Rebecca : Hi. I wanted to know if you or any of your newsletters have any info on scissor beak. I have a six week old Polish Chicken that has a SEVERE scissor beak. I have taken him to an Avian Vet, and they are getting another Vet’s opinion from someone out in California to see if there is anything they can do. I was hoping maybe they could at least trim it or something. “Edward” is on the skinny side, but he is obviously getting enough food and water to survive, but I am very concerned about his eating and drinking. Any suggestions or advise on what or how to feed him differently or anything I can do would be greatly appreciated. I have attached a picture of my sweetie, Edward.
My Reply : There have been a few subscribers with crossed beaks in the past but not as severe as that as far as I can remember. Beaks can sometimes be trimmed and shaped a little which does seem to help in some cases so hopefully your avian vet will be able to do something to help Edward. Practical things that might help are deep and wide food and water dishes and feeding mash instead of pellets. Does anyone have any info on helping scissor beak?
===Some subscriber responses are here : https://www.keepingchickensnewsletter.com/may14v2/scissor-beak.htm
We have one chicken with a scissor beak and she does just fine. We have a galvanized hanging feeder and she sits on the top of it, burying her face in the feed, she seems to get enough to eat. When we are filling the feeder, she will also jump right into the feeder bin that holds 150 pounds of food and she will stay in there for a while eating. We have had her about 4 years and while she is on a small side, she is clearly the chicken in charge.