What's up with my hen's beak?

[Red Horse]

At first I thought she had broken off the tip, but after I looked at it the upper bill was longer than the lower. It seems to be totally intact, just these two little wingies hanging off the sides. My flock has been recovering from coccidiosis so I have been spending a lot of time watching them and her beak was normal in the morning and then like this in the afternoon. What the heck did she do??

 

[Wyorp Rock]

No, it's not really broken, she's hung it on something and it been cut and/or bent.
You ever bent your fingernail backwards? You know the crease you get from that?

I'm not a fan of trimming beaks, but for this, I would go bit by bit and slowly trim off a little of those bent pieces, especially the ends, file them a bit smoother. As you go, try to blend them in. Taking care that the beak doesn't split. There's one place it looks like it could, so watch for that.


My guess is she got in on something sharp like the edge of a feeder or on wire.

 

[Red Horse]

Thank you for helping me with this too! Would fingernail clippers work? It had to be my favorite hen. Now this evening I'm going to be playing "find the sharp" with my husband.

 

[Eggcessive]

Dog nail clippers can be handy for slightly trimming a beak. Toenail clippers might work.

 

[Red Horse]

Thank you!!!