what to feed a chicken who's beak doesn't work right??

[Mollyszoo]

we have a chicken whos beak is out of alignment from a racoon attack when she was younger. Now she is 6 mos. old, and as her wounds healed, her beak became more and more out of alignment, so she has a really hard time eating(although i know she eats, because she poops alot!). Does anyone have a good idea how / what to feed? for a while we were making her scrambled eggs w/ feed mixed, but she seems to not like it too much anymore. Maybe she figured out where the eggs came from? hmm.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

I had a cross-beaked hen once, & I would feed her scratch & pellets, just like the others, but hers would go into a bowl so it was deep enough for her to bury her beak in the food & scarf it down.


Hey, it's post 4000!

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

Have you tried pellets? Might be easier for her to pick up, at least get more bang with each bite.

 

[JosieChick]

I have an ameraucana hen that has a severe cross beak and I make her "slop" out of chicken feed and warm water so it is soupy and she loves it! She makes a mess eating but I have found she does best on this and if I don't put it out first thing in the morning she runs along beside me and pesters me until her breakfast arrives. She also loves oatmeal and cream of wheat for treats since she has trouble picking much else up. She has an occasional bath to clean off the food she gets all over her face and neck!

 

[True Grit]

Maybe I got the idea from JosieChick but in the mornings I take out a bowl of oatmeal mixed with icecubes to cool it and yogurt and some layer feed with sunflower hearts and mealworms on top. My crossbeak seems to know its her easiest feed choice and goes right at it but she can also eat layer feed out of the feeder. I was away for a week and she didn't get her special breakfast and boy was she skinny when i got back. If I bring out scratch I hold some cupped in my hand for her and I think she gets some down her but its hard to tell.