Taxidermy Guide?

[PippinChicken]

I have a precious little blue Ameraucana chick who developed a cross beak at only a few days old. While it seems to be eating and drinking alright now, the beak is also getting progressively worse and I expect it will have to be culled soon. If it does have to go that route, then I'd like to try to taxidermy it. I've taxidermied a few small rodents before and none of them turned out great, but if it's going to have to die anyway then I figured I might as well give it a shot. Does anyone know any good resources specifically for chicks? Or have any tips from your own experience?

 

[The Phantom]

I do taxidermy on birds like ducks and pheasants. All bird skin is like tissue paper so extremely thin. It will be very difficult to try to do a baby chicken. You can try. I normally use artificial heads and eyes, but the company I use only makes adult chicken heads and eyes. They have a large selection of eyes so I'm sure you could find some for it.
The body and neck are foam.
Hopefully she will get better.

 

[PippinChicken]

I do taxidermy on birds like ducks and pheasants. All bird skin is like tissue paper so extremely thin. It will be very difficult to try to do a baby chicken. You can try. I normally use artificial heads and eyes, but the company I use only makes adult chicken heads and eyes. They have a large selection of eyes so I'm sure you could find some for it.
The body and neck are foam.
Hopefully she will get better.

Thanks for the reply! Years ago my friend and I were going to try a robin and gave up as soon as we saw how thin the skin was, so I was guessing a young chick's would be just as bad (if not worse). Worth a shot though if it's going to be dying anyway Do you have any advice for dealing with the super delicate skin, other than being very gentle and cautious?

 

[N Sully]

I have a cross beak in my flock. She is about 10 plus months old and while a bit smaller than her sister, she seems to figure out how to eat. I feed pellets and they are deep enough that she can get a hold of them. She is also laying. Her bottom beak looks right but the top is way off. I thought I would need to cull her, but she is holding her own. Just keep an eye on her. Some ppl feed them soft food and that seems to help them be able to eat. Good luck!

 

[PippinChicken]

I have a cross beak in my flock. She is about 10 plus months old and while a bit smaller than her sister, she seems to figure out how to eat. I feed pellets and they are deep enough that she can get a hold of them. She is also laying. Her bottom beak looks right but the top is way off. I thought I would need to cull her, but she is holding her own. Just keep an eye on her. Some ppl feed them soft food and that seems to help them be able to eat. Good luck!

I'll be thrilled if it's able to keep eating and drinking normally! It was only 3 days old when I noticed it though, and now at one week old it's significantly worse. At this rate I can't imagine it will last long without needing additional care that I'm not able to give. If that's the case then I was hoping to find someone who would be able to give it the individual care it would need, but no takers so far...which brings me to my current plan But like I said, if it turns out differently then that would be wonderful!

 

[N Sully]

I agree. If it can’t survive then the choice is obvious. I don’t think mine showed the cross beak until it was 8-12 weeks, so it might have been caused by an injury. A younger chick might have a very hard time as fragile as they are compared to an older one like mine. I have seen posts where ppl trimmed the beak, but so much could go wrong that I never tried. Like you I figured they make it or if they cannot I would cull.

 

[The Phantom]

Thanks for the reply! Years ago my friend and I were going to try a robin and gave up as soon as we saw how thin the skin was, so I was guessing a young chick's would be just as bad (if not worse). Worth a shot though if it's going to be dying anyway Do you have any advice for dealing with the super delicate skin, other than being very gentle and cautious?

Don’t pull hard. I guess be super gentle.