One eyed, crossed beak baby chick-Named Cyclops

[nlvjlj]

Cyclops did not get out of his shell on his own accord, if you were wondering. I broke into the shell when I realized all of my batch was shrink wrapped from not enough humidity. When I found him, I doubted he would live, but I fed all of the chicks antibiotics, sugar and electrolytes water to boost their immune system and get themselves out of the shell after I removed the top. Anyhow, he survived and wants to live. He can see out of his eye, tries so hard to peck at food but can't get any in. I decided to create a mash out of chick feed, water, powdered poultry antibiotics and electrolytes. I was force feeding for the first two days but now I put it on his lower beak and he has learned to get it inside after I put it there. I also give him the same fluid mixture. I don't know how much food/water or how many times per day I should be doing it. I do it about three times until he is annoyed or his gullet feels full. I read a lot about crossed beaks but found none that only had one eyeball. Any help would be greatly appreciated. (Please no "humanely euthanized" comments, because he is happy and not in pain and you'll just piss me off) I am fully capable and happy to take care of him for the rest of his life. Thank you all!

 

[countrycakelady]

He is a pretty fellow! Best wishes on his well being....he's so fuzzy!

 

[nlvjlj]

Thank you so much! Yes, he is really fluffy.

 

[MrsBachbach]

Well, if you are feeding him, his eye shouldn't matter. Is he able to drink on his own? Did you bring him to the water and dip his beak in it to show him where and how it's done? If he can at least drink, your workload will decrease. Crossbeaks tend to actually get worse as they grow and he looks bad right now as it is. Any crossbeaks I had didn't hatch that way and developed the crossbeak slowly. So they were able to eat and drink until it just got too bad. Most crossbeaks don't thrive.
Chicks eat often, so you may have to feed him more than three times a day. Likely small amounts but just more often. If the food is wet that will help with the water intake but he is going to need more water than food. Chicks are constantly going to the water if you ever sit and watch them. I read that water restriction leads to less feed consumption. So it is very important. I really don't know how much water a chick actually takes in, but there are sites on the internet that can give you an idea of the amount of water they should be consuming. A small 1 ml syringe is helpful when dealing with such small chicks or an eyedropper. I have found baby food to be useful for feeding sick chicks. Also egg yolk and baby rice or oatmeal cereals. Much easier to get down with a syringe. Watch out for pasty butt! Of course, a regular diet of that won't meet all its needs, but it was a temporary solution for me. I imagine after a week you will know if he is getting enough feed and water. If it's size is keeping up with his hatch mates, he is getting enough. Good luck.

 

[Trefoil]

It looks like if he can't/doesn't drink on his own, you could use an eyedropper and put a drop at a time on his lower beak0, he should learn to tip his head up to drink it and he will let you know if/when he doesn't want any more. If you meant that you are only feeding/watering him 3 x a day, that isn't enough. Do it every time you think of it, especially once you are able to clearly tell when he isn't interested. good luck

 

[kada6305]

How did he turn out? Still living? I hatched out a one eyed, cross beak silkie this morning.