Overbite
11 Nov 2011 6 Comments
Chicken grooming is not something we routinely practice. One of our Americaunas has an overlapping beak. You can supposedly use a dog nail trimmer to clip them or file them down. Sounds stressful for both the farmer and the chicken! She doesn’t seem to have any trouble eating, she hops on top of the feeder and digs right in whereas all of our other chickens eat from the bottom feeder opening. She gives us pink-shelled eggs. We haven’t named her yet, any suggestions?
Missing Willow Farm 
Nov 11, 2011 @ 13:38:09
Queen Beak
Nov 11, 2011 @ 13:45:22
We had a parakeet who wouldn’t use her cuttlefish-bone to file her own beak, so we had to have it clipped/filed, eventually before it grew too long for her to eat. I wonder if chicken beaks keep growing. If that’s the case, this one may get worse over time. But, she’s a trooper.
Ack! I just looked up chicken “debeaking” on wikipedia! I didn’t know chicken would go cannibal. Yikes! Guess I’d go crazy, too, confined in the tight living spaces of commercial farms. I learn something everyday.
Nov 11, 2011 @ 14:18:31
Twisted Sister is my suggestion for a name. Here is some more info on this disability:
http://www.chickenkeepingsecrets.com/chicken-health/crooked-beak-in-hens-poultry/
Hope she continues to do well in her inventive methods of getting nourishment.
Nov 11, 2011 @ 14:23:11
Awww! She’s a special girl. I hope she continues to do well.
Nov 11, 2011 @ 14:40:30
Oh! Forgot my name suggestion. I’m thinking “Edwina Scissorbeak”.
BTW, great link, Nancy. Thanks for sharing.
Nov 11, 2011 @ 15:51:17
One of my parrots grows a very long beak that I trim from time to time. The problem is if it continues to grow it will become thinner and either interfere with eating or it may break off and bleed like crazy. (I had another bird that happened to when he fell and it bled like a faucet!) You can trim it with a dremel which might be disturbingly loud, but at least it’s quick! 🙂