Maja and Pierre Swart

When people ask us how we managed to build up our current stud, a number of things come to mind.

The Principal

First of all – how do you tell somebody just in a few short sentences how to do it, because anybody can do it, if they put their mind to it.

It is actually a very simple principle, but that is the only easy part, the principal, the rest is not so easy.

Doc Robinson

Many years ago we obtained a Grey cock from the famous Doc Robinson line.

It was a good bird, but no longer a young bird.

We paired it to a nice Opaline Light Green hen that we got from another person, who claimed that it came with a Doc Robinson bloodline in it.

This pair produced five chicks.

The youngsters were not outstanding, but fair. We wanted good chicks from this cock, so we paired it up to a better hen.

Needless to say no chicks!

We tried the cock with a few other hens, bred a few more chicks, but nothing much, and in the end the cock died.

Keep the Blood Together

After a while we began noticing that his chicks with the Opaline Light Green hen began to look better and better every day.

Unfortunately, we had already got rid of the two weaker ones – both hens.

That was a big mistake!

One of the chicks, an Opaline Sky-Blue cock, won us our first Major award – Best Beginner on Show at the 1996 Eastern Cape Area Show.

We started to use these three cocks – some of which can still be traced back in our birds’ pedigrees.

This was the first hard lesson we learned – keep the blood together and don’t be too hasty evaluating youngsters from good blood lines.

We made a promise to ourselves to be very weary of this in the future.

Very Good Youngsters

The same year we paired a good Molkentin-bred cock to a De Beer hen – which was very average but she was very well bred.

This time we saw the chicks were good and we kept them breeding for 3 more rounds, fostering all the chicks.

We tried to get as many chicks as we could from this pairing.

Later we paired the hen and cock to different partners after they had rested well.

Both the parents produced good offspring for us with different partners.

We learned our second very important lesson: when both birds (the cock & hen) are predominant in producing good offspring, the chances of them producing very good youngsters is good.

Pairings Will Start To Pick Themselves

We started to make sure that we test-pair our birds with different partners, taking just one round and then at a later stage pair those birds together that have produced good youngsters with different partners.

One thing that is coming out of this system, is the saying that “you have to know your birds to breed them”.

Using this system is slow in the beginning, but after a very few years it will get momentum.

Good families will start to build and pairings will start to pick themselves.

Outstanding Quality

In 2005 we picked a Yellowface Grey Cinnamon spangle cock and a Grey Cinnamon spangle hen – they just looked perfect for each other.

We must admit that it is not a pairing everybody would have made, but we knew their backgrounds.

Both their parents produced good birds.

We waited for them to mature and then paired them.

At first a huge disappointment, the hen began plucking just after the chicks had been rung so we had to foster them out.

As the chicks started to feather up we realized that our calculations were spot on, they were all of outstanding quality, producing many Best In Show and CC winners.

A Blessing In Disguise

The hen plucking her chicks in this case was a blessing in disguise.

It made us implement a new system.

In the past we fostered the eggs of every second round, but we now began fostering the chicks as soon as we rung them.

This lets the hen go through the full breeding cycle but is just shortens it.

If a pair is looked well after in this way then it is it will easily produce 20 and more real quality chicks and any breeder will know how valuable this is for any stud.

Pair Up As Long As Possible

Many visitors over the years were amazed by how many chicks we were able to get from a good pair.

Remember that when two birds produced good chicks with different partners, and they are paired together, they will then produce the required quality youngsters.

They should be paired up together as long as possible, to get the maximum chicks possible.

We had some pairs together for as long as 2 years.

Brothers And Sisters

We also used the sisters and brothers of the Spangle Grey Cinnamons extensively enlarging the family and also adding other colours.

We paired a well bred Opaline Cobalt to one of the daughters of a Spangle Cinnamon pairing.

This produced our 2007 National winner, his mother’s sister was also best opposite sex at the same National.

Today we have very good Grey Greens, Light Greens and Greys, winning the South African National in 2011 with a Normal Grey.

Brothers And Sisters

If this sounds very easy to you, let it be a fair warning, because it is not.

You should be prepared for all kinds of setbacks that come with breeding good birds, i.e. French Moult, infertility, chicks being attacked by parents and the list can go on and on.

Most probably the French Moult set us back the most.

We started to use a product called Viro Kill which also kills the Polyoma virus. We are using it extensively, touch wood but for a number of years we don’t have that problem anymore.

Fresh Produce

Recently we started producing less and less numbers, we knew our infertility was not because of inbreeding, so we had a good look at our feeding system.

We decided to reduce all the added vitamins and replacing it with fresh produce, it seems like things are starting to pick up again and chicks are hatching more than before which to us is music to our ears.

Focus, Dedication & Observation

If you want to keep on breeding quality budgerigars you have to be focused, dedicated and at all times very observant, but most of all be ready to absorb setbacks every day.

If you can do that, you are half way there.

Good luck with your own creation of an excellent stud.

Photographs

All photographs below were kindly supplied to us by Maja & Pierre Swart.

Click on any image to enlarge it.

Swart Aviary

Yellow Face cock
son of Cobalt Spangle below

South African National 2011 CC Winner
Light Green cock

Opaline Cinnamon Grey cock
Split Lacewing

South African National 2011 CC Winner
Yellow Face cock

South African National Winner 2007
Cobalt Spangle

Registered Grand Champion
Grey Green Cinnamon cock

As fanciers familiar to this website understand, in Dr Rob Marshall, we have on board, arguably, one of the finest avian veterinary surgeons in the world.

His book The Budgerigar should be to hand for all serious fanciers for the answers to all the disease conditions that exit in parrot-like forms (but specifically on budgerigars), when it always seems as though it is the best ones that succumb to “going light” and we struggle to help them.

Below are two examples of sound procedural advice on what are mysterious problems for even the most experienced of us.

Neither fancier wishes to be named.

Problem #1 affecting cocks only

Question: I get occasional birds that do not exhibit any external fluffing up features or nasal discharge or vent problems. However they do not look 100 per cent and their crops are almost empty. They require a heat source to help as there is some loss of weight. No signs of wetness around the beak and no regurgitation is evident. It can occur in flights or breeding / stock cages but seems worse as the colder weather begins. Can you make a calculated guess as to what it could be and would it be helpful to crop feed them using one of the powders made for this purpose?

Dr Rob says:

These birds are birds that come into breeding condition, so sexually they are on the rise (see pages 270-273 in The Budgerigar). You may see a very blue cere(s) and as you say, involving a cold spell (see pages 322-323) – there may be pin feathers on the head as well?

What happens is that under the effect of testosterone, their immune system is affected which causes an acute Streptococcus infection (see pages 374-376).

Check also for quill mites around the tail region in particular (see pages 390-291).

