Trim this beak?

[Smoky Mountain Pilgrims]

Hi folks,
Looking for suggestions from folks who have experience with this. As you can see from the attached photo, this hen’s bottom beak extends well beyond the top portion. She has been like this for months and is otherwise in excellent health and a good layer. She eats pellet feed and forages with the rest of the flock.

Should I attempt to trim her beak? If so, how do I do it? Is their any danger of cutting a nerve or a blood vessel?

Thank you in advance for your assistance!

 

[Tookie]

That does need to be trimmed for sure.
I think the best way to trim, is to get some dog nail clippers, and clip off as much as you can. Then try to file down the sharp edges. The top beak could also be filed down some.

From what I can tell, I would cut off no more than this.->

Start off by cutting little slivers off at a time, as to make sure you don't cut too much.
If you cut too much, she will start to bleed.

Does she have cross beak though? I'm not sure how else it would be like that unless she had it.

 

[NatJ]

Is their any danger of cutting a nerve or a blood vessel?

Part of the beak does have nerves and blood vessels, but the very tip does not. So cutting or filing the tip is fine.

Light-colored chicken beaks are like light-colored chicken toenails and light-colored dog toenails: you can see where the blood & nerves are inside because they look darker. Dark-colored chicken beaks you just have to guess, because you can't see what's inside.

Also watch out for the chicken's tongue, because you don't want to cut that either.

I agree with @Tookie about where to cut, at least at first. After that you might be able to file it down slowly, a bit more each day. Or the hen may manage to wear it down herself, once it gets trimmed to a reasonable length. Hens usually wear their beaks down by rubbing them against things, but this hen has obviously not been doing that with her lower beak!

 

[Smoky Mountain Pilgrims]

Thank y’all so much! I’ll be trimming it asap