Vets Viewpoint.

Q: I would like to prepare my gouldians for the breeding season by making sure they don’t have air sac mite. What is the best way to do this??

The air sac mite (Sternostoma sp.) is a common pathogen of Finches and canaries and has a predilection for Gouldian finches. Despite its name, it is actually far more common in the trachea (windpipe) and syrinx (voicebox) than in the air sacs. The mites lay eggs in these areas and the eggs are coughed up by affected birds which then usually wipe their beak along the perch to clear the mucous from their beak. Other birds may be infected if the beak wipe in the vicinity of this egg laden mucous or by direct oral contact (cocks feeding hens, parents feeding chicks). The mite survives poorly outside of the confines of the bird so environmental treatment is not necessary.

Treating the mites inside the birds involves two components, killing the mites and treating the secondary infections.

Killing air sac mites has for years been a barbaric act involving shaking birds in paper bags of carbaryl or fly spray or locking them in cages with pest strips. With modern medication, these methods are really no longer acceptable.

Treatment with products such as ivermectin can be successful but many different strength products exist on the market making dose rates variable.Depending on how they are mixed for avian use, many of them are rendered inactive by contact with water. None of these products are registered for avian use so any use of these products is at the owners risk. I personally use moxidectin as it has a wider safety margin and is in a form registered for bird use (Moxidectin or Moxidectin Plus (Australian Pigeon Company)). Treatment is recommended 2-4 weeks before pairing and usually again after the first and final round of eggs. Fledglings should be treated well before the moult starts.

Q: Every now and then I have finches fledge with white wing feathers. What causes this???

When I was a younger finch breeder I would often see finch chicks fledging with white flights, usually a mottled whiteness, not a clean crisp white as you would see in a pied bird. In all honesty I can’t recall seeing a white flighted chick in my own collection over the past 10 years. What is the difference between what I do now and what I did then????.

I think, in short, my nutrition has improved. I honestly don’t think the work has been done to identify specifically what is lacking in finches with these white flight but research in poultry chicks usually points towards it being associated with a lack of certain amino acids in the diet. Lysine is often blamed but the essential amino acids methionine, cysteine, tyrosine and phenylalanine all play a role in melanin deposition and feather quality. I think the issue is more one of imbalance of amino acids than total deficiency. In many cases, it is not necessarily what is being fed BUT what the parent birds are eating and feeding to their young. I recall that I saw more of these problems in birds that ate little soft food and relied heavily on white ants such as cordons, ruddies and orange breasts. Back then however, a soft food was basically a bowl of dry “pseudo” egg and biscuit as that is all that was available. I think if you are seeing white flights you need to look at the overall picture of what you are feeding. What soft food, what is actually being eaten and what is being eaten by breeding birds are important things to note and modify.

Q: As a finch breeder, need I be worried about “Bird Flu”?????

Of late, the media circus has again resulted in avian vets being bombarded with questions about “Bird Flu” (Avian Influenza). Every time a chook sneezes , I get a phone call at present. This is a large but fairly basic subject which I will address from the point of view of a finch breeder. Other species have their own slight risk assessment differences depending on their exposure likelihood.

“Bird Flu” refers to an infection by the strain of avian influenza called H5N1. The H and the N refer to protein differences on the surface of the virus. Other forms of avian influenza with different surface proteins have popped up in Australia but have been adequately dealt with by the authorities. H5N1 has not been found in Australia to date.

From a bird point of view, avian influenza is spread between birds via respiratory secretions, faecal secretions, contaminated water and by human clothing, boots and machinery. The principal carrier likely to bring the disease into Australia (apart from a human with dirty boots and clothing) is any form of free ranging waterfowl or waterbirds. As these are unlikely to actually be in contact with captive finches, the risk for that subgroup is very low. The only other realistic source of infection for a finch aviary is the use of contaminated, untreated dam water that has been visited by wild waterfowl. So, the commonsense approach to avian influenza that should keep us all at low risk is to not use untreated dam water for sprinkling or water supply, not to house free range waterfowl or poultry (that share their water facilities with wild ducks) adjacent to our finch collections and notify your local avian vet if any significant mortalities are noted within your flock