[MrsTruper]

Can someone please advise whether the hen in the photo below has got a trimmed beak?...or is it just damaged? Thank you very much

[bantam novice]

I am not expert on beak trimming but I think this hen looks as if its beak has been trimmed. 

Welcome to the forum, by the way, and good luck.  Keep us posted 

[8doubles]

Welcome Mrs Truper, with a trimmed beak (anti feather pecking ) i would expect the top half to be squared and the lower half as normal.
Not easy to tell from the photo but i would say abnormal growth and damage in the lower beak was likely.

[Jane-M]

Hi there. Is the beak causing her any problems? I have a speckledy whose upper beak has been over trimmed and hardly seems to be there poor thing. But it doesn't hamper her at all. I had a lovely hen with a malformed, crossed beak. She was fine with it, just looked a bit dippy. The speed at which the chicks have their beak trimmed it is hardly surprising that some get a bit more lopped off than is intended.  :blink:

[Casey76]

Hi, that looks as if your pullet has an abnormally short upper beak, and the lower one has been trimmed to match better 

You may find that she has problems eating ordinarly layers pellets, and may be better with ex bat pellets, or a mash instead

[MrsTruper]

Thank you for your replies. More info:

It is now a year old, the first picture above shows it when I received it as a pullet.  The pullet was bought as organically reared! (supposed to have entire beak I thought)  I was new to chicken keeping then so just accepted it as it was delivered.  The hen was delivered with another hen with an entire beak  (as a "package" with housing).

Now, the beak looks like the picture below. You can see that there is a permanent gap between the top and bottom beak.

It HAS had problems with the beak:
foraging,
food being swiftly pinched by the hen with the entire beak
severly feather-pecked by the hen with the entire beak (it tries to defend itself but it's return pecks are ineffective)

I have recently got in touch with the supplier (a little late maybe but the problems were not apparent at first and I thought the beak would grow back).

Any more thoughts would be appreciated.  Has anyone else got one hen with an entire beak kept solely with another hen with part beak? Is it a dynamic that will never work?

[bantam novice]

I would say that it is not a good idea to keep a hen on her own.  Hens are flock animals and need company.   It sounds as if you have just the two hens.  If one of them dies the other will be left alone. It may be worth considering getting another hen to join them. 

[Casey76]

That second photo is pretty typical of a beak trimmed chicken.

Beaks are funny things.  You can take a little off the tip, and it will re grow, but if you take too much it is a permanent disfigurement.

The feather pecking probably wouldn't be affected even if this chicken had a full beak.  Some chickens are just naturally more dominant than others, and since you only have a pair, the one at the bottom of the pecking order gets all of the attention, rather it being distributed over a few chickens.

Unless she is getting bald patches, or the other hen is drawing blood, then I don't think there is anything you should do, tbh.

And, as beak trimming involves no chemicals, birds may be beak trimmed in an organic environment (organic doesn't always mean ethical )

[MrsTruper]

...just to clarify: the "trimmed"?? beak bird is not kept on it's own, it is kept with one other bird which has an entire beak.

If a third (new) bird was introduced would this definitely make things better or possibly worse if it decided to peck the same bird?

Thanks so much for your help everyone.

[MrsTruper]

...oh and she does have quite large bald, red patches.  Currently using bumper bit on perpetrator so somewhat growing back but whenever I take it off the pecking starts up again.

[Chookiechook]

Personally I wouldnt get another as she is likely to be pecked by two birds not just one.... just keep the bit beak on the other hen (serves her right for being nasty) and see how things go.  there is not any reason why you shouldnt keep it on as she can eat and drink perfectly well.... and why shouldnt you equal up their disabilities