Silkie thread!

[CarolinaChickenKeeper]

I'm not an expert, but I have researched crossed beak. Supposedly there are several types. One being genetic and the other being injury. I am under the assumption that when a crossed beak occurs later it's genetic. Some type of deformity in the sinus cavity causing the top beak to cross. It can not be corrected with trimming.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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Same here...I only have gotten one crossbeak and I do recall a newly hatched chick just pecking away inside the incubator...I really can't say for sure it was this one or not but it sure seems it is the trauma to the beak early in life.

Looking at the pics of the two with cross beak you can see the beak itself is a bit twisted. With the girl I have the beak is entirely normal looking but when trimming is needed just does not quite meet. If I trim her just right I have trouble finding her again. Its like right at the hinge of her jaw it doesn't quite align. That might be the difference between genetic and injury, a normal beak that doesn't align and one where the beak itself is twisted.

To answer all the questions on crossed beaks, Hutt, in Genetics of the Fowl discusses genetic issues in the chapter on skeletal abnormalities. http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi...node=2837819:5&frm=frameset&view=image&seq=60

If you google "crossed beak" or "twisted beak" or "tweaked beak" or "scissor beak" you will find some references to parrots and other birds, and a wider range of information.

By mash, I mean very finely ground feed: almost powdery. In general, processed feed comes in mash, crumbles or pellets. The year I used mash was the year I had a number of cross beaked babies. Stopped using mash and have had very few since then. Regardless of whether I believe it to be genetic or not, I would not breed a cross beaked bird.

I have had a couple of adult birds whose beaks started curving toward the side (both upper and lower and staying aligned with each other). I believe this was either improper trimming or something impacting the inner edges of the beak. And I currently have one whose beak seems to be slightly offset at the jaw. Neither beak curves or twists, but they do not line up.

Whenever I bathe a bird or otherwise groom it, I open and check inside the mouth, and occasionally need to clean out along the beak edges with a toothpick.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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He looks like a splash-based calico.

 

[LillyBantam]

Hey everyone.

I know it's impossible to sex silkies, but thought you might be able to help me figure mine out. She/he is about 6 weeks old in this pic. They are 8 weeks old now, and the crest is bigger and poofier now. What do you think... Pullet or Cockerel? I have two Bantam cockerels too, one started crowing a couple of weeks ago. But he is wellbehaved and looks after the girls. Only thing is, this Silkie picture pinned him down by the neck the other day, so is showing male behaviour. Could this be a young bird just trying out his/her larger size than the bantam? Or def male behaviour?

This is the white one, they look the same, but this one tends to be quiter.

thanks!

 

[robin416]

Sonoran, it was faster to get my book out. LOL But at least it gave me the page number to refer to.

If you look at the ex. pic and the description then the two pictured earlier would certainly fit what they had to say about it. The girl I have does not have that curl or bend or curve. Its so danged hot but I will try to get a good pic of her later and you can see why I think this type of mis-alignment is more than likely injury at an early age.

 

[jen5680]

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I think that partridge pullet is a male.

 

[mljohnson05]

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I think that partridge pullet is a male.

X2

 

[emvickrey]

The crossed beak chicks i've had where all other than silkies. I've gotten eggs from swaps and some of those turned out with crossed beaks. I only feed my chicks starter crumbles till they get their feathers. After that they free range and get a mixture of starter crumbles and scratch grains and what ever treats that get tossed in that the adults let them get to.

I never keep any cross beak birds. I don't want to breed them incase it is genetic. The only bird here that isn't for breeding is my house chicken and she has a deformaty is why she isn't in a breeding pen. Plus I got attached to her

Her eggs get pickled. lol

 

[hoppy]

can I show this bird and if so, what do I call her color.
she is blue based with leaky silver in her hackles and chest.

 

[racuda]

I was evaluating my Silkie chicks today. They are 9 weeks old and at this age determining the sex is usually a wild guess, but I think this one is definitely a little girl. What do you think?