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My chick is about two weeks old, and her beak is seems to be getting crooked. What should I do?
Usually, chickens with crossed beaks or scissor beaks lead long, normal lives.
In most cases, this defect is caused by the chick positioning herself incorrectly for hatching -- normally, one wing will shelter the head inside the shell, but if she doesn't have her wing over her head, the skull can malform, and it will reveal itself within the first few weeks as a cross beak or scissor beak as she begins to grow. In most cases, you will simply have to make sure the feeder and waterer are deep enough to accommodate the way your cross-beaked chicken must eat and drink, since it can be more difficult for them. Sometimes mixing a little yogurt into her feed will help her ability to pick up the food. Other high protein food like--believe it or not--eggs that have been hard boiled and cut finely can help, too.
If the case is particularly severe or if she seems to be having trouble eating, a vet may be able to show you how her beak can be trimmed to help her, if that is necessary--although it isn't usually. This is different from the "trimming" done in factory farm operations where practically the entire beak is removed--this simply addresses the tip (like a fingernail, but not to the quick) so the top and bottom beak meet up better.
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