# Broken beak!



## JennyM (Sep 21, 2015)

Hi everyone,
So the drama with my little bird continues...

Tonight when I got back from work I noticed he was eating funny. He was being very careful when picking up the seeds from his bowl, as trying not to hit the bowl too hard, this is something he never does, he always makes a huge mess when eating. 

I decided to check him and was shocked to see the tip of his beak was broken!!  it was still attached to the beak but it was almost off! he then tried to escape from my hands and hit his beak on my face and the broken part fell off! It is not bleeding, but I can see a little bit of flesh where the beak used to be! It sort of looks like when one breaks a nail all the way at the bottom and one can see the nail bed. The broken part is about 3mm long. 

I don't know what do do now, should I take him to the vet? can the broken part be reattached? or will the beak grow back? if yes, how long will it take to grow back? can he still be released like this? 

I have no idea how this happened, he is never left alone and he does not fly onto windows. But he is curious so maybe he pecked or got stuck somewhere. Please let me know what can I do to make him feel better, he might be in pain. I have attached some pictures so you can see the damage.

Thank you once again!


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## c.hert (Jan 15, 2010)

I think that will be okay and grow back in that area but the problem would be "if it continues growing"...For now I would not fool with it and other people might say to file it a bit but I would leave it be for now because of not want to initiate a growth pattern beyond the beak...Not very experience along these lines and maybe someone can have more expertise here...He chips it off by something and are there any toy candy kind of stuff or toys or wires around or hard seeds that parrots eat? I think it will be okay..Sure hope he does not chip it off more and look around for what it might be????


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## alby68 (Mar 18, 2013)

Jenny, it does look tough, but he will recover. I would suggest filing the edges smooth with a nail file, just lightly, trying not to file where the quick is seen-red part, just to take any sharp edges off the black part. the beak will constantly grow and is worn down naturally. but if not trimmed and the keritan gets too thin, a break like this can happen. it is going to be quite tender for a while- poor guy- maybe a week, but it will dry and toughen up. you could also leave it that way till you notice he is OK with it and then try to file it. I file my short beaked pigeons beaks all the time to keep them in the proper shape., so this sort of thing does not happen. the top beak will need to grow till it matches the length of the bottom beak. the top and bottom beak should be the same length idealy. but close is OK- just like horse-shoes....bruce


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## JennyM (Sep 21, 2015)

thank you both for your replies! I am relieved to know it will grow back, it would be sad if it stayed like that. From now on I will make sure the upper beak is not longer than the bottom one to avoid injuries like this. I had noticed the outdoor pigeons have shorter beak but I thought it wasn't normal, now I know it's the other way around. I will also check around to see if there are dangerous places where he can get hurt. Thank you!

This morning I noticed the rest of his beak looks a little dry, could this be the reason it broke? what can I put to moisturize it? I am afraid it will keep breaking. I give him calcium once a week, is there anything else I should give?


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

It looks to me that the part of the beak that broke off is keratin (a fibrous protein that forms the main structural component of hair, feathers, claws, horns, and fingernails.
This will grow back. It is supported by bone.

In the wild the pigeons wear this part of the beak down by pecking on the ground. The claws wear down when they walk on hard surfaces.

If you click on the hyperlink below, you can see some of my Picasa photos of a pigeon skull, showing the keratin tip of the upper and lower beaks. I also have photos of a jackdaw skull, and the keratin part is a large piece shaped like a "witch's hat" which slips over the upper beak.

One of my baby pigeon rescues had very sharp claws which would snag on the soft carpet. I filed them very gently by holding a toe against an emory board for human fingernails, and slowly pulling or drawing the emory board towards me. Nothing to it, if the pigeon is calm. Doing it gently lets you remove a small amount at a time, and you don't overdo it. Just like doing your own nails.

If the pigeon has a good diet and no illness, his beak should do fine. I have thin nails which split easily, perhaps due to my lung disease, and I take some supplementary zinc, which may or may not help. But the nails keep growing.


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## c.hert (Jan 15, 2010)

Just wonderful information and you could use something like Silvadene to moisturize it for this is not oil based but water based and it does a nice job with moisture on the beak or feet or wherever..Avian vets have it or maybe it is on line..The important thing about it is it is not "oil based" because "oil based ointments" get on their feathers and stop their insulating qualities..I hope everything will be just fine and think it will...


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## Jr Brown (May 22, 2012)

First, I would say based on my experience with pigeons, that the beak will be fine. It will grow back. I also would caution that in this situation, not to file it. And would suggest not using any ointments, etc. It is not necessary and some products could pose other health risks. It will be fine if left alone to just grow back naturally.

However let's consider why this may have happened.

What type of bowl or container does he eat from?

What type of cage does he live in?

And of what does his entire diet consist, including any supplements, grits, grains, etc.?


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## JennyM (Sep 21, 2015)

Larry_Cologne said:


> It looks to me that the part of the beak that broke off is keratin (a fibrous protein that forms the main structural component of hair, feathers, claws, horns, and fingernails.
> This will grow back. It is supported by bone.
> 
> In the wild the pigeons wear this part of the beak down by pecking on the ground. The claws wear down when they walk on hard surfaces.
> ...


