Beak injury 11 month old hen

[Krugerrand]

I don't know what happened, but my hen looks to have injured her beak. There was slight bleeding on the side and it looks a little crooked. She is eating okay and not showing signs of distress. What should I do?

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Looks like she cracked it. She could of flew into something.

Gently tap a wet paper towel on the injury to clean it. (You'll need to be patient with her.) Separate her from the flock. Grid her grain into powder and give it to her in a deep bowl so she can't accidentally hit the bottom. Have her water the same for the same reason. If you put her in a cage, cover it so she can't see out and injure her beak further. Keep her separated until her beak heals and keep it clean. Handle her carefully and gently.

 

[Krugerrand]

Thank you. How long would we expect her to need to be separated?

 

[HeatherKellyB]

@dawg53 knows of a way to mend beaks, but would this be an appropriate measure here? I believe @Wyorp Rock has also mentioned this before too

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Thank you. How long would we expect her to need to be separated?

I don't know. I'd watch and see, plus giving her at least a month, but there's probably other people on here who'll know more than me on time.

 

[Krugerrand]

Update: after a few days she stopped laying eggs. (stress?) But, otherwise she seems to be doing okay. She eats and drinks and poops. I'm not really setup to isolate her. But, she is one of three and they all get along really well. I don't see anyone picking on her. I pull her out 2-3 times a day to give her some extra food by herself (I toss some goodies into the others so they don't feel left out.) I pour some warm water on her pellets and she'll eat them. I added a few water bowls to the run, where before they had to use horizontal nipples.

 

[Krugerrand]

Here are some pictures from today.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Thanks for the update. In your opinion, how well do you feel that she's healing up?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Side note: is your chicken wearing a tutu?

 

[Krugerrand]

Thanks for the update. In your opinion, how well do you feel that she's healing up?

I feel like she's doing pretty well. Her behavior show no signs of trouble. I took some cabbage out to them yesterday evening. She could pick up a big leaf, but could not really tear off pieces. If I tore it up, she'd eat it just fine.

The beak looks fine, except of course for it being crooked. Am I correct in assuming she'll be that way for the rest of her life?

She still has not been laying eggs. Any idea how long before those come back?

Is there anything else I should be watching out for?