We have a chick we got from a feed store that has a deformed beak. I need some opinions about wether it is a good idea to keep her or cull her. She does eat and always has a full crop when we pick her up. I just don't know if it would be cruel to her to keep her around or not. I have never had a chicken like this before.
Wow.. Thats a hard one to call. There are a lot of points to look at..
I've seen pics of grown birds that had the crooked beak.. and it wasn't a problem for them. I have no personal experience with one... and right now.. I'm wondering how I would feel if I were faced with the same thing. I read this thread twice.. and finally came back to comment!
Depends on what you have the chickens for.. Are you doing any breeding? Are they just pets? Is it a RIR for eating eggs? Are you prepared if it has "special needs" to provide for it? I could keep going.. but really, the call is yours.
I don't think it's cruel to keep it if it's not suffering in any way and has quality of life.
IMHO
When my family grew chickens for Purdue, they had some like that. They put them down. I myself...would see how it is. I have not had one and would have a very hard time putting it down if it was functioning. I am sure someone else has better info. I am sorry you have this on your plate. :(
I had one like this. It did very well and had no problems eating. It was a little roo and was learning to crow. Unfortunately, it died when our flock had a problem with the infectious bronchitis virus last winter. It was nothing to do with the beak. Personally, I would keep it alive as long as it eats well and can drink (which mine could). I would not breed with it since you don't want that kind of a problem being any more common than needed. If you find that it cannot eat well or drink at some point as it grows, then it's probably kindest to put it down rather than let it starve, obviously.
I had a hen we called crookbeak for two years. She ate well and laid eggs for us. Sje wasn't even picked on by the others. say if they can eat and behave normally, let them grow.
Its a genetic defect and usually gets worse with age.
We cull any cross beaks
I had one once that got mauled by a raccoon and had a broken jaw. It was a terrible mess but simply refused to give up so I nursed it back to health. It was a great chicken and was able to eat, even though it was never able to close its mouth perfectly again. It lived a quality life for another 2 years. The vet did have to cut the point off the top beak so it could use its lower jaw like a shovel.
Thank you everyone for your input. I think we are going to keep her as long as she is doing fine and eating. We will keep a close watch on her. I just don't want ger suffering. :)
