1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
Easter Egger, 4 months, smallest pullet I have but she's also the only EE and has always been the smallest
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
Last night I noticed that she chipped off the tip of her beak. There is no blood, and she is still able to eat, but the tip of her beak is in a jagged shape that looks like a W now.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
I just noticed it last night, but the last time we did a good thorough bird check was last Thursday or Friday so it may have been this way for a few days.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
Our light Brahma also has a slightly chipped beak, but hers is just a tiny bit missing and it is flat on the end instead of jagged.
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
None, she's acting normally.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
We have some cement posts holding their run up, and they have been pecking off the cardboard from the forms we used to pour the concrete into.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
Eating and drinking normally.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
I haven't noticed any changes in the poop in the run, but they are all in there together.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
None as she is eating/drinking normally.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
Treat her myself, take her to a vet if she starts having trouble eating.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
I don't, but I can try to take one at home tonight. It looks almost exactly like this picture here, only with a smaller point on the left side as well: http://www.themodernapprentice.com/beak_broken_before.jpg
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
SweetPDZ is the substrate in the coop.
Since she is able to eat and drink properly I would just leave her be, but this morning one of my other pullets had a small drop of blood on her head that I suspect may have been the result of a peck from this sharp jagged point on Sweetie's beak. Sweetie is pretty high on the pecking order so I'm more worried about the other birds getting pecked. Should I clip or buff down the sharp point so that she doesn't hurt them? The center part of her beak is what she uses to eat with (I watched this morning for some time to make sure she was eating) so I don't think it will hurt, but I also don't want to stress her out needlessly if it won't help either.
Also, is there anything I can put in their run to help file down their beaks as they grow? From what I read online it seems that beaks, like fingernails, can break easily if they aren't filed down regularly. The girls do wipe their beaks on the ground often and I always thought it was just when they had food stuck to them, but maybe they have been trying to whittle down their beaks. I remember giving cuttlebones to the little finches my sister had growing up. Is there anything like that for chickens?
Easter Egger, 4 months, smallest pullet I have but she's also the only EE and has always been the smallest
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
Last night I noticed that she chipped off the tip of her beak. There is no blood, and she is still able to eat, but the tip of her beak is in a jagged shape that looks like a W now.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
I just noticed it last night, but the last time we did a good thorough bird check was last Thursday or Friday so it may have been this way for a few days.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
Our light Brahma also has a slightly chipped beak, but hers is just a tiny bit missing and it is flat on the end instead of jagged.
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
None, she's acting normally.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
We have some cement posts holding their run up, and they have been pecking off the cardboard from the forms we used to pour the concrete into.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
Eating and drinking normally.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
I haven't noticed any changes in the poop in the run, but they are all in there together.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
None as she is eating/drinking normally.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
Treat her myself, take her to a vet if she starts having trouble eating.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
I don't, but I can try to take one at home tonight. It looks almost exactly like this picture here, only with a smaller point on the left side as well: http://www.themodernapprentice.com/beak_broken_before.jpg
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
SweetPDZ is the substrate in the coop.
Since she is able to eat and drink properly I would just leave her be, but this morning one of my other pullets had a small drop of blood on her head that I suspect may have been the result of a peck from this sharp jagged point on Sweetie's beak. Sweetie is pretty high on the pecking order so I'm more worried about the other birds getting pecked. Should I clip or buff down the sharp point so that she doesn't hurt them? The center part of her beak is what she uses to eat with (I watched this morning for some time to make sure she was eating) so I don't think it will hurt, but I also don't want to stress her out needlessly if it won't help either.
Also, is there anything I can put in their run to help file down their beaks as they grow? From what I read online it seems that beaks, like fingernails, can break easily if they aren't filed down regularly. The girls do wipe their beaks on the ground often and I always thought it was just when they had food stuck to them, but maybe they have been trying to whittle down their beaks. I remember giving cuttlebones to the little finches my sister had growing up. Is there anything like that for chickens?
