Vets viewpoint

Q: I have gouldian fledglings developing very long beaks. What is a possible cause of this????

A: Elongated beaks occur in birds of all ages with numerous causes.

Some of these include :

1. Nutritional causes – vitamin deficiency ( and in some cases excess) may result in the development of abnormal keratin development (the material that makes up the hard part of the beak and nails). The most common culprit is Vitamin A which is generally in poor supply in seed based diets.

2. Physical damage – Anything that damages the beak tissue will result in the body attempting to repair this tissue. If the damage to the beak tissue is widespread, the body’s attempt at repair may result in abnormal growth. Where this abnormal growth occurs depends on what part of the beak is damaged. If the damage occurs at the base of the beak (where it joins the skull), then the area where the beak tissue is initially formed may be damaged resulting in poor beak formation from the base to the tip. If the damage is done further up the beak, damage is limited to the area in front of the damaged area. The types of injuries that will cause these changes include leg rings trapped on the beak tip (in birds that have attempted to remove there leg rings) and injuries from hitting the wire.

3. Parasite damage – Cnemidocoptes mites (scaly face mites) burrowing into the beak tissue with stimulate an aggressive repair response by the beak tissue which may result in abnormal growth.

4. Metabolic disease – birds with liver disease have an inability to produce normal quality keratin. This results in beaks that are often brittle and excessively long.

5. Viral disease – Polyomavirus is a very common cause of elongated beaks, particularly in Gouldian finches. Polyomavirus is often endemic in Gouldian flocks. Elongated beaks form part of a complex of problems including dead in nest chicks (often days 4-10), high fledgling mortality and poor feathering. I am unsure if the beak abnormality is because of specific effects of the virus on the beak keratin or its associated liver damage and subsequent effects. Chicks that survive early infection go on to become carriers and these birds usually develop the beak and feather signs. If you are seeing any of these additional signs then investigating polyomavirus is worthwhile. It involves sacrificing a bird for histopathology. I usually submit the whole body to the laboratory. They will look at sample of the liver, spleen and intestine for signs of viral organisms. If diagnosed, the basic recommendation is to cease breeding for at least 1 breeding seaon ( preferably 2 seasons). This is because adults develop good immunity to this disease and the virus is only able to persist whilst young birds exist in the population (as carriers). No young birds for 1-2 years usually allows immunity to develop in the breeding flock (as long as new carrier birds are not introduced) .

Q: I would like to improve the colour of my red siskins using my soft food mix but I don’t want to effect the plumage of my other birds. How can I do this???

A: Traditionally, colour enhancement is done using products that supply the pigment required in its pure form. Canthaxanthin is the predominant product used for enhancing red colouration. It comes as a liquid or powder. As it is already metabolically the final product (the body does not need to modifiy it any further), two problems occur. The first is that birds that do not need red colour enhancement have no ability to excrete the product and end up incorporating it into their feathers whether they need it or not. This turns yellow birds into orange birds. The second problem is that it is possible to overdose these products and cause liver damage.

My preference is to use a product that is a precursor product. This means that the product, once consumed, must be metabolized into its final stage and will only do so if the metabolic pathways needed are already in existence. An ideal product for this is Spirulina. Spirulina is a concentrated extract from a marine algae. It contains a number of important precursors ( ) for red and yellow pigment. This means that we can feed this product in a mixed collection and only enhance the colours that the bird naturally requires (i.e. red birds use the red precursors, yellow birds use the yellow precursors). Some species of green birds that “grey” in captivity will also benefit from its use ( e.g. silvereyes, fruit pigeons) . I use it both in my soft food, nectar and, in those birds that eat minimal soft food, onto the live food. Spirulina comes as a superfine green powder. Dusted onto mealworms or maggots is a simple way of presenting it. This works well for species like weavers and potentially birds like chats and robins. I use it in soft food at a rate of about 0.5 - 1% of the mix. I use the 500 mg capsules at a rate of 1 x 500 mg capsule per 100 grams of soft food. You can also purchase it as a powder. These are readily available from any health food shop. Birds that I use it for include scarlet honeyeaters , silvereyes, siskins, grenadier weavers, figbirds, saffrons and it will even allow improvement of birds like orange breasts and ruddies. Basically it allows any species to reach its predetermined colour potential without unnaturally colouring them. Spirulina also has numerous other bonus effects such as :