Trimming chicken beaks?

[Frizzledhen]

I was just wondering if anyone actally trims their chickens beaks when they get long. I don't mean cutting the top beak back to where it will never grow out again, just trimming the tip back. I have a couple of chickens that need a trim quite often. I use the dog nail clippers to do the job. I was wondering if long beaks hinder them while trying to eat. It also looks like they could do a lot more damage to another bird with that dagger hanging off their face. Why do some birds need a trim and others never do? DO they actually need a trim or am I just being overly sensitive to their looks?

 

[Frizzledhen]

OH MY, I start petting and playing with the old mans hackles he might get the wrong idea!

 

[silkiechicken]

It would probably work. If the birds have access to dirt, or even a few concrete pavers they can use to sharpen their beaks, they shouldn't need a trim.

 

[JennsPeeps]

I use nail clippers on my banty's beak. I just trim a little at a time and go slowly. She doesn't seem to mind and stays still. When I'm done, I file it smooth with an emery board. We call it her "beak-icure".

Here she is:

 

[WisconsinGardenChick]

Quote:
Exactly. Mine have a cinder block in their run. They use that to take care of the job themselves.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i've never heard of trimming beaks. Do they grow the way nails do? My birds beaks seem to stay the same length over time.

 

[Frizzledhen]

They must grow like fingernails. Most birds wear them back by pecking around but some seem to grower faster than others or are maybe harder and wear down slower. I have only 2 birds that I trim their beaks on a regular basis. My fingernails grow slowly and are soft. My sister's fingernails grow fast and are as hard as nails.

Maybe chicken beaks are the same.

 

[LittleChickenRacingTeam]

If your chickens are let out in a run everyday, they usually will not need a beak trimming.

Since mine spend significant time cooped up inside, occasionaly I will need to take the dremel tool to their beaks.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Well gosh, i learn something new on this board every day!

 

[AlvarezAcres]

I have a brahma hen that i realized a while back she was having trouble eating, and saw her beak was overgrown. I trimmed it and that helped some, but over the course of the past week she has been eating less and less. I kept noticing mud caked in her mouth. Today she was sitting in my lap and I realized she couldn't really close her mouth. I took her in for another trim and this time noticed her top beak's sides were curling under towards the midline of her mouth. Essentially the bottom jaw could not fit into the top jaw. I trimmed away the curled bits, scraped out the mud, and she is doing better but not perfect yet. I'll probably have to make a few more adjustments. I can't see the quick when I'm trimming, so it's a bit dicey and I'd rather go slow than take off too much. I really wish I could find a good graphic online of how this shape it properly but haven't found anything good, mostly debeaking info. If anyone knows a good picture that shows the proper cuts for top and bottom beaks it would be much appreciated if you share!