New beak will cock-a-doodle-do
for rescue bird

Rooster Captain Beaky has ruffled a few feathers at the chicken sanctuary where he lives – but due to a scissor or cross beak which doesn’t close properly, he has to eat alone or would starve.

Now his owner Tina Wilkinson, who set up Hedwig’s House for Chickens in Hest Bank in 2014, is appealing for a vet to give Captain Beaky a very specialised operation to make him a new beak, which will allow him to feed properly.

Tina wants to raise funds for Captain Beaky to have a prosthetic beak so he can have a normal life.

Tina said: “I was contacted by an elderly couple who said he had been abandoned in woodland near their house, probably because he is a boy and his bottom beak goes to the left.

“He is extremely lucky to make it to adulthood . To feed he has to bury his head in the food and rub his face around in it. We have to separate him to eat because the others push him out of the way.

“We are trying to find a vet that can do something for him so he can live a normal life.He is absolutely gorgeous. He jumps up squawking and lets you pick him up and take him to his food. He comes to his name, he is adorable. They can make prosthetic beaks which they put on the chicken under anaesthetic but its finding someone who can do it in England.

“It is possible but it could be a considerable cost.

“We need to find someone and get the funds.

“My husband Martin would take me to Northern Ireland, where a vet does this treatment, but we need to raise money to get there.

“We sell eggs and have a stall on the car boot but all the money raised pays for the food and bedding for the chickens.

“He really does deserve to live and we are lucky to get him to the age he is.”

If you can help towards the cost of Captain Beaky’s operation, contact Tina Wilkinson on 07765 313780, or email [email protected].

What is Hedwig’s House?

Hedwig’s House was founded in March 2014 in memory of a little commercial chick who had suffered a head injury when she was being “processed” in the hatchery; she was just a day old, and was destined for the egg industry. Hedwig fought bravely for her life, but succumbed at just 15 days old. Hedwig’s House finds homes for hens so they can live a life out of the egg industry, and provides a place of sanctuary for chickens who are looking for a home.