Preventative treatment is by using “Quik Gel” to support the breeding condition while it is chilly and using a penicillin based product containing amoxicillin from your local veterinary surgeon. Administer via a crop needle. Both of these products are obtainable from my surgery or through Riversway Avicultural (see advert on this Website) in UK.

No action and the result is infertility in the next cycle in 7-8 weeks and of course possible death at any time.

Associated images from “The Budgerigar” – click on any image to enlarge it:

 

 

Problem #2 affecting hens only

Question: Many of my hens develop watery large droppings with a few having caked vents during the breeding season, in and out of the breeding cages. All the cocks are fine. There is a smell to the droppings. Can you advise please?

Dr Rob says:

The most likely cause is stress which all breeders seem to dismiss, probably because we as humans all suffer stress in the modern world.

Where birds are concerned, stress occurs during the breeding cycle of the hen(s) (see pages 285-287 especially figure 22b). Not all hens are affected because this problem affects only those breeding hens when the stressful factor arises at the critical stage of the breeding cycle (e.g. a cold spell, wet weather etc. See pages 380-384)

Look especially at fig. 30a and figs 30b and 30d and examine the stress factors outlined.

Treat the complete flock with “Quik Gel” for two days to counteract the stress across the complete stud.

Isolate and treat hens with dirty vents and treat them also with an appropriate antibiotic medicine. Such hens require additional nutritional support (e.g. a liquid calcium and “Quik Gel”) during their recovery and once recovery starts such patients must be rested and fed well for 2 months (a complete breeding cycle).

Associated image from “The Budgerigar” – click on the image to enlarge it:

 

There are variations applied to this process by the fancier.

In some way one technique is better than the other, but it has to be admitted that both should work to a degree, but which method is likely to give you better fertility is the big question?

It is not for me to sway opinion, but for the reader to choose which technique he or she prefers.

Change of Partners

Let us look at what happens when a pair is selected and both are put into the cage with the nest box open.

We hope for the best, but frequently the birds know one another within the flight beforehand and they could easily have “lost” the partners they chose themselves and have now been thrust together with a “stranger”, like it or not!

The likely outcome, more often than not, is that they both sit there and nothing happens. The cocks themselves are not so disturbed by this sudden change, but usually the hens are distressed even though it may not be obvious.

If they are cocks that have mated already in the flight that day, they will not be too anxious to mate again having ejected their sperm. As Napoleon said to his wife, “Not tonight Josephine”!

On the other hand our active male bird may well be very fit and wish to pair but the female may have other ideas.

Box-Bound Hens

Our hen will see this active male cavorting up and down and flying between perches, but she is affected by, to her, a disturbing new situation suddenly thrust upon her and is nervous, on top of which she is a maiden hen who has not a clue what mating is all about.

She may also be very young – by which I mean 7-8 months of age – and all she can see is this “mad” idiot flying all the place and she doesn’t want to know.

Such things can easily result in infertility even if the stud as a whole has been perfectly attended to nutritionally since the last season.

I should mention here that experienced hens that have previously bred, know the ropes and quickly spot the box and are interested very fast at exploring the site again. That also can allow her to be indifferent to the cock bird and she becomes what we call “box-bound” and she stays in the box for long periods. The cock, even if fit, is ignored and another clutch of clear eggs appears.

In The Wild

We, as fanciers, tend to forget what our budgerigars do in the wild and the conditions that have to be present before breeding will commence.

Let me enlighten you.

The two factors that are essential are water and seed and their being available simultaneously. When these are not present, budgerigar flocks will miss a complete season and not breed.

The other fact is, and few realise this in our hobby, that the wild budgerigar females fly ahead of the males and find the nesting sites they prefer. They thus get used to their breeding nests and all that is missing are the potential mates.

Several days will pass and only then will the cocks come swarming in to choose their mates which emerge from the nests like crazy birds, dying to be mated.

A Better Technique

So, is there a better technique than the one first described above, that simulates the natural wild procedures within our birdrooms?

This is the big question, but we have to copy the wild hens’ approach first of all by reproducing their habits and this made sense to me so many years ago.

By putting the hens into the cages first of all, they are given time to settle into a strange area which will eventually become the territorial area. Such hens now have time to explore, find the nest boxes without being stressed by a sexual male crazy bird and see where the water and seeds are situated.

How long should the period be before the cocks go in? I used to allow three full days, but in recent years I now allow 48 hours to pass.

I have the selected cocks – around 60 in my case – situated in the middle row of the stock cages which are surrounded by the breeding cages. Thus the hens can hear them, the nests have been explored and their hormones are racing round fast in their systems until they are bodily screaming for sex. Our male readership will be smiling at this thought!

Seriously though, the separated cocks will also be without females around them, with whom they mate with in the early mornings. Note: if you have dark mornings, such as we have in the northern hemisphere, make sure that your lights are on for two hours from approximately 07.30 hours.

After 48 hours, you will be able to drop in the cocks that you have selected for the hens and once done go off to work and leave matters alone.

The hens will emerge like rockets, tails up and eyes dilated, and you are off to the best possible start.

Yes, there may well be some infertile nests, but you have played your part and simulated what happens in the wild to the best of your ability.

A Variation

Some breeders apply a variation of the above “Binks technique” and close off the nest boxes when the pairs are both put in the cage together.

Others place a piece of thin cardboard across the nest entrance forcing the hens to chew through to gain access.

Both good practices, but they miss allowing the hens to be on their own for 48 hours and you now know what happens when you are patient and follow that practice.

Be Patient and have a Mental Marker

Fanciers tend to rush things when pairing up.

They should be trying to be pairing every pair with a purpose. “Best to Best” is fine to a degree, but you should have in your mind exactly what sort of bird are you trying to breed that can rival the best birds ever seen.

Les Martin’s Grey Green is a marker, as but one example to work to.

Budgerigars in the past 8 years have changed drastically and some would say to an alarming degree.

A few have, with the desire for length of feather, gone over the top resulting in an ugly appearance far removed from what Jo Mannes (pronounced Man-ess) describes as “charming budgerigars”.

Happily, there are very few like that but the danger is there, so the skilled breeders will be treading carefully with width of face, length of feather and a watchful eye on type and shoulder at the same time.

Not easy at all – so we all face another “Challenge”.

Square Perches – Not Round

Finally, I must mention that square perches are essential in the breeding cages, not narrow, round perches.

Budgerigars select their favourite places on the perches to mate and, with the big birds we have today, hens given round perches are unable to grip firmly, especially if the perches are slippery with constant use.

So square perches, including the perch on the nest box, are the order of the day.

Concluding Thoughts

In conclusion, let me leave you with this thought – one I cannot answer!

