and hand fed egg yolks. As the others grew, she remained the same size. The day came when she was unable to jump to her roost, for her sake we had euthanize her. It was a really bad day. But having exhausted all care options, it was the best and most humane thing for her. After doing research and reaching out for advice from more experienced folks, we decided to use sharp shears to euthanize her. Some folks said using starter fluid or baking soda and vinegar in a closed container would work, but the research we did indicated that these options can cause undue stress and pain.
So that was just our experience, if for nothing else, you’re not alone in having a special needs chick. If she’s eating and drinking, and you can manage beak trimming, you’re in for a wonderful treat of a bird. Crossbeaks can be great companions to injured flock mates who would have to otherwise be isolated (crossbeaks can’t peck or cause further damage to injuries!) Good luck in the weeks that come, and I hope everything works out well!!!
