Deformed chick

[Skankiewicz]

Then give it go and see what happens. It doesn't sound like she's in pain.

With her beak being crossed/deformed, you may find that wet feed is easier for her to eat. Drinking, watch to see how that goes, you may need to give her drops of water, but you never know, she may be able to drink just fine on her own. If you have Poultry Nutri-Drench, give her 1-2 drops twice a day to help give her a little boost.

She may get trampled if she's not able to see very well so may need to be in her own area with a buddy to snuggle with, unless that buddy begins to bully. Quail are... well they are Quail, they just tromp over anything or anyone in their path. They can also be mean to one another at times, even the tiny babies!

Keep us posted on how it goes, some folks do help and keep chickens that have deformities, so it's possible she may do very well with some TLC.

Thanks for this information and little bit of hope. I'll keep you posted. If Pirate makes it to feather out, we have a coop with an "upstairs" so we will keep it up there with a buddy or two. Then we can special feed it and open the door to hang out as needed, and bed it back down at night.

 

[007Sean]

Poor little thing.

I can't say what the survival would be for a Quail chick like this, unfortunately I cull any Quail that have a deformity.

I would think it will be a challenge for her to eat/drink and thrive but if you have time to dedicate to her all of her life, ensuring she's getting plenty to drink and eat then there may be a small chance she makes it. But be prepared that you may still lose her, sometimes when a chick hatches with visible deformities, they may also have developmental issues that show up as they mature.

@Nabiki and @007Sean may have other suggestions insights.

I'm very sorry, I do think she's cute. Quail chicks are darlings and it's sad to lose one.

I agree with you @Wyorp Rock , but if it was mine I would have dispatched it. That scissors beak is pretty severe.

 

[Nabiki]

Personally, I would cull this one. Its chances aren't good, and that missing eye probably means that there are also missing parts of the brain. If you don't cull it, it will probably die on its own, but slowly and not happily.

 

[AinaWGSD]

Gonna preface this with the fact that I have zero experience with quail. That said, I imagine scissor beak is the same with quail as it is with chickens and I do have some experience with that.

Personally, I would call this one. With the scissor beak chicks I've had in the past it took a few days to be noticeable, and even then it took months to be that severe/obvious. Scissor beak will get more severe over time as the chick grows and that one is already severe right at hatch. My first one lived at least a year with a moderate, bordering on severe, scissor beak, but when we did cull her it was suddenly obvious she hadn't been doing nearly as well as we thought.

If you do decide to keep this chick and provide special needs care it would be crucial that you get an accurate scale and do at least weekly weight checks to make sure they are gaining/maintaining (after maturity) weight.

 

[GodLovesU]

I would give it shot as long as it has a will to live!It does have a severe crossbeak so it probably will need help eating.If it starts acting weak you could give it some egg yolk through a syringe. As he gets older he might need beak trims.Just keep in mind this will be a commitment.

 

[Skankiewicz]

Put Pirate's beak in the water today and it drank no problem! It can I dependently move both upper and lower beak. The gone eye looks more sunken today. Pirate has been mostly resting when I'm checking in on them, but so are the rest. Still runs around when I let it loose after a drink. We will see!

 

[Skankiewicz]

Was able to observe for about 20 min yesterday. Pirate has found his voice and stands long and proud and talks loudly about it. He will stand in the water dish rim and scoop water all by himself. He also stood in the food dish, after reading that it's easier for chicken cross beaks to eat in something they can stand in, and shovel bits into his beak. He also pooped and it looks fine. So for now we are just letting him live his happy little existence.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Was able to observe for about 20 min yesterday. Pirate has found his voice and stands long and proud and talks loudly about it. He will stand in the water dish rim and scoop water all by himself. He also stood in the food dish, after reading that it's easier for chicken cross beaks to eat in something they can stand in, and shovel bits into his beak. He also pooped and it looks fine. So for now we are just letting him live his happy little existence.

Sounds good!