Upper beak too long

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Hi,
One of my new pekins has a an upper beak that is curved over the lower. My other girls scrape their beaks on the patio and I was wondering wheather this keeps them in shape. I thought I'd leave it a couple of weeks to see if the beak trims naturally, or do I need to do it for her? If so, what do I do?
 
I tend to leave them be. I've never had a starved Pekin or any other hen who has had a slightly overhanging top beak :lol: :roll:
 
Well if its very long i would cut it- it's very easy with nail clippers- just don't take too much off- then hen will be able to eat better-
regards, David :)
 
Yes, if she has trouble eating or it looks too long, trim it at 45 degrees each side, not straight across (because you can split the beak doing that). Dog or cat nail clippers work well.
 
Oh My goodness,

Trimming a beak chaps! I dare not even trim their longish nails. OR the Pekins foot feathers!

After 11 weeks of hen keeping I have learnt an awful lot but would NEVER attempt a beak trim.

I would leave her be, as Snifter says. Don't think she will starve. Our d'uccle has a slight overhanging of the beak, and believe me she eats more than they rest. You could always visit Pages Poultry ;)
 
elmwood said:
Oh My goodness,

Trimming a beak chaps! I dare not even trim their longish nails. OR the Pekins foot feathers!

After 11 weeks of hen keeping I have learnt an awful lot but would NEVER attempt a beak trim.

I would leave her be, as Snifter says. Don't think she will starve. Our d'uccle has a slight overhanging of the beak, and believe me she eats more than they rest. You could always visit Pages Poultry ;)
Click to expand...

Its not too difficult once you get used to it. I think its beginners nerves and you'll gradually overcome those :) If a beak is only slightly overlong I've never trimmed them as hens have been able to feed fine. But if a bird isn't able to eat or the beak doesn't wear down with pecking at the ground then it might need a trim. I guess having some concrete or hard surfaces for them to peck on helps to keep things shorter.

Toenails tend to again get naturally worn down with foraging. However trimming them down with a pair of dog nail clippers is easy enough. Just need a firm hold on the bird and to ensure like in dogs you don't cut too too far down and expose the quick. I remember the first time I had to do this and I ended up wrapping the chook in question in a towel to keep them still :lol: Worked though :)
 
I'm off to a friend's house later today to trim some spurs - now they go with a big 'crrrunch'!

Another little tip if you are trimming nails / spurs, buy a small veterinary Caustic Pencil - if you trip a tiny bit too far and the nail bleeds, this will stop it fast by dabbing it on. Nails and Spurs can be a bugger to stop bleeding if you don't have one of these.
 
Hi, i use a bar of soft soap- if you take too much off and it starts to bleed- just push the spur/nail into the soap and it will stop it- just an old tip i picked up :) Tim, are you going to take the spurs down- do you twist them off? so the new spur remains underneath? Or do you use the hot potato method?
regards, David :)
 
I just trip the points back to the blood vessel and file / round them. She still wants him to be as natural as possible but not to cause too much damage to the hens...

The soap is a trick I haven't tried and worth remembering. Thanks.
 
Morning,
Well, I've had Sky for 1 week now and her upper beak has trimmed nicely to match the lower. I don't think she can have been let out much - the patio obviously did the trick.
 
Cornflour is also a good way to stop the bleeding if it occurs.
 
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