I have been breeding budgerigars now for 67 years and I have see them change from immediate post-war pets to the qualities we have today.

In all those years, I have noticed that it is the lesser quality birds one has, that are the ones that breed more easily than the top pairs.

That said, think about it.

The birds that are our lesser quality birds today, are far ahead of our best birds years ago, yet the same pattern applies. The lesser ones still breed more easily in 2011 than our best ones.

I don’t know why myself and that is why I frequently say: “I know nothing about budgerigars”.

Enjoy your breeding and have full eggs, perhaps with a different technique and patience!

Second Birdroom Fails To Perform

The story was highly significant as the reader will quickly understand. It concerned a completely baffled fancier who had built a second birdroom alongside his highly successful existing structure.

The earlier birdroom had 16 cages and was breeding winners which were in high demand – hence the need to expand. The breeder decided to duplicate matters. The new structure also faced in the same direction. Some birds, upon completion of aviary number two, were transferred to the new room with a great deal of optimism.

After a few weeks it became obvious that breeding was poor and the question was “Why?”. The old birdroom was breeding at the same time and producing good numbers of chicks as usual. In the new room, infertility abounded and what chicks there were, were not being fed properly. Dead tiny chicks appeared regularly.

Possible Solutions

The situation was baffling. Heaps of thought went into determining the cause of the problem. Feeding was identical as were the night lights, heating and so on. There was also plenty of budgerigar noise so attention turned to the fitness of the stock in both birdrooms, but could a virus be affecting matters? Thoughts turned to a discussion with an Avian Veterinary Surgeon.

The vet pointed out that a new room would possess a colony of bacteria and viruses that would build up naturally after the “new” stock was transferred. However, it was feasible that a group of “bugs” had intervened and it was this factor that was the underlying cause of infertility and hatchability.

“Perhaps the aviary needs fumigating?”, was his suggestion.

It was at this point that I was approached. Our intrepid fancier called me. He went through the whole matter in great depth, with me, as I always do, making notes throughout.

He was thinking in terms of using a sulphur fumigation process, but I know this turns everything in sight a dirty yellow, as well as killing off most bacteria and fungi. (You cannot kill a virus!!)

I knew also, from experience, that because you are so committed to your problem, there will be blind spots that you miss, so you need to come at the problem from a different angle.

I rang down and thought about it for a few days. Everything was duplicated and I could not work it out which annoyed me.

We Saw The Light!

I rang him back.

We went through it all again, with me looking for a new clue in his chat with me. I then asked about his night lighting. His answer was fine – it wasn’t the night lighting.

Then he said, “the new birdroom main lights are on from 07.45 hours until 22.00 hours, non stop”. Suddenly I saw it. “Why are they on so long?” I asked. “Oh, it’s because the new room is in a darker area under some trees” was the reply. “And the old aviary lighting hours, what are they?”, I asked. “They are different because that aviary is unaffected by trees, so the lights come on at at 07.45 hours, off again at 10.30 hours until 16.00 hours, when they come on again until 22.00 hours and off for the night.”

There was his problem. His birds in the new birdroom were not getting any rest at all in daylight hours. They were hyperactive, but this did not mean that they were sufficiently rested to effect good breeding results.

All breeders of experience know that approaching midday, any aviary in standard timed lighting conditions as this breeder’s old aviary was timed, have a good two to four hours rest.

The aviary goes quiet for this period. Then once rested and the 16.00 hours lighting returns, the birds are active again. The hens come out of the boxes and excrete and are mated immediately.

Lessons Learned

There was the problem and in about 8 weeks both aviaries were churning out chicks as a result of this fancier’s good husbandry which was only spoilt by a small error.

Both of us had learned something in the process. It just illustrates how something small and innocent affects good breeding results.

Obviously I cannot guarantee this applies to sunnier climates – compared to those that we have in the UK, but the fact that birds have a requirement for rest periods should not be lost.

Changes in the behaviour or physical appearance of an individual bird may indicate the beginning of an illness or an inherent weakness.

Individuals that display any of the distant signs of failing health or disease should be caught and examined more closely in order to identify the exact nature of the health problem (See pages 210-239 Chapter 18: “The Budgerigar“).

This article covers troubleshooting of budgerigar health problems using self diagnosis as follows:

• By Close Inspection
• By Common Symptoms
• By Treatment Trial
• By Location of Problem

By Close Inspection

During a close examination the eyes, cere, nostrils, body condition and plumage (frontal feathers, feathers above the nostrils, facial feathers especially around the mouth, breast feathers, vent feathers, wing and tail feathers) should be inspected systematically for symptoms of failing health or disease (See Figure 18b pages 219 Chapter 18: “The Budgerigar“).

• Abdomen Symptoms

  The abdomen is examined by passing the middle or ring finger over its length whilst holding the budgerigar in such a way as to avoid the feet. Changes in the abdomen (See photo 9.11 page 104 Chapter 9: “The Budgerigar“) include a “soft belly”, hernias, internal tumors, ovarian cysts, fatty, or cancerous tumors (See page 230 Chapter 18: “The Budgerigar“). Treatment varies according to the exact diagnosis.

• Body Condition

  In the hand, the healthy budgerigar feels strong but buoyant. The body should be carefully examined using the fingers to feel for abnormalities.

  • Crop Problems

    The crop region is gently examined for the presence of bloating or crop herniation. Air in the crop is an abnormal finding in budgerigars and a sign of crop stasis, trichomoniasis and crop infections (sour crop) (See Chapter 30: “The Budgerigar“).

  • Obesity

    The weight of a budgerigar can be assessed in the hand by feeling for fat depots or a prominent keel. Overweight budgerigars are less likely to be fertile (See pages 226-227 Chapter 18: “The Budgerigar“). Often they are fat because of an inability to fly due to missing flight feathers. In overweight birds, paired fat depots may be found in the area between the crop and breast muscle. Fat tumors may also be found in this area. Additional fat depots may be found as small bean shaped fat pads in front or behind the vent.

  • Going Light

    The degree of prominence of the keel bone and fullness of the breast (pectoral) muscles help identify weight loss in budgerigars. “Going light” is a sign of an unhealthy budgerigar and describes an excessive loss of weight that occurs in budgerigars that are not eating, digesting or absorbing enough food. A prominent keel bone accompanies the weight loss. “Going light” may occur rapidly within a day when toxic diseases such as coccidiosis cause a sudden dehydration (See Chapter 28: “The Budgerigar“). Megabacteria infections (See Chapter 29: “The Budgerigar“) and worm infestations (See Chapter 28: “The Budgerigar“) prevent the digestion and absorption of food so that birds “go light” more gradually.

