Growing Beak!

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milliebecks

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Growing Beak!
« on: October 18, 2007, 14:55 »
Does a chicken's beak continue to grow through its life and if not, what might cause it to start again?
I have a pekin bantam which has been a bit up and down health wise.  She occasionally seems a bit wheezy and looks a bit depressed, but then seems to rally and is fine.  She is eating normally and quickly out in the morning etc.  Her upper beak seems, however, to have got longer and is noticably hooked over her lower beak.  None of her peers (same sort of age and same breed) have the same.
I have wormed them all in the last month using Flubenvet.
Any ideas? Could I clip the tip of the beak without causing her pain?

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Aunt Sally

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Growing Beak!
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2007, 15:39 »
Yes...  beaks are just like hair and nails and claws.  If they are not worn down you use the will overgrow.  

I took one of my chooks to the vets to have her beak trimmed and the vet did it with a dremel like rotary file,  some people do it themselves with clippers but is it difficult to see where the blood vessels and nerves extend to particularly if the beak is darkish.

Some one will be along soon with DIY experience  :D

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Bodger

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Growing Beak!
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2007, 17:54 »
The top beak is continually growing and is pretty easy to trim once you've seen it done before. The obvious problem is getting to see it done in the first place. I take my time and use nail clippers. A Dremmel might look impressive but IMO is a bit of overkill.


If chickens fight through wire as they will do at times they can quite often 'shell' their beaks. The whole of the outer part of the beak comes off and I'm afraid that theres no way back for them then. The shell wont grow back from this amount of damage I'm afraid.

I've not had to trim the bottom beak very often. It doesn't grow like the top one and is best left alone as you have very little 'dead' beak before you get to the quick.

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milliebecks

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Growing Beak!
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2007, 18:05 »
Would dog claw clippers do the job? The bantam beak looks about the same size as a spaniel's toe nail and I'm quite good at them!

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Aunt Sally

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Growing Beak!
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2007, 18:13 »
Quote from: "Bodger"
A Dremmel might look impressive but IMO is a bit of overkill..

That's vets for you  :roll:

To be fair they did have to trim her lower beak to, she had been wearing an antipeck ring which had made a groove and caused it to over grow too.

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Bodger

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Growing Beak!
« Reply #5 on: October 18, 2007, 18:15 »
I use ordinary human nail clippers. They are smaller and easier to use to do a little trimming and shaping. Better to take too little off rather than too much.  :D

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Aunt Sally

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Growing Beak!
« Reply #6 on: October 18, 2007, 18:18 »
Next time you need to trim one Bodger you must do us a "This is how you do it" Munty style guide  :D

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Bodger

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Growing Beak!
« Reply #7 on: October 18, 2007, 18:39 »
Will do. :D

I've nothing that obviously needs doing at the moment though. I'm not sure how photogenic the process will be or how good our camera work will be either. :D

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Aunt Sally

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« Reply #8 on: October 18, 2007, 19:03 »
I happen to know that you are better with a camera than M...y  :roll: (don't tell him) :wink:

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muntjac

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Growing Beak!
« Reply #9 on: October 18, 2007, 19:59 »
cut them with small clippers and stay at a 45% angle to the back of the mouth  so tha the snip is level and clean, imagine its your nose  the angle wants to be the same for the beak end
still alive /............

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Aunt Sally

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Growing Beak!
« Reply #10 on: October 18, 2007, 21:11 »
It's difficult to imagine but I have found a piccy out there:



The thin black line shows the angle to cut it

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muntjac

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Growing Beak!
« Reply #11 on: October 18, 2007, 21:20 »
yups ... like i said ............ :roll: ,and i got ya " better with a camera thing "  :shock:  :wink:

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Aunt Sally

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« Reply #12 on: October 18, 2007, 21:22 »
Quote from: "muntjac"
,and i got ya " better with a camera thing "  :shock:  :wink:

 :lol:  :lol:  :lol: Hoped you might not notice  :roll:



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