Strange Beak

[Stacykins]

First, posting a normal looking chick of mine for your comparison to what normal is.









What do you think? The chick is not growing as well as the others that hatched at the same time. The chick is being broody raised.

Do you think it is something physical, like a mineral deficiency?

 

[chooks4life]

If it is a mineral deficiency and it's not affecting the others, then it could be that particular bird's specific inability to process of synthesize nutrients. Personally I think it may be a disease or inherited disorder.

Why is the neck that way? It seems the bird is hunching its head into its shoulders or something. I don't know, it just looks strange. And the upside down neck feathers are also strange. Does the chick have anything else different about it?

Best wishes.

 

[Stacykins]

Could be because I was holding the chick odd so I could actually get a picture of the beak. The chick is very feisty, at least!

The feathers are always this rough looking.




This a full sibling being raised by the same broody!.

 

[chooks4life]

I notice the sibling has smoother feathers, so I guess it'd be a safer bet to suppose it's either a deficiency that affects keratin, or a disease or inherited disorder which does the same.

On this forum I've seen a few people with chicks that look the same and it's not something that improves with time, from what I've seen, but I have yet to find out what it actually is.

Hopefully someone who does know can come and tell us. All the best.