I guess one must decide if their chicks are pets or "food". A crossed beak chick can be a wonderful pet, both of mine are. I can't imagine euthanizing a dog because it's paw is deformed, so why is it done with chickens? It breaks my heart to read that someone now misses their pet because they decided it wasn't worth the effort to keep them around. But that's just me I guess, I'd save them all if I could, and I'd take the time to feed them with a syringe every day for the next 10 years if I had to.
Anyhow, both my crossed beak rooster and crossed beak hen are doing well at 8 months old. "Goofy" rooster is housed with his daddy and brother roosters and keeps up fine on eating, I just make sure he has crumbles available in a deep feeder. "Oatie" the hen is housed with her mom and 2 sisters, and is fed a big bowl of cooked instant oatmeal every morning with milk, honey and crumbles mixed in. Oatie is not as meaty as the others but she runs with them during the day and is actually the most personable of them all. She has been laying eggs daily for about a month now.
One thing I have discovered is that my battery operated fingernail polisher works great for beak filing. It has various attachments to chose from and to me seems like a better option than the more industrial drummel tools. I have only filed Oatie's beak about 4 times in 8 months, so the main extra effort comes from daily bowls of oatmeal which is no different than taking care of the others, just another 2 minutes of prep time and occassional cleanings of her face and beard which get caked with oatmeal.
I hope this forum gives others the motivation to give crossed beak chicks a chance at life simply by putting forth a little effort.
Good luck with litle one and kep us posted on the progress.