• Cere

  • Cere Changes

    Cere colour and texture vary between sexes. The colour of the cere of healthy female budgerigars is brown across all varieties. The blue cere colour of male budgerigars is present in all varieties except albinos, lutinos and some individual pied birds. The surface texture of a healthy male is smooth and that of a healthy female is rough.

    The colour and texture of the cere may be used to assess the health of both sexes as these features change in response to hormonal fluctuations, failing health and disease (See figure 18e page 223 Chapter 18: “The Budgerigar“).

    When cere changes are discovered look for other symptoms as an abnormal cere may occur as a result of natural hormonal flucutation or as a result of a disease process. Cnemidocoptes mites may infect the surfaces of the cere and facial skin and may permanently damage the beak. This condition is not highly contagious but treat with ivermectin / moxidectin according to veterinary recommendations.

  • Nostril Problems

    Cere changes associated with female hormones or Cnemidocoptes mites may cause the nostrils to become occluded. Stress related Streptococcus or Mycoplasma and Chlamydophila infections produce a watery discharge from both nostrils, whereas a mucoid discharge appears in one, or both nostrils when Staphylococcus or fungal infections occur as a result of dusty and humid stud environment. Treat according to veterinary recommendations.

• Ear Infections

  Ear infections are uncommon in budgerigars but most often associated with dust-related Staphylococcus infection. (See photo 9.8 page 103 Chapter 9 & page385 Chapter 30: “The Budgerigar“). Treat with Penicillin antibiotic and ear drops according to veterinary recommendations.

• Eye Problems

  Close inspection of the eye whilst holding the bird is required to detect infections, inflammations and injuries as the budgerigar’s eye and eyelids are very small.

  “Red eye” is a common condition of budgerigars (See figure 18d page 221 Chapter 18: “The Budgerigar“) that starts as a painful conjunctivitis, has several underlying causes and is symptomatic of self-inflicted trauma. Administration of one drop of antibiotic eye drops daily for 2-3 days is the best treatment for “red-eye”.

  Eye symptoms should be viewed with great caution, as they may be the only indication of the presence of contagious diseases such as Psittacosis (See figure 27h page 345 Chapter 27: “The Budgerigar“) and Mycoplasmosis.

• Feather Problems

  Changes to the colour, cleanliness and strength of a budgerigar’s feathers, offers a warning sign for failing health or disease (See pages 216, 222, 224, 226-229 Chapter 18: “The Budgerigar“).

  Birds with dry feathers can be recognised from the distance by the physical characteristics of tail feathers. Frayed, soiled and bent tails warn of dry and weak feathers that lack strength and durability. Their presence is often the result of coexistent Megabacteria (See figure 29a page 371 Chapter 29: “The Budgerigar“) and Polyomavirus (See page 334 Chapter 27: “The Budgerigar“) infections although genetically based structural weaknesses may also be involved.

  Feather soiling is a sign of failing health that indicates dry feathers, “sticky” droppings or reduced preening activity. Dirty feathers are not present in healthy birds under normal conditions but may appear across a flock when prolonged wet weather prevents feathers from remaining perfectly dry.

  Viewing the vent and tail feathers of roosting birds from below offers a good opportunity to identify birds with soiled dry feathers. These birds should be caught and undergo a close physical examination.

  • Frontal Feather Changes

    Changes of the frontal feathers may be used to diagnose a variety of conditions (See page 222 Chapter 18: “The Budgerigar“).

  • Feather Stains above the Nostrils

    Staining of the feathers above the nostrils is an indication of a sinus infection (See photo 9.6 page 103 Chapter 9: “The Budgerigar“), the cause of which is most commonly a stress induced Streptococcus or dust related Staphylococcus infection. Treat with Penicillin antibiotic according to veterinary recommendations (See figure 18f pages 224-225 Chapter 18: “The Budgerigar“).

  • Feather Picking of Young

    Feather plucking of chicks by a mother is an indication that she is ready for another breeding cycle. Feather picking is also a sign that a breeding hen is experiencing a metabolic disturbance caused by energy & mineral depletion. It may be necessary to stop her entering another breeding cycle if she is showing signs of fatigue. Treat with “Quik Gel“. Fortify food with additional protein and energy.

  • Facial Feather Changes

    The facial feather area starts beside the cere then follows the margins of the beak down the length of the mask. The feathers of this region should be clean and colourful.

    The persistence of food remnants that soil or adhere to these feathers during the feeding of young is an indication that the feathers are dry and failing health. Slimy, bubbly and discoloured mouth discharges that matt the facial feathers is a sign of disease (See figure 18g pages 224-225 Chapter 18: “The Budgerigar“). Look for other symptoms to help you diagnose and treat the cause of the changes in facial feather qualities.

  • Tail Feather Changes

    The tail feathers provide information regarding the genetic quality of the plumage, conditions under which the budgerigars are kept and their health status in respect to Polyomavirus infection (See page 332 Chapter 27: “The Budgerigar“). It is the longest paired tail feathers that reveal most about health and these are best viewed from beneath (See figure 18l page 234-235 Chapter 18: “The Budgerigar“).

    Tail feather changes represent a fundamental problem in a stud that needs to be addressed by the breeder in consultation with a veterinarian.

  • Vent Feathers Changes

    Examination of the vent feathers can be a useful procedure for checking the health of individual budgerigars. The vent feathers of the healthy budgerigar are dry and clean as this finding reflects silky waterproof feathers and healthy droppings. Wetness, staining, pasting and clagging of the feathers surrounding the vent signal failing health or disease (See figure 18h page 228-229 Chapter 18: “The Budgerigar“).

    • Wet Vent

      Wet vent is caused by any sudden stress. Most breeders will recognise a wet vent as it is commonly seen in budgerigars entering their first show. (See page 227 Chapter 18: “The Budgerigar“). Treat with Emergency First Aid treatment and Penicillin antibiotic according to veterinary recommendations.

    • Staining of the Vent

      Soiling or staining of vent feathers indicates failing health or disease (See page 227 Chapter 18: “The Budgerigar“). It is the colour of the staining that reveals the nature of the disease.

      Liver disease is indicated by vent feathers that are soiled with a yellow stain.

      Dark forest green coloured stains of the vent feathers often appear in birds that have stopped eating from diseases such as trichomoniasis and coccidiosis.

      Dark green greasy droppings that hang from the vent feather area signal a dehydrated and seriously ill budgerigar that requires immediate first aid treatment. Look for other symptoms, treat with Emergency First Aid treatment with a “guestimated” medicine – See Part 2 Medicine Selection.

    • Pasted Vent

      A pasted vent refers to the matting of vent feathers together with a white paste-like material (See page 227 Chapter 18: “The Budgerigar“). The white paste is dried urates and a sign of disease. The presence of large amounts of pasting indicates dehydration and kidney malfunction.

