I really liked this article, it got me thinking. One thing I wondered is the role that nutritional deficiencies might play. Weston A Price studied people around the world and found that people who had diverse, natural, traditional diets high in minerals, didn't need to have their wisdom teeth removed because their jaws were able to fully develop. In the West, we have access to an abundance of low quality, high calorie food that looks great but lacks deep nutrition, trace elements and essential minerals. As a result, our genetics are unable to fully express themselves. perhaps there are other contributing factors that could account for the beaks developing like that. Other than growing food in naturally mineral rich soils, people add glacial rock dusts (I also think fungi are helpful for making the minerals more bio-available to the plants) or AZOMITE, which can also be fed to livestock directly. Genetics is definitely a big factor, but how well they are able to express themselves due to environmental factors is also a consideration. Thanks for the post @farmstead Look forward to reading more from you!
Interesting thoughts. I can't say for sure whether that's a factor or not because many are already hatched with a cross beak, so maybe the food factor would have to be available to the parent? The sources I read stated that many times it is due to the Chick being positioned incorrectly inside the egg, not protecting its head (I guess they typically have it tucked beneath their wing).
Now, that's not to say that the fact I feed my Chickens what I feel to be high end Organic Soy-Free and Corn-Free feed (brand: Scratch and Peck) doesn't have to do with maybe the cross beak not showing up until it was 3-4 weeks old? Everything I read said it showed up before two weeks! And maybe it's not letting it progress as quickly. My chickens are also free range here on 20 acres.
But what I do doesn't say much for their previous lives and parents as they are hatchery chicks.
Thanks for stopping by and starting a conversation! And thanks for the resteem!
Pleasure! Yeah, there does seem to be a lot more to it than that but it sounds like your chickens have about as wonderful a life as could be hoped! I think the Hatchery factor could be the part that is hardest to do anything about. If they were bred and raised to not move around as freely and naturally as your chicks get to enjoy, then all kinds of natural traits and behaviors get lost in place of higher returns on meat or eggs in shorter times. If they don't get to move or see much light, who is going to notice the beak? I've also heard of people's experiences rescuing cage birds and struggling with hens that have no instinct for scratching. And thus need to learn from established hens.