Silkie with cross beak

[Adorae]

I received my order from Cackle Hatchery today and one of my Silkies is a cross beak.
How severe is this? Will this baby be able to eat? And is there anything I can do to help it?

 

[sourland]

That is not bad now, and the chick should have no problem eating. Cross beak can be a progressive problem and may get worse. Monitor closely, and good luck.

 

[Adorae]

That is not bad now, and the chick should have no problem eating. Cross beak can be a progressive problem and may get worse. Monitor closely, and good luck.

Thank you! That’s reassuring to hear. I’ll keep a close eye on the poor baby.

 

[AMont17]

I received my order from Cackle Hatchery today and one of my Silkies is a cross beak.
How severe is this? Will this baby be able to eat? And is there anything I can do to help it?View attachment 3464117

I received my order from Cackle Hatchery today and one of my Silkies is a cross beak.
How severe is this? Will this baby be able to eat? And is there anything I can do to help it?View attachment 3464117View attachment 3464116

What a cutie! I have a black Silkie who has a cross beak that started to progressively get worse as she grew. We started trimming her beak weekly to help it align better and have continued this. Please research on how to properly do this to ensure you don’t trim too much and injure it. We use a drimel to trim so it doesn’t leave her with sharp edges. She’s almost a year old now and acts just like the other chickens, eating and finding bugs, but I do notice a lot of food falling out her beak when she eats. I feed her chick starter feed soaked in water to make a “mashed” consistency and she loves it! I try to offer this and other soft/mashed treats daily to make sure she’s getting enough food. There’s a Facebook group called “cross beak poultry in motion”. Best of luck!

 

[Adorae]

Unfortunately it wasn't eating at all on its own and passed away. The poor thing had other problems with it too, it was missing an eye and the head looked a bit misshapen under the fluff.

 

[AMont17]

Unfortunately it wasn't eating at all on its own and passed away. The poor thing had other problems with it too, it was missing an eye and the head looked a bit misshapen under the fluff.

Aw, I’m so sorry to hear that if you ever get a cross beak again just know that it’s not typically a death sentence. They are capable of living happy, healthy lives.