      Wet pasted vents that appear in budgerigars soon after entering the breeding cabinet are a result of the stress associated with pairing, courtship and egg production. These birds may not have been in breeding condition when they entered the breeding cabinet, be inherently weak or be incompatible with their selected partner. They should be transferred to a hospital cage for observation in order to avoid the likely outcome of breeding failure or death.

      Look for other symptoms to “guestimate” an appropriate medicine – See Part 2 Medicine Selection.

    • Caked Vent

      A caked (or clogged) vent occurs when droppings block the vent. Often tail wagging accompanies the constipation caused by the clogged droppings. Seed may also stick to the caking. Immediate and then daily treatment by removing the caked droppings and cleaning the vent area gives soothing relief to most budgerigars.

      Look for other symptoms to “guestimate” an appropriate medicine – See Part 2 Medicine Selection. For example, caking with large moist droppings may appear rapidly with acute diseases such as Megabacteria infection (treated with amphotericin) that interrupt digestion and stimulate thirst.

      It is helpful to smell the vent area when it is pasted or caked with droppings as the presence of a particular odour may be used to identify a particular disease.

      Thrush infections (treated with Mycostatin) and infections of the uterus (often referred to as vent gleet) produce a pungent yeast-like odour to vent discharge (treated with Penicillin antibiotic) whereas E.coli infections produce a distinctive chicken-like smell (treated with Sulfa-type antibiotic).

  • Wing Feathers Changes

    Both wings should be examined (See page 232-233 Chapter 18: “The Budgerigar“) one at a time by first passing the finger over the outside rim of the wing to feel for any lumps (feather cysts) and then extending each wing fully to inspect its outer and inner surfaces for mites and lice. The number and condition of the primary flights of each wing reveals much about the stage of moult and health. Abnormal or missing flight feathers and a delayed moult represents failing health irrespective of the outward appearance of the individual bird.

    Polyomavirus (French moult) is a common cause of missing flight feathers.

    Quill mites are a major underlying cause of failing health and breeding failure in budgerigars (treated with lice spray & ivermectin).

    Feather cysts may be felt along the rim of the wing as hard fleshy swellings. They are usually found towards the wing butt in the area of the outermost primary flights (treated with Penicillin antibiotic and surgical excision under veterinary supervision).

• Feet & Leg Problems

  The feet of a healthy budgerigar remain clean as a result of a good circulation keeping them warm and dry. Soiling of the feet, toes or toenails is therefore a sign of failing health as it indicates poor circulation and cold feet.

  The feet are examined by enticing the budgerigar to grasp a finger in order to check the perching reflex (See page 231 Chapter 18: “The Budgerigar“).

  Splay legs (see page 306 Chapter 24: “The Budgerigar“) and deformed toes are poorly understood conditions that may occur with nutritional deficiencies, incubation problems, injuries sustained in the nest or with inappropriate perch shape and size.

• Preen Gland

  In a healthy budgerigar, the preen gland is barely discernible as a slight swelling near the base of the tail (see figure 9d page 105 Chapter 9 & page 306 Chapter 24: “The Budgerigar“). Roughened feathers or excessive grooming over the preen gland area is the first sign of a blocked preen gland. Tail feather abnormalities occur with large preen gland tumors because of the close proximity of the tail feather follicles with this gland.

  Preen gland infections are usually the result of vitamin D deficiencies and lack of direct sunlight.

• Vent Problems

  Examination of the vent feathers in the exhibition budgerigar can be a useful procedure to check the health of the individual bird. Wet-, pasted- and caked vent feathers are early signs of failing health. These conditions are discussed in this section and also in Feathers – Vent Feather Changes. Prolapses (see photo 9.26 page 110 Chapter 9: “The Budgerigar“) are other problems of the vent area.

  • Early Signs of Deteriorating Health

    • Wet Vent

      Wet vent (see photos 18.51 & 18.52 page 227 Chapter 18: “The Budgerigar“) refers to the wetness around the vent feathers, occurring as a result of a sudden stress.

      Breeders are aware that budgerigars at a show develop a wet vent as a sign of stress but any type of acute stress will produce a wet vent as it occurs as a result of cloacal malfunction.

      The cloaca is a three-chambered structure that separately stores the droppings passed down the bowel from the urine produced in the kidney. The uterus also opens into the cloaca (see figure 9k page 110 Chapter 9: “The Budgerigar“).

      In the healthy budgerigar, the water from the urine is recycled into the bowel and re-absorbed into the body. The system provides this desert bird with an extremely efficient method for conserving water. Under stress, the budgerigar becomes highly excited and defecates before water re-absorption is completed producing the water that appears around the feathers near the vent.

      The wet vent is a common occurrence in the birds under acute stress. Acute or sudden onset stress is associated with emotional stress as seen in birds at the show, when young birds are places in the “nappy cage”, when the juveniles are moved into the flights and in overcrowded studs.

      Physical factors that cause wet vents include sudden changes in temperature in the stud (too cold or too hot), fright (predators) and excessive fighting between birds due to a lack of perch space.

      The presence of wet vents is an early warning signal of an imminent and possibly serious health threat to the individual bird or the entire stud. The natural resistance and fortitude of budgerigars can be assessed by the absence or presence of wet vents. Birds repeatedly getting wet vents are not suitable for showing or breeding as they lack a calm nature. This nervous type of bird is also more susceptible to disease and a potential health hazard to a stud. These birds should be removed from a stud.

    • Pasted Vent

      A pasted vent indicates a prolonged stress. Pasted vents in one or more budgerigars indicate a long standing and potentially serious illness that is capable of infecting the entire flock including robust and vital birds. Look for other symptoms to “guestimate” an appropriate medicine – See Part 2 Medicine Selection.

      An infection requiring Sulfa-type antibiotic is present when a smell accompanies a pasted vent. Alternatively the acid contents of Quik Gel should be effective to control this stage of most infections whilst waiting for the results of veterinary testing.

    • Droppings Caked Around the Vent

      Dry, enlarged black droppings – This type of dropping is seen with low grade Megabacteria infections. Individual crop needle treatment using Amphotericin and Quik Gel is the treatment of first choice – See Part 2 Medicine Selection.

      Moist, large khaki green droppings – These droppings usually carry a bad odour when removed from the vent. Bacterial enteritis, coccidiosis and uterus infections are the most common cause of these droppings. Look for other symptoms to “guestimate” an appropriate medicine – See Part 2 Medicine Selection.

    • Stained Vent

      INSERT MISSING INFORMATION HERE!!!!!

