Urgent Foods to feed with a broken beak

[Cara]

Lots of good advice has been shared here. My staple for sneaking food into birds might work for you.

Sweet Potato Mush
Steam or nuke sweet potato until soft.
Mix in a large spoonful of almond butter and a tablespoon of coconut oil.
Add whatever else you want to sneak into him. I add pureed greens and veggies (and usually blueberries), flax or chia seeds, and sometimes quinoa.

I make enough for a couple of days, then switch out the type of greens and veggies for something different. I've also used Sun Butter, which was NOT a hit, and cashew butter.

 

[apollosparents]

Lots of good advice has been shared here. My staple for sneaking food into birds might work for you.

Sweet Potato Mush
Steam or nuke sweet potato until soft.
Mix in a large spoonful of almond butter and a tablespoon of coconut oil.
Add whatever else you want to sneak into him. I add pureed greens and veggies (and usually blueberries), flax or chia seeds, and sometimes quinoa.

I make enough for a couple of days, then switch out the type of greens and veggies for something different. I've also used Sun Butter, which was NOT a hit, and cashew butter.

Cara,
I am going to clip this recipe! Hopefully I will not need to use it with my Fids but I will keep it on standby for those that need it. I had some of the ingredients and tried it today when I got home and got Apollo to eat some pelletized diet that he usually slings out of his bowls! Once I get the coconut oil, I am going to try it with Sam, our rescue Yellow Collar. She hates all people food but I bet she will like the smell of this stuff..

 

[Cara]

Some people are very anti-coconut oil, but my vet has researched it a bit and says it's fine, if not the miracle food that everyone has been claiming lately. If you believe the internet, people who ingest only coconut oil, kale and turmeric will be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. A few years ago, soy was the answer to everything...

 

[Monica]

Another thought is getting pellets meant for budgies/parakeets that are really tiny..... Harrison's even has their Mash diet which could be fed.


HIGH POTENCY MASH-Harrison's Bird Foods

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

I don't go out and get handfeeding formula, I just grind up the Harrison's High Potency, mix with a little water and feed with a spoon or syringe. Later on, I just soften the pellets with juice or water so they aren't hard and let the bird eat on its own. If the bird usually gets coarse pellets, I soak the fine size and the birds usually do fine with the smaller, soft pellets.

 

[Sniperzombies]

Update on Finster: His beak is now back to a healthy peach color and seems to have some growth on the outside. He still isn't interested in anything hard, and I'm not sure if its because he can't eat them or he doesn't want to eat them. He's been very spoiled the past couple of days, but has started eating better things than parrot weight gain powder. Its kind of funny, he uses his lower beak as a scoop and tongues the food into his mouth like a little bulldozer.

 

[Nikomania]

After my Ekki attacked my GCC, fracturing his jaw and crushing half his beak, I syringe fed him super green juice the first week and also offered him soft foods, along with almond butter. Two months out he still can't crack safflower seeds or eat pellets, but he can eat pine nuts now, along with his usual veggie and fruit chop. His beak is partially grown out now, which has helped him a lot.

It's amazing how resourceful they become.

 

[pinkdagger]

Good to hear. What did the avian vet say?

 

[Sniperzombies]

He's become a lot more docile now which is good. He was pretty bitey. Unfortunatly for my boyfriend, I leave for work before he starts screaming for breakfast and my boyfriend has to get up and feed him...

The vet said just keep feeding him the soft foods and monitor his behavior. The beak healed pretty quickly, I was surprised. I put saline solution on it after he ate to keep it hydrated. It was like it never happened for him, almost like he was proud of himself.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

This is such great news! Thanks for the update. I always wonder how these little finds do after injury or illness and it's always good to hear good news.

 

[Birdbabe]

Glad he's improving!

 

[Sniperzombies]

So I'm not sure if this has anything to do with his beak or the food he's on now. I've been feeding him small diced vegetables, lentils and other things instead of pellets into paste and suddenly he's crazy about it, he wont even let me get it in his cage before he starts eating it. And he seems to be eating a lot, I haven't noticed anything else unusual and he's not loosing weight, the only thing I can think of is he's not eating as much of it because its a little harder for him to get in his mouth?

 

[TWR]

Sounds like you've got the foot sorted and he's really enjoying the new offerings.

I'm dealing with this same injury type now. An aviary lovebirds beak was broken off. We didn't witness it, but it had to be either it's mate or the wild too's who are always trying to get their seeds. Never seen any aggression from its mate, so my bet is he was too close to the wire/feed bowl when the too tried to sneak some.

The beak is definitely growing back, so I'll need another trip to the AV to make sure it's growing back in the right shape.

 

[KatherinesBirds]

About 20 years ago, while living in rural Texas, I had a blue and gold that was in my care with a broken upper mandible. Horrible to see and obviously horrible for the poor bird. There was hardly anything left of the upper, just a little tongue sticking out. There was little information for me back then so I had to quickly think...what the heck should I do. No internet. no avian vet. I made a mixture of her favorite foods, mashed up fresh each time and fed by hand. Bananas, applesauce, finely ground sunflower, natural peanut butter, various baby foods, water. This ornery, previously nippy bird took to the 4 times a day hand feeding very well. I have no doubt she was in pain. It went on for several months. Gradually over two years her beak grew back. A bit stubbier looking but pretty much normal. We were lucky. A good vet would have been so helpful. How very far we bird keepers have come since 20 years ago!
I am so happy to hear that things went well for your bird!!!

 

[Chantilly Lace]

You can soak pellets in fruit juice or something sweet, but don't leave them in the cage for more than an hour or two, that goes for all fruit and veggies since they go bad quickly. Poor baby definitely needs some pain medication, that is a pretty serious injury. You always need to know an avian vet that will answer your calls after hours, that is a must.

 

[parrotluv]

How is he doing now? Has his beak grown out more?

 

[Sniperzombies]

It dosen't seem like his beak is growing at all. I usually have to clip his lower beak as it starts to grow up too high. I've been keeping it lower than usual in hopes the upper beak will grow down. The beak looks healthy, pink and clean.

 

[Maverick712008]

OMG, thank you all for all the help you are giving sniperzombies, because my neighbor found a cocktiel in the street and she/he was badly hurt. Beck was chip, wing bruised, top of scalp no feathers. bleeding from nostrils and claws with the longest nail i've ever seen on a bird. Poor baby is in bad condition. I try to help clean him/her up but was so scare, so we just let him/her rest. The next day I was wondering what to feed him/her. I did boil some sweet potato and used a eyedrops to make sure it got some water. I
I do appreciate all the info from all of you. Thank you.

By the way it has been 3 days and I was able to cut some of the nails with a baby clipper. So far everything is going ok. I just needed to know what to feed him/her.
Thanks again, I love this website.

 

[Shezbug]

Hey there @Maverick712008, it would be a good idea for you to make a new thread about the bird you and your neighbor found.
This is an old thread and has not had anyone post here for a few years (2015). If you post in the 911 section you will have a lot more people see your post about this bird and offer you advice on how to help it best.
Welcome to the avenue, it is a great site