Wow! those are very useful pictures, thanks so much for sharing! I had no idea they had that sort of thing covering the beak! it's amazing, because it protects the actual beak from injuries like this. I'm just curious though, if only the keratin broke why does it look pinkish underneath? is there blood in between the keratin and the beak?





c.hert said:


> Just wonderful information and you could use something like Silvadene to moisturize it for this is not oil based but water based and it does a nice job with moisture on the beak or feet or wherever..Avian vets have it or maybe it is on line..The important thing about it is it is not "oil based" because "oil based ointments" get on their feathers and stop their insulating qualities..I hope everything will be just fine and think it will...



Thank you, c.hert! I will try to find that moisturizer because her beak does look dried up! if I can't find it (since it looks like it's only sold with a prescription) then I will look for a water based one. Thank you! 




Jr Brown said:


> First, I would say based on my experience with pigeons, that the beak will be fine. It will grow back. I also would caution that in this situation, not to file it. And would suggest not using any ointments, etc. It is not necessary and some products could pose other health risks. It will be fine if left alone to just grow back naturally.
> 
> However let's consider why this may have happened.
> 
> ...



Thank you for your reply and your advise, it makes me feel better that so many of you say it will grow back. Do you know how long it will take? 

- he eats from a plastic bowl, but a few days ago a family member told me that his beak looked a little bit longer than the pigeons on the street, so we bought a bowl from the garden store that is made of clay, we thought that it would help wear down his beak. But after 2 or 3 days of using it this happened, so I don't know if this bowl was the cause or something else.

- he does not live in a cage, he is free in my apartment. It's a very small apartment so we always know where he is, plus he only hangs on a few places. He sleeps on a wooden board that we put on top of a window and he has a blanket up there to keep him warm.

- he eats kaytee supreme dove and pigeon mix, but he mostly eats the small seeds, he does not like the bigger ones. I give him grit but he doesn't eat it that much, I also put ACV in his water a few times a week, and I also give him calcium once a week. He also goes to the kitchen and looks for crumbs. And sometimes I give him rice as a treat, which he loves. And he also likes to eat waffles, but just a few little crumbs, and only the soft part, he does not like if it's too toasted.


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

The beak of a bird is analogous to the fingernail of a human finger.
The fingernail has several functions. (There is probably a good treatise or article on this somewhere, in Wikipedia or in a biology text). 
It acts like a shock absorber, to protect the flesh at the tip of your finger between the bone and any hard surface your fingertip hits against. An activity similar to playing piano with a lot of force would tend to drive the bone tip through the skin. Calluses would form to prevent this, as happens on the bottom of the foot. Since a callus is made of thick ectoderm, dead skin cells with no circulating blood and no nerve cells, sensitivity would be lost. The nail helps preserve toughness and sensitivity. The nail also helps to keep the finger pad with raised fingerprint ridges from moving around too much, to maintain friction and help grip.

Think of the nail and the beak as a bunch of fused hairs, always growing. Pull off a fingernail, or a beak, or a claw, or a horn, or a bunch of hair, and you will damage the skin beneath, from which all the keratin is produced, and you will have bleeding.

When I found the jackdaw carcass under a thick bush in the park, I decided to keep the skull. (Photos of this skull can be accessed by the link to my Google _Picasa_ albums below). The carcass was at least several days old and decomposing. The substrate flesh holding the hornlike beak to the bone of the beak had rotted, and the keratin part of the upper beak easily slipped off. The bony part and the keratin part of the beak of a jackdaw is much bigger and stronger than that of a pigeon. The upper beak of a jackdaw has a more solid surface, whereas the upper beak of a pigeon resembles a skinny-legged tripod. This saves weight for the pigeon, since it mostly pecks and preens its feathers with its beak, and does not dig into the ground nor do a lot of heavy lifting or grabbing, or ripping and tearing of flesh like raptors do.

The fingernail also performs somewhat like a claw for grabbing, and a tool for prying, wedging, scraping, applying a penetrating, forceful edge for puncturing, digging, or slicing (such as fruit skins). It also helps hold or squeeze small objects with a vise-like grip. 

So: I guess I've exercised my brain enough for a while. LOL.


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## alby68 (Mar 18, 2013)

the center part of the mandibles/beak is called the quick, and it is flesh and blood and nerves, and will bleed if cut. just like the toenail on a dog. if I trim the beak of my birds too much at once, it will bleed and be uncomfortable for the bird. I don't know for a fact but it seems if I constantly trim the beak, the quick recedes back away from the tip of the beak. so I trim the beaks as often as I see fit.
in this case the karatin will have to grow out and cover the quick again Jenny.


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## AndreiS (Jul 28, 2013)

How much calcium are you giving and in which form? Only once a week is too little. There are some cheap products containing calcium carbonate and vitamins that you mix (or simply pour over the food. If is in enough amount, the bird will get some involuntarly while eating seeds.