By Common Symptoms

• Breeding Problems

  Many breeding problems occur as a result of introducing budgerigars to breeding cabinets when they are not ready to breed. Others occur because of a failure to provide the breeding pairs with the nutritional balance and dietary energy level needed to maintain their vigour throughout two breeding cycles. A plan to prevent these kinds of breeding problems is needed because breeding failures may result in deaths of important birds or the loss of an entire breeding season when sick birds fail to recover in time to breed again during that breeding season. For a detailed description of breeding cock and hen problems refer to pages 278-287 Chapter 22: “The Budgerigar“.

  Infertility is an inherent failing of some championship quality budgerigars and for these birds it is incurable. However, there are other causes of infertility that can be reversed. For a detailed description of infertility and other egg problems refer to pages 288-297 Chapter 22: “The Budgerigar“.

  The other egg problems discussed in “The Budgerigar” refer to those conditions involved with the failure of a fertilised egg to hatch. Although the cause of most of these egg problems can be identified and cured, their presence largely goes undetected by breeders who unknowingly blame infertility for the failure of these eggs to hatch.

  Nestlings refer to young birds in the nest from hatching until weaning age, when they leave the nest.

  The health of a newborn chick and the parental care it receives from hatching until weaning age determine its future value as breeding or show birds. Nestlings bred and reared by healthy parents will be strong at hatching and will grow to their full genetic potential when they receive good parental care and nutritious food in the nest. Those that are born weak will never achieve their true show potential irrespective of the level of care and nutrition they receive.

  Chicks are born weak due to a variety of reasons. Stress induced diseases such as Psittacosis or Polyomavirus infections produce weak chicks by devitalising the mother and undermining her ability to brood properly. Other diseases and nest contamination may infect the egg directly and debilitate the developing embryo resulting in a weak born chick.

  Death is the usual outcome of weak born chicks. For a detailed description of nestling deaths and other nest problems refer to pages 298-308 Chapter 22: “The Budgerigar“.

• Deaths

  Highly contagious diseases such coccidiosis, roundworms and trichomoniasis and toxic infections associated with contaminated foods are the most common causes of deaths in the flights, whilst energy depletion associated with inadequate nutrition, hormonally induced interruptions to the breeding cycle are the most common causes of deaths in the breeding cabinets.

  The highly contagious diseases have potential catastrophic consequences that can decimate a stud within a matter of weeks, abruptly destroying bloodlines that have taken years to create. Refer to pages 244-245 Chapter 19: “The Budgerigar“.

  Although there are advantages and disadvantages associated with each type of flight – internal or external – the cause of a death or illness occurring in the flights is more likely a result of stud management rather than whether the flights are indoors or open to the weather.

  Sooner or later all budgerigar flocks will become exposed to life threatening diseases. Breeders should be prepared for such a situation and have a tactical response plan prepared in order to avoid unnecessary deaths.

  A tactical response plan should incorporate an emergency first aid treatment protocol for individual sick birds, a method for “guestimating” a treatment to protect the remainder of the flock and a method for identifying the nature of the disease.

  An emergency treatment plan needs to be activated whenever two or more birds die in the flights within 2 weeks, because the earlier diagnosis and treatment is initiated the better the chances of averting catastrophic losses.

  • Deaths in the Flights

    An occasional death in the flights is considered a normal occurrence and often the result of natural attrition involving older or inherently weak birds. Concern, however, should be aroused when more frequent deaths and an increasing number of sick birds appear in the flights, as this is the pattern of a contagious disease.

    First Choice of Medicine
    The following emergency medicines should be mixed together in the drinking water with Quik Gel whilst a diagnosis is being confirmed.

    Qwik Gel is the first choice emergency medicine when:
    • Deaths with no other symptoms

     
    Sulfa-type antibiotic is the first choice emergency medicine when:

    • Deaths associated with the presence of a “chicken-house” smell in stud
    • Deaths associated with green droppings, smell to droppings or occurring within a week of wet weather rain

     
    Penicillin antibiotic is the first choice emergency medicine when:

    • Deaths associated with stained feathers above nostrils
    • Deaths associated with white or brown watery droppings and signs of vomiting
    • Deaths are associated with symptoms of dropping changes that carry no odour
    • Deaths associated with French Moult outbreak

     
    Doxycycline is the first choice emergency medicine when:

    • Deaths associated with ongoing conjunctivitis and “red eye” problems
    • Occasional deaths associated with infertility during the breeding season
    • Deaths are associated with green staining of vent feathers

     
    Baytril is the first choice emergency medicine when:

    • Deaths associated with mice infestation or the presence of a mouse dropping smell in stud
    • Deaths associated with yellow staining of the vent feathers

     
    Piperazine Wormer is the first choice emergency medicine when:

    • Deaths associated with birds of all ages and sexes “going light” over a short period following wet warm weather
    • Deaths associated with large watery dark brown droppings in unrelated birds

     
    Amphotericin is the first choice emergency medicine when:

    • Deaths associated with white or blue mould on droppings
    • Deaths associated with related birds going light with dry feathers and black droppings

   

  • Deaths in the Breeding Cabinet

    An occasional death in the breeding cabinets should not be considered a normal occurrence but a cause for concern. Treatment must be confined to affected breeding cabinets alone until a definitive diagnosis confirms a need for flock treatment – because of an airborne contagious disease, mite infestation or food/water contamination.

    Choice of the emergency first aid medicines is the same above list for sick birds in the flights.

• Dropping Changes

  Examining the droppings of budgerigars from a distance can reveal helpful information as to the health status of a flock. The size, colour and consistency of droppings offer the best clues as to whether a change in behaviour or plumage appearance is a significant risk to a flock’s continuing health.

  Close inspection of the floor of the flights or breeding cabinets is required to notice a change in the droppings (See page 217-218 Chapter 18: “The Budgerigar“).

  Droppings of a healthy flock are uniformly small, round, dry and black in colour with a white topping. Down feathers are often attached to these droppings. A change from small, black and white droppings to tan or khaki coloured droppings is an indication of a stressful event that if allowed to persist may lead to disease. Failing health or disease is present when large coloured droppings appear on the floor of a flight. When seen in the breeding cabinet large khaki coloured droppings may be considered normal when a hen is in the process of laying eggs, eating soft foods or parents are feeding young.

  • The Healthy Dropping

    The healthy dropping is characterised as follows:

    • Small, black with white caps
    • Have an attached down feather
    • Dry with no sign of wetness or smell

     
    The healthy dropping of the healthy budgerigar is black in colour, round, has a white cap and a down feather attached to it. The droppings of healthy breeding birds are not always small and black. The small, dry dropping of the healthy budgerigar is a reflection of the top fitness and a fully functional cloaca. The character of the droppings may change from day to day dependent upon many factors but the budgerigar breeder can look to the droppings as a most reliable and sensitive measure of the health of the flock. The healthy budgerigar may produce from 25 – 50 stools per day because of its extremely high metabolic rate. The healthiest aviary birds produce the smallest droppings.

