AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

Hello everybody. I'm hoping for some advice on a peahen I acquired today.
Whilst buying some chickens this morning I discovered the seller had a young peahen for sale.
Of course I couldn't resist. I have been looking for a mate for my recently acquired peacock.
Unfortunately the seller was clearly inexperienced with peafowl (not that I am much better to be honest) and in the process of catching the bird it has struck it's beak against something hard.
The very tip (maybe 2-3mm) of her upper beak has "fractured" so that if pressure is applied the tip can be "bent" downwards slightly. Note the "crack" is actually on the underside though so the tip is swinging from the top. It is still quite firm and I imagine it would not move at all unless she was pecking at something quite hard. Also, on what I would call the "bridge" of her beak (close to where it joins her head) there is a crack. There was some minor bleeding which we treated immediately with some salt water and as bad as it probably all sounds the damage seems mostly superficial and the bird does not seem to be distressed or obviously discomforted (beyond the normal stress of being caught and transported of course)!
Unfortunately I had another emergency at home and could not take her to a vet today.
She seems quite happy in her new pen with her new boyfriend but at this early stage I can't be sure if she is able to eat properly.
On my mad rush home I did try unsuccessfully to find somewhere to buy a product I have used to treat cracked / split toenails on dogs called "Hard as Nails". I have also heard of people using Super Glue but I am a little hesitant to use something so toxic especially on the "bridge" where infection could still occur.
Other than the obvious option of taking her to a vet (who most probably won't be an avian specialist anyway) what should I do?
Do I trim the beak? Do I treat the factures with Hard as Nails or something similar and keep a watch that the beak continues to grow straight? Do I offer her special food that is easier for her to peck at?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you.

Hi schnapper, there is little you can do, be careful with using any products that maybe toxic to birds, Hard as Nails may be ok but catching her again may only make things much worse. Just keep an eye on her to make sure she is eating and that no infection sets in. You can use a General mild broad spectrum antibiotic in the water to help prevent infection.



Thanks
Peacocks Australia