Beak Deformity

[sweettweets]

Hello BYC friends! I have an Easter Egger chick with a deformed beak. It wasn't noticeable when we purchased her, but has become increasingly deformed as she's grown. She eats fine and doesn't seem bothered by it, but I'm wondering if it will eventually become an issue. Has anyone had any experience with this?

 

[sweettweets]

 

[enola]

Her beak will get progressively worse as she gets older. She will need lots of TLC to make sure she gets enough to eat.

 

[MySweetChickens]

it is called cross beak or scissor beak

Scissor beak, aka: crossed beak, crooked beak, is a condition in which the top and bottom beaks do not align properly. It can be caused by genetics, an injury or the inability to maintain the beak’s length and shape by normal honing on rocks or other hard surfaces.

at 6 weeks old. The crooked beak begins to become apparent.​

Scissor-beak varies in severity, but most chicks can eat and drink independently. Crossed beak need not be an automatic death sentence as believed by some. Most cross-beaked chicks adapt and thrive, leading long, happy lives. However, there are some chicks in which the defect is too severe for them to eat or drink independently and they can not survive without constant assistance.Since crossed beaked chickens cannot pick up pieces of food using both halves of their beaks as utensils, they adapt by scooping food into the bottom half of their beaks.It helps to put feed in deep dishes.Some chicks find it easier to eat a feed to which water has been added to make it the consistency of oatmeal. Grinding up feed in a coffee grinder and adding water to make a wet mash may help severely scissor-beaked chickens.The important thing to watch out for with this condition is that the chicken is able to eat, not only due to their physical limitations but because other flock members may attempt to keep them away from the feed. If that occurs, the chicken should be put in a safe place where only she can access the feed. Chickens maintain the length and shape of their beaks by wiping them on rocks or other abrasive surfaces while foraging, but scissor beaked chickens have difficulty with this routine task.Cutting her beak will become a regular thing to keep it from growing too long When chicks have scissor beak, it is safe to assume that genetics are to blame, therefore breeding them as adults is not recommended since the condition can be passed down to future generations.


got this from the-chicken-chick.com

 

[sweettweets]

We are first time chicken owners and I had no idea what it was called until I just noticed someone else's post! Thank you. Beak trimming sounds intense... How do you do it?

 

[MySweetChickens]

you just take a grinder or to nail trimmers and grind/cut the tip off so it doesn't grow too long have powder nearby if you cut the beak too short

just keep going farther back until you get close to the darker area that is where the blood is think of it like you are clipping a dogs toenails

 

[merrymomo]

My EE has a large hooked top beak and very small bottom beak. I trimmed the top one just slightly and it bled. I'm wondering how long I have to wait to safely trim it again. She can't be with the others because they peck at her beak. I have been giving her crumbles mixed with water and she really loves scrambled eggs. She struggles so much to eat but given enough time she can do it. Does she have any chance at all? No way I'm going to be able to keep her separated forever or hand feed her scrambled eggs every day. Please advise. TIA.

 

[prin23]

I had a pigeon for years with a cross beak. She had a dark colored beak so it was very hard to clip. The vet at the wildlife center I used to work at (where this bird was brought in as a feral) clipped her top beak too far and she bled a ton.. she then cauterized it. But the poor pigeon was so scared and squirmy that she swallowed some of the blood and aspirated on it. She had to be put in a nebulizer over night and I was so worried she wasn't going to make it.

Luckily she was ok the next morning and that's when I decided to adopt her. From then on and for the years I had her she could somewhat eat from a very deep dish of seed/mash, drink water fine and I also hand fed her with exact formula daily with a tube and syringe. She was spunky and feisty and loved life! I used a dremel tool on her a handful of times to keep it down a bit.


The other wildlife center I worked at used a dremel tool very sussesfully on all their owls, hawks and other raptors. Just make sure to hold them still and always have blood-stop powder on hand!

 

[merrymomo]

Thank you!

 

[merrymomo]

Exact formula?