Nana's Chickens: Cha Cha's Story

Cha Cha- the Little Chick Who Knew She Could

Photo of Cha Cha taken under infrared red light at 4 days old.

When I received my first 12 chicks on May 28, 2014, little did I know at the time, that my first challenge would come 3 weeks later from a little Chick named Cha Cha. From the very first day the chicks arrived, I could tell there was something special about this little Easter Egger chick. She was so active and alert. She looked like a chipmunk and loved shuffling her feet in a dancing motion. One day while 3 of my grandchildren were visiting, they witnessed this dance and said "Nana, that chicken is doing the Cha Cha!" I thought Cha Cha was an appropriate name for a chick that danced, She was the first chick named. Note that at first, I was convinced Cha Cha was male because of her "take charge" manner. After a few days in the brooder it was obvious, this chick was the "leader of the flock." She was the one who gave warning calls, and would remain standing when anything frightened the other 11 chicks.

At 3 weeks, I noticed that Cha Cha's beak looked a bit strange. The bottom and the top didn't quite align. I immediately went to the computer to research what could be wrong with my little Cha Cha. As I soon found out, Cha Cha had developed a Crossed Beak aka Scissor Beak, Cross Beak or Crooked beak. (There are also other names for this condition). I started reading all the information I could find and soon realized there was nothing I could do. Cha Cha would always have a Crossed Beak, and it would most likely get worse. Many of the blogs and posts I found online suggested to cull the chicken as it would always cause problems, and the outlook for life wasn't good. I found a few sites that had Crossed beak chickens which had lived for years and had managed to adapt to the deformed beak. As the weeks progressed, this alignment in Cha Cha's beak did get worse, and eventually she started having difficulty eating the crumble I was giving. Because of this difficulty, it took her much longer to eat, but she was determined to try anyway. One day, while watching this lively little chick interacting with the other chicks, and acting as normal as the others, I came to the conclusion that if Cha Cha wasn't going to give up, I would do my best to help her in any way I could. She would remain part of the flock, and at that time she was "top chick" of the flock.

To make sure Cha Cha would get enough to eat, the first thing I did was to start making up a semi-soft wet mash out of the chicken feed. I offered this twice a day, making enough for all the chicks. Cha Cha did not like being separated from the flock, and would not eat if the other 11 were not included at mealtime. When I started feeding the chicks special treats, such as cut up greens or squash, Cha Cha was not able to pick the greenery up with her beak. She would try her best before another chick would snatch it away from her. It was so sad to see her try so hard. After some time, she soon gave up trying to get a treat. It was as if she knew there was no use in trying. Cha Cha was about 30 weeks old before she finally was able to get a piece of "chickweed" into her mouth. I was there that day. It brought tears to my eyes to finally see her accomplish something she had tried so hard to do for so long. Now at 41 weeks, she is able to pick up small pieces of greens, corn, or weeds. She still hasn't accomplished berries, raisins and forget the crickets! Again, she seems to know what she can manage and doesn't come running like the other girls when she sees I have certain kind of treats.

Fresh Greens, mash and Wheat sprouts are a favorite

At six weeks old, we had to trim Cha Cha's upper beak. The beak had started to turn under, and upon observation, I could see she was having a much more difficult time eating. I held her while my husband took the large nail clippers and snipped a very small portion of the tip being careful not to clip into the "quick". This was the one and only time we have clipped her beak. She now has learned to "file" her top and bottom beak on the cement block or the tree stump we have provided in the run. I did consult with an avian vet about trimming her beak again and was told that unless she was having difficulty, to just leave it alone and let her adapt. Also, she could become a target for the other chickens to pick on if her appearance were to change. Since my chickens has all been raised together from the first, the other girls had accepted Cha Cha and her different appearance. Cha Cha's beak and muff feathers often get messy while eating. She will stand still and tilt her head for one of her flock mates to clean any extra crumbles from around her beak. It is an amazing sight. Further trimming has not been done on Cha Cha's beak, but this may not always be the case. To trim or not to trim is a case by case decision. I would recommend consulting with an avian vet.

