UPDATE: Crossbeak Chick

[jawilson]

My husband and I had been weighing our options when it came down to our poor baby chick with a cross beak. She's still with us and I thought you might like to hear more about her.


Crooky is now 5 weeks old and easily half the size of her sisters (or smaller!). She is super friendly, and I feed her every few nights out of a cupcake cup with some yogurt and crumbles in it, although hubby thinks it makes me more attached to her. He's right. She seems to be very happy, and she knows she's the smallest. She takes cover under her sisters' wings or tails when she sleeps and likes to cuddle with them. When they get to play outside she will run off on her own and loves jumping and flying around, so we know she has the energy! The other day she got excited and flew up onto my knee and perched above her sisters as if she was saying "I might be small, but I am taller than you now!" She is definitely the most active and forward of the 3.

All that being said, I am still concerned. She is almost always peeping. I worry that she's in pain and this is her way of telling us, but how can you know? Again, her size is a lot smaller. She's finally getting big girl feathers like her sisters of the same age, but she's really behind. I think she sleeps more than the other chicks, but that would make sense since she isn't eating as much. She also seems to close one eye more than the others which makes me think she is going to have sight issues in the future.

Like I had said before, I really don't think I'll have time to tube feed her daily. She's eating, but not enough, and I don't know if her eating will get any worse as she gets older. The options are 1. cull her in the nicest method possible (which the thought of makes me cry- even if I wasn't over emotional with pregnancy hormones), 2. find a home for her where she can get the care she needs, or 3. keep her and hope for the best.

Thoughts? What would you do?

 

[sumi]

I'd say keep her and give her a chance. She's a little fighter who made it this far and I think she deserves to live. Have you seen this thread:

Diary of a Crossbeak: Support for Special Needs Chickens and their Keepers

Good luck!

 

[RonC]

I would give her a chance but I'm a big softy too. Had an old hen with a crossed beak just turned up in my yard one day. Took up residence in a 5 gallon bucket on my back deck. She wound up staying about 6 months before something killed her.

 

[BackyardFarmMom]

If you provide a deep dish for her to eat out of... will she eat on her own?
She is cute. She might be peeping all the time because she is attached to you and when she can't see you, she calls for you.
My chicks are constanly "talking" anyway.

She is still sitting up right and playing... it is not her time to go.

 

[jawilson]

She definitely tries to eat on her own, but it's pretty difficult to tell how much she gets down. When I give her the special yogurt treat in my lap she eats (or attempts to eat) it ravenously. But can I blame her? It's like a dessert!!

 

[jawilson]

Well, I'm glad I got that picture today, as one of the big sisters was just taken away by a hawk

 

[BackyardFarmMom]

Oh, no!

There have been a lot of hawk attacks this year!
Sorry for your loss.

 

[Cochaura]

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss - it's so horrible losing a chicken to a predator.
Our chicks hatched 4-4 1/2 weeks ago and one of them has a cross beak and is missing one eye completely. We read a lot about it and decided to give him a chance as long as he can eat and drink-we didn't want to cull him unless he was suffering and had no way of eating or drinking. His beak isn't as crossed, but he seems to be doing very well. I would try like others have said and make sure she has a deep enough food and water dish that she can use her beak as a scoop and see how things go! I don't know if others have said this too, but from what I understand, her food may need to be mashed up for the rest of her life to help her eat better-tube feeding may not be necessary. It sounds like she is holding her own and doing just fine. I have found that some chicks just sleep more than others, but are otherwise quite spritely when awake.