    Down feathers or pin-feathers are those very small fluffy feathers that are dropped every day in the perfectly healthy budgerigar. They are seen on the floor, attached to the wire or droppings in the healthy aviary, but are no longer “dropped” at the first instance of stress of any kind. Their absence from the flight floor is a sure sign of a potential health problem.

    What is the significance of “down” on the droppings? The healthy budgerigar starts producing “down” feathers soon after the juvenile body moult (i.e. when the bars disappear from the forehead) is complete. The down feathers are used for insulation and produce a fine powder that waterproofs and lubricates the feathers. Their growth reflects the health and vitality of the budgerigar. The healthiest birds drop down feathers daily, producing copious amounts of powder (bloom) in the process.

  • Interpretation of Droppings

    The droppings are a very reliable and sensitive reflection of health. The careful observation and understanding of dropping changes in the flights or breeding cabinet is an incredibly powerful health management tool, allowing the observant breeder to quickly restore the health balance of the flock by using products such as Quik Gel rather then medicines.

    These products stimulate health by returning the flock to its natural balance. The best results are achieved when they are used at the first signs of a change in health. They act differently to medicines, which cure illness by killing the germ. Instead they restore the natural conditions of inner health to the body, having no direct effect on the germs. Their action prevents illness before it has had time to establish itself.

    The daily examination of the droppings on the floor is the most useful method for monitoring the health of the budgerigar flock. It is best to have flight and breeding cabinet floors free of any grit, sand, wood shavings or saw dust so that the droppings can be easily monitored every day. The small black and white is the dropping of a top heath and the first thing a breeder should see first thing in the morning.

    A change form healthy dropping indicates a potential health problem. View with caution any change in the colour, consistency or smell of the droppings. The discoloured dropping is abnormal in budgerigars fed a dry seed mix, although breeding birds and aviary birds may produce a larger, green coloured and watery dropping for a short time (24 hours) after eating soft foods, greens or soaked seed.

  • Abnormal Droppings

    The dropping is a very reliable and sensitive measure of the health of the aviary birds and reveals a wealth of information for the observant breeder, reflecting the health and management of the flock. The fancier is able to monitor the health of the flock by observing for any dropping changes. The early recognition of a dropping change allows the fancier to implement an immediate recovery plan that protects the health of the entire flock by using the water cleansers.

    The detection of abnormal droppings is only possible when the flights or cabinet floor is cleaned regularly. It is impossible to detect early illness in aviaries with sand, soil or deep litter systems.

    The Early Signs of a Potential Health Problem

    These changes can indicate deterioration in health, not a disease:

    • Watery droppings or wet vent
    • Larger droppings
    • Absence of down feather on droppings
    • Change in colour of the droppings
    • Smelly droppings

     
    What are the effects of stress on the droppings? The high metabolic rate of the wild budgerigar protects the livelihood of the budgerigar in the wild but exposes the health of the budgerigar to the stresses of captivity. The wild budgerigar has adapted to the harsh arid environment of central Australia largely due to its small size and high metabolic rate. It has evolved totally dependent upon the perfection of nature. Unfortunately, the aviary situation is far less then perfect in providing the budgerigar with its evolutionary requirements for health. It is the high metabolic rate of the budgerigar, the Achilles heel for survival in the wild bird that exposes the aviary budgerigar to so many illnesses. This high metabolic rate allows it to withstand the effects of stress for only short periods of time. The sudden disease outbreaks and mortality so common to the budgerigar aviary are usually the result of prolonged stress.

    The careful observation of the droppings is by far the best remedy against disease outbreaks in the budgerigar aviary. Any change in character of the droppings is a warning sign of an immediate health problem, because stress of any kind provokes and immediate change in the droppings of birds, especially those with a rapid metabolism such as the budgerigar. The changing droppings reflect the bird’s natural response to stress largely controlled by the body’s protection and survival systems.

    Although the signs of stress in birds are subtle, they become more obvious to the trained and observant eye. The weaker birds are the first to show signs of stress. The watery dropping is the first sign of stress but is very short-lived (24-48 hours) and often missed, because of the budgerigar’s extremely high metabolic rate. After a day or so the droppings become larger and change usually to a khaki-green colour. Without treatment at this time the stressed birds’ health deteriorates and disease appears and spreads throughout the aviary. Treatment to restore the health of the flock is best given at the first signs if stress.

    Signs of Stress

     
    • A watery dropping or wet vent is a sign of sudden (acute) stress. This is by far the most effective stage to prevent illness. Health is restored using water cleansers, energy supplements and by repairing the management flaw

     

    • Large, soft, discoloured droppings appear with prolonged (subacute) stress. Illness can still be prevented at this stage without using medicines

     

    • Pasted vents, large watery an often-smelling droppings are signs of long standing (chronic) stress. The disease already established within the aviary at this stage requires veterinary assistance and the appropriate use of medicines to restore the health of the flock.

     

    • The absence of down feathers is an early sign of stress. Down feathers on the droppings is a good sign that the birds are healthy and their absence reflects a stress of some kind. Water cleansers are used immediately the down feather disappears from the droppings. At the same time the dropping should be examined to see if any further treatment is needed.

     

    • Poor stud conditions may be responsible for the absence of down feathers. The stud design can be assessed by looking for down feathers on the droppings first thing in the morning. When down feathers appear in the afternoon and not in the morning, then the flight conditions are too cold, too hot, too wet or humid. Poor environmental conditions “stress” the birds, depriving them of restful sleep, retarding down feather production, reducing their ability to conserve body heat and exposing them to illness. The absence of down on the droppings may be the only sign of illness in many studs.

  • Watery Droppings

    Watery droppings are early signs of illness in budgerigars. A wet vent and watery droppings on floor recognize their presence.

    An increased water intake due to thirst is also a cause of a watery dropping. Often the budgerigar will pass a watery dropping within ten minutes of drinking a lot of water. There is a wetness around a normal looking “snake like” dropping when an increased thirst is the cause of a watery dropping. A wet “mushy” abnormal looking dropping is caused by bowel infection. The cause of watery droppings can be determined by the time of day that they occur.

    What is the significance of watery droppings of a morning?
    Watery droppings in the morning but turning normal in the afternoon is stress induced indicating a design flaw of the stud (too cold, too wet) that may be remedied by insulating the flights, especially the ceiling.

    What is the significance of watery droppings of a afternoon?
    A watery dropping in the afternoon rather than first thing in the morning is also stress induced and may occur with predators (rats, mice, snakes, dogs, cats), draughts or a sudden weather change.

    What is the significance of watery droppings during the night and day?
    Watery droppings during the day and night are commonly associated with illness such as canker, coccidiosis, Chlamydiosis, fungal or thrush infections. Wet droppings also occur when sugar based medications are administered (vitamins, electrolytes, antibiotics etc.).

