5 day old chick developed cross beak

[Golden Comet Mama]

I'm so sorry this happened I hope you don't have to kill the little but that may be what's necessary

 

[Red Horse]

What happened? Did this little chicky make it?

I am so sorry to be posting this so late as today is the first time I'm seeing your post... But if in the future anyone has a chick right when the crossbeak is starting to show, this article explains how you can file a beak to keep the beak fully functional with photos of a hen fully treated and grown: https://discover.hubpages.com/animals/how-to-fix-a-crossbeaked-chicken

She's still here! She improved for awhile but I handled her today and she was thinner than I hoped, so I'm trying to think of some low-maintenance ways to help her that don't involve my husband (who still wants her gone). The less I have to ask him to help with, the more the matter stays out of his mind. The problem is that I have two full-time jobs so the first time I can't do something he's gonna be all over me about getting rid of her.

After my last post I had planned to have the Vet out to examine and probably euthanize her, but that day I switched feeders since the babies were getting so big to this one here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0C1N79HJQ?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

I noticed Pepper constantly had her head in it. By that point she had associated me with whatever little food she got because I was hand feeding her, so even when there was a bowl of mash in the run she would stand and scream at me instead of trying to eat what I sat in front of her. I was thinking she must be able to stuff her face in that thing, or else she would probably be standing there screeching at me. So I gave her a week and she put on weight FAST... like pretty much caught up with the other chicks fast. She has not had any mash since that day, just dry crumbles out of that feeder.

Her beak seems stronger now too because she has some control and can grab and swallow pieces of soft things like grapes... she couldn't pick anything up or hold onto it at all before. She also loves sticking her whole face into a peach and can get quite a bit of flesh. I'm wondering if she's reached a plateau with her weight because her beak needs trimmed for the first time? I will post pics soon, I wish I had thought of taking some earlier when I had her out.

 

[Red Horse]

Pepper is 4 months old now! She eats on her own from the feeder I mentioned in my last post, no soaked feed. She's hefty too, almost the same as her Marans sister standing next to her. I thought her growth would be more stunted but she doesn't seem much smaller than some of my other breeds.

She gets a beak trim with nail clippers every once in awhile, which she's very good for. My husband doesn't like having to haul water out every time he has to help me with the chickens (we use a 5 gallon nipple bucket that gets scrubbed/filled weekly for our other flock) but he has shut up about me rehoming her.

 

[Golden Comet Mama]

I made a GIF

 

[Elbee]

That's not too bad right now, but sometimes it will become progressively worse. Monitor her for deterioration.

This week I sneaked some hatchery chicks under my broody olive egger and she's been doing what seems like a great job (this is my first time not raising the chicks in a brooder myself). Today was the first day I got to let her out of the run with them and sit and check them over throughly, and I found that this little olive egger had cross beak. I have pictures of them from the day I brought them home and it doesn't look like she had it then. They're 5 days old so I'm trying to figure out what happened?

She hasn't even been on my watch list so far... she's been eating, drinking, and has definitely been the zoomiest. How bad does it look? Can she live a comfortable life?

I am always one to give it a go and see what happens. Of course if the chicken is suffering, then do the humane thing but….I have seen a cross beak chicken do very well. She adapted. Having said that however, I do not feed the conventional way. Yes, I give them scratch (dry) and layer feed (dry) but I also ferment scratch and give them all every morning. It is a slurry. It helps with probiotic health and nutrition and the ones with difficulty are able to eat and get water (moisture) at the same time. I am hoping she does well but I wouldn’t breed her. Just suggesting.

 

[Red Horse]

I am always one to give it a go and see what happens. Of course if the chicken is suffering, then do the humane thing but….I have seen a cross beak chicken do very well. She adapted. Having said that however, I do not feed the conventional way. Yes, I give them scratch (dry) and layer feed (dry) but I also ferment scratch and give them all every morning. It is a slurry. It helps with probiotic health and nutrition and the ones with difficulty are able to eat and get water (moisture) at the same time. I am hoping she does well but I wouldn’t breed her. Just suggesting.

Pepper is about 1 year old now and is doing fabulously! She's the big boss and comes out of the coop first every morning. Other than needing a beak trim with some nail clippers about once a month (for which she's very very good), she hasn't needed any special feeding or care. Honestly she's a bit of a chonk right now because the flock has been getting a lot of love (and treats) from the neighbor kids.