Are you giving B and A vitamins? They ontribute to bird's overall strenght, without them the bird will be weak. 

Do the bird eats seeds high in protein and fats? The diet must include all the nutrients in the proper proportion. Lacking some of them, you uselesly are giving calcium.

Acv is good to be always put in water. Water without acv is alkaline and that helps fungi and other germs. 

Also probiotics are an excellent protection against bad bacteria and other germs. If possible, they too should be always in water.


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## JennyM (Sep 21, 2015)

Thank you for the very clear explanation, Larry_Cologne! now I understand why he was left with that pink fleshy part when the keratin broke! 


Thanks alby68, I was actually confused with that word "quick" lol thanks for telling me what it means and for your explanation as well!


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## JennyM (Sep 21, 2015)

I noticed that the rest of his beak (the keratin) looks and feels a little cracked, now I'm scared that it could break when it grows. Is there anything I can do to avoid this? like applying something or maybe give him some vitamins?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

He may have flown into something, which can cause the beak to break. Another reason why he should be confined when you are not there to supervise.


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## Jr Brown (May 22, 2012)

- he eats from a plastic bowl, but a few days ago a family member told me that his beak looked a little bit longer than the pigeons on the street, so we bought a bowl from the garden store that is made of clay, we thought that it would help wear down his beak. But after 2 or 3 days of using it this happened, so I don't know if this bowl was the cause or something else.

- he does not live in a cage, he is free in my apartment. It's a very small apartment so we always know where he is, plus he only hangs on a few places. He sleeps on a wooden board that we put on top of a window and he has a blanket up there to keep him warm.

- he eats kaytee supreme dove and pigeon mix, but he mostly eats the small seeds, he does not like the bigger ones. I give him grit but he doesn't eat it that much, I also put ACV in his water a few times a week, and I also give him calcium once a week. He also goes to the kitchen and looks for crumbs. And sometimes I give him rice as a treat, which he loves. And he also likes to eat waffles, but just a few little crumbs, and only the soft part, he does not like if it's too toasted.[/QUOTE]

If you have not do so already, I would suggest you go back to the plastic bowl.
The diet seems sufficient. If he leaves the larger seeds then you can reduce the overall amount of food he gets and he will start to eat all types of seed included in the mix.
How much ACV do you add to the water?


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## JennyM (Sep 21, 2015)

Jr Brown said:


> If you have not do so already, I would suggest you go back to the plastic bowl.
> The diet seems sufficient. If he leaves the larger seeds then you can reduce the overall amount of food he gets and he will start to eat all types of seed included in the mix.
> How much ACV do you add to the water?


yes, he's back to the plastic bowl. Thanks for suggesting to give him less food so he can eat all the seeds, I will do that as soon as he gets better. Lately I've been putting a little more food than usual to make it easier for him to eat, I don't want him slamming his beak on it. 

I give him about 1/4 of a cup of water (he has small bowls) and to that I add 1 or 2 drops of ACV. Do you think that's enough?


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## Jr Brown (May 22, 2012)

It is just my opinion, without any data or science to back it up but, yes I think that is a good amount of ACV to add 2 or 3 times a week.
And I would still suggest you cut back on food so that he eats a variety of seeds for a balanced diet.


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## JennyM (Sep 21, 2015)

Jr Brown said:


> It is just my opinion, without any data or science to back it up but, yes I think that is a good amount of ACV to add 2 or 3 times a week.
> And I would still suggest you cut back on food so that he eats a variety of seeds for a balanced diet.


great! thanks Jr Brown, I'm glad I am giving him the right amount  I will give him less food then so he can get all the vitamins he needs. Thank you for all the help!


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## alby68 (Mar 18, 2013)

ceiling fans are a definate no-no when you have birds. and birds will at times do stupid things that have the potential to hurt them. its just part of taking care of them.


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## JennyM (Sep 21, 2015)

alby68 said:


> ceiling fans are a definate no-no when you have birds. and birds will at times do stupid things that have the potential to hurt them. its just part of taking care of them.


I've heard they are very dangerous for birds, thankfully we don't have any in my apartment.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

JennyM said:


> great! thanks Jr Brown, I'm glad I am giving him the right amount  I will give him less food then so he can get all the vitamins he needs. Thank you for all the help!


They don't receive all the vitamins they need from seed. Giving a vitamin in the water a couple of times a week should be added.


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## JennyM (Sep 21, 2015)

Jay3 said:


> They don't receive all the vitamins they need from seed. Giving a vitamin in the water a couple of times a week should be added.


what vitamins should I give? any brand suggestions? thanks!


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## JennyM (Sep 21, 2015)

Hi guys, just wanted to let you know that his beak (keratin) is back to normal! I'm surprised it grew back so quick, it took about a week! thank you all for helping


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Looking good!


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## c.hert (Jan 15, 2010)

Pretty bird with a pretty beak...lol


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

JennyM, so glad your bird is back to normal!


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

Looking good!


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