Cha Cha at 40 Weeks Old

What causes a Crossed Beak?

From my research, I found that a chick can get in an incorrect position for hatching and this can cause the skull to malform which results in a crossed or scissor beak. This type of deformity will usually show up in the first weeks of life as the chick grows. Cha Cha's started showing up about 3 weeks old. Other causes of the crossed beak are nutritional deficiencies, injury, infection, liver disease or genetics. In some of these situations, the crossed beak could show up at any time in the life of the chicken. It is recommended that you do not breed a crossed beak chicken in the chance that it could be genetic. There is lots of information on this condition through the internet.

Suggestions for caring for the Crossed Beak Chicken

Note: these are my personal suggestions based on my experience with my crossed beak chicken, Cha Cha. Due to the differences in severity of crossed beaks, these suggestions may not be applicable in all cases.

Make sure to feed a well balanced feed appropriate for the life stages of the chicken. When it was time to switch to layer feed I found that Cha Cha could eat "crumbles" better than "pellets", This may not be the case for all crossed beaks.
Occasionally offer a wet mash out of the feed. I offered this twice daily as well as having dry crumbles out all day. As the chicks progressed in age, I would add chopped greens, berries, squash, nuts etc. to the mash to assure Cha Cha got some of the benefits the others were getting. Yes, the others would eat the mash also, but it was the only way I knew to make sure Cha Cha got enough to eat. At 41 weeks old, the chickens still get a wet mash at least once a day mainly for Cha Cha's benefit.
Feed dishes and waterers should be deep enough to accommodate the beak. I have found that Cha Cha can drink from a nipple waterer but prefers to drink from a normal chicken fount style waterer. I offer oyster shell and grit in separate plastic containers that I hang on the wire fencing of the run. I also sprinkle some on the ground, because Cha Cha seems to have an easier time picking the grit and oyster shell from the sand in the run.
Provide some way for the chicken to sharpen or shape the beak. I have a cement block that all the chickens use and some tree stumps in the run. When my chicks were still in the brooder, I provided a small brick.
Observe your chicken closely for weight loss. If it is possible, weighing the chicken regularly was suggested by the vet I consulted. Weight loss would be detrimental to the health of the chicken. Most of the time, crossed beak chickens will be smaller due to the food challenges they encounter. Cha Cha is my smallest chicken. I have another Easter Egger to compare her with for size.
Last but not least, give the chicken time and space to work things out on their own. The only thing special, I have done for Cha Cha is to offer the wet mash and trim her top beak at 6 weeks old. So far, she has learned on her own to pick up crumbles, greens, grit, oyster shell, etc. She also has worked out a way to keep her beak at a length to sustain her needs. Cha Cha is very active and will often show off her flying abilities. She knows how to take up for herself and others lower in the pecking order when challenged by those higher up. She is no longer "leader of the flock". She gave that position up to Chickory my other Easter Egger shortly after moving from the brooder to the henhouse at 8 weeks old. Cha Cha, however, has been the only chicken to challenge the new leader to gain back the top position. Unfortunately, she wasn't successful...at that time.

Cha Cha was 25 weeks old when she laid her first egg. She was the third out of twelve to start laying which was a surprise to me. Because of her smaller size, I didn't have much hope that she would be a good layer. Her first egg was a 1.6 ounce egg, but soon she was laying 1.8 ounce eggs. Now Cha Cha lays 4-5 large eggs a week. I've never had any problem with any of her eggs. The shells and color are always perfect.

Cha Cha's first egg laid at 25 weeks old-Blue/Green in color

First egg weighed 1.6 ounces. At 41 weeks she now lays 2.0 ounce eggs.

I don't know what Cha Cha's prognosis is for the future, however, I don't know what the prognosis is for any of the girls. Since I am a new chicken owner, I just do the best I can, with the information I have, and deal with each problem as it arises. It will be a sad day when any of my girls pass away, but when that day comes, I will find a way deal with it.

Cha Cha's Photos