ChickenPoopGarden Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 it doesn't seem to be a problem, per se, but I am slightly worried about Imelda, my Polish hen. Her beak doesn't match up, so the lower part isn't covered by the top part. She is obviously able to feed as she hasn't expired yet, but I notice that she sometimes can't quite catch the food she pecks at. Has anyone else seen something like this? In theory, if I had spotted it when I bought her, I would have left her behind but I'm glad I didn't because she's a funny little thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Sounds like her beak has been clipped, rather than it being deformed. All the commercial hens have their top beaks clipped as chicks (to stop feather pecking) and they all seem to manage fine. The process does remove the taste buds at the end of the beak which means they struggle to identify if something is edible or not and often put it down to try again, which is something many of ours do anyway with full beaks. I wouldn't worry about it ChickenPoopGarden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChickenPoopGarden Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 Actually, after further googling, i discovered that she has 'scissor beak' (Thanks to the chicken chick) and I basically just have to make sure she gets access to food and water and that her beak doesn't overgrow. common genetic condition apparently. She came from a community farm so I know they weren't clipping beaks. Thanks for the suggestion, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 I have experience of this, and all that's necessary is to file the upper and lower beak parts occasionally so that they don't over-grow. While it's tempting to clip them; I wouldn't advise it unless you've done this before as it is very easy to nip the quick and make it bleed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
