Short video on crossbill with 3 beaks

[36925]

This is my 4 month old Easter egger crossbill who is now growing another beak between her upper and lower beaks, it's about 1/4 inch long now, and weirdly, sometimes it is retracted and not visible. It's not her tongue, I can feel the extra beak and it's hard beaklike material, plus I can see her tongue clearly as se flicks it in and out constantly when eating. Weird?

 

[tackyrama]

Why haven't you done the right thing?

 

[36925]

The right thing? This chicken is quite content, it just takes her longer to eat, and she is super friendly, running with the other birds when I let them free range and doing everything that they do, including pecking and scratching, she just doesn't get anything picked up and I doubt if she realizes that she's different in that respect from the other birds. If she is ever suffering, I'll do your version of the "right thing". Right now the right thing is to see that the feeder she eats from is always full, and to let her live and interact with the rest of the flock. 36925

 

[ChickieKeeta]

I have dial-up and it will take quite some time to
see the video. I did get 2 seconds. She is a pretty girl.
I have a cross beaked chick. She is doing well.

Hooray for happy, healthy living beings with an imperfect physical form.

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

my advise is for you to trim the cross beak back to the blood line and keep the fed deep
so she can get some of it

keep the beaks so they are actually normal so she can eat and do things as normal as possible

I could not hear the video but seen what you were talking about

use a small nail sissors to cut the beaks back or a large nail clippers
then also a nail file

any questions email me

 

[kristenm1975]

Wow, wouldn't it be nice to always know what the "right thing" is ?

 

[chickenbottom]

i think she is beautiful in her own way and if she is thriving there is no need to cull and