    What is the significance of white, watery droppings?
    White droppings occur when there is a gizzard obstruction. The bird with white watery droppings requires immediate first aid treatment and crop needle feeding. The white watery dropping is a common finding with cold stress when birds over-engorge on grit. It is important to remove all grit temporarily from the cage when white watery droppings are seen.

  • Enlarged Droppings

    What is the significance of larger droppings?
    The size of the droppings is a very good indicator of the fitness and health of the budgerigar. The metabolism of the most healthy and fit birds purrs with efficiency and requires minimal energy to run at top capacity. The budgerigars in top health eat and drink less because their energy systems are highly efficient. They produce droppings that are small, tight, low in water and are well formed; the fittest birds have the smallest droppings. Large droppings occur when the birds eat too much. Excessive hunger occurs with feeding parents, illnesses, parasite infestations or as a habit. Large droppings may indicate a fitness or heath problem and should be tested microscopically.

    Large droppings reflect a continuing stress. The use of Quik Gel immediately large droppings are noticed in the flights or breeding cabinet, is the best and most natural means for preventing illness in budgerigar flocks.

    A large dropping is an early sigh of a health problem. On closer examination a change in the colour and wetness may also be noticed.

    Persistently large, discoloured, wet droppings indicate a health problem in the breeding cabinet.
    Large droppings do occur in the breeding cabinet of healthy hen birds. Healthy cock birds that are not feeding should have normal droppings. Look at the perch site to check the health of the cock and hen in the breeding cabinet. Cock birds may produce stress related droppings soon after pairing in incompatible pairs. Feeding cocks may produce larger droppings, but too much moisture in the droppings indicated a problem in either sex. Mould growth on the dropping in the breeding cabinet is a sure sigh of a health problem.

• Vomiting

  Vomiting is a life-threatening symptom requiring immediate attention.

  The most likely causes of vomiting are:

  • Blocked gizzard (with sour crop)
  • Canker (Trichomonaisis)
  • Megabacteria

   
  First Choice of Medicine
  Birds showing symptoms of vomiting must receive immediate emergency first aid treatment. The following emergency medicines should be mixed together in the drinking water and administered together with ER formula / Quik Gel by crop needle whilst a diagnosis is being confirmed.

   
  Metronidasole and Penicillin antibiotic are the first choice emergency medicines when:

  • Vomiting is associated with a sudden illness following wet weather with additional symptoms of a wet head, gas in the crop and continuing appetite. Hens are more likely to suffer these symptoms in the breeding cabinets and cocks in the flights. These are symptoms of Sour crop related to a blocked gizzard. Sour crop may also occur as result of feeding a contaminated soft food. Under these circumstances birds of both sexes will show symptoms within 72 hours of eating the contaminated food.

   
  Baytril is the first choice emergency medicine when:

  • Vomiting is associated with a sudden illness following wet weather with additional symptoms of a wet head and gas in the crop. Several birds of both sexes show the above symptoms within 72 hours of eating the contaminated food. These symptoms occur when sour crop is unrelated to a blocked gizzard but occurs as result of being fed a contaminated soft food.

   
  Ronidasole are the first choice emergency medicines when:

  • Vomiting is associated with a sudden onset serious illness following warm weather with additional symptoms of gas in the crop, stop eating, dark green droppings and any discharge from the mouth (See page 393 Chapter 30: “The Budgerigar”).

   

  • Cocks are more likely to suffer these symptoms in the breeding cabinets and flights. These are symptoms of Trichomoniasis (canker). Follow an Emergency First Aid Treament forthesick individuals as well as a flock treatment.

   
  Amphotericin is the first choice emergency medicine when:

  • Vomiting is associated with an ongoing illness following an acute stressful period – cold stress, weaning etc) with additional symptoms of going light, excessive hunger, dark brown to black droppings, seed in the droppings. Related birds of both sexes may be affected simultaneously or over a period of time. These symptoms occur with Megabacteria infections have blocked the stomach and gizzard.

 

• Weaning Problems

  Due to their much larger size, exhibition budgerigars take 20% longer to reach weaning age. They start to wean when 5 weeks old and may take several more days before they are able to eat and drink by themselves. It appears many exhibition budgerigars have lost their instinctual ability to wean quickly and for them weaning as well as fledging are very slow processes.

  It is the diminished ability of exhibition budgerigars to wean and fledge quickly that predisposes them to weaning problems. In order to minimise weaning problems most breeders move nestlings of weaning age into a communal nursery (weaning cage) for between 1-3 weeks, where under close observation, they learn to eat, drink and fly before they are allowed to enter the flights.

  (See pages 310-319 Chapter 22: “The Budgerigar”)

By Treatment Trial

A treatment trial is an important means for diagnosing many budgerigar diseases, because it is difficult to diagnose many of the more serious diseases in early stages of infection (e.g. Coccidiosis, trichomoniasis, round worm infestations) and for others diagnostic testing is unreliable (e.g. Psittacosis, Megabacteria ) or takes may days to finalise (e.g. Fungal infections and toxins).

A positive response to a treatment trial involving a “guestimated” medicine and emergency first aid treatment within 48 hours of treatment should be expected when the correct medicine is chosen.

A positive or negative response to treatment trial helps confirm the correct diagnosis and determines a need to continue or stop treatment for the entire flock.

• Positive Signs to Treatment: Individual bird

  • Increased activity within 12 hours
  • Fawn colour droppings within 24 hours
  • Perching behaviour within 48 hours
  • Eating after 72 hours
  • Feather colour returns within 72 hours
  • Climbing up wire of hospital cage after 72 hours

• Negative Signs to Treatment: Individual bird

  • No increased activity within 48 hours
  • Droppings remain dark green after 48 hours
  • No perching behaviour within 72 hours
  • Not eating after 96 hours
  • Feather colour returns within 96 hours
  • Climbing up wire of hospital cage after 96 hours

• Positive Signs to Treatment: Birds in Flight

  • Increased activity and noise within 24 hours
  • Smaller droppings within 24 hours
  • Feather colour visibly brighter within 72 hours
  • Down feather appear on floor within 72 hours

• Negative Signs to Treatment: Birds in Flight

  • Dark green watery droppings after 48 hours
  • Fluffed up look within 48 hours
  • No increased noise or activity after 24 hours
  • Vomiting

By Location of Problem

See Part 2 Medicine Selection.

Dr Rob’s Products

To order the products mentioned in this article, please use the links on the Dr Robert Marshall page.

• By Symptoms
• Emergency First Aid Medicine Options
• Medicine Options for the Flights
• Medicine Options for Breeding Cabinets

By Symptoms

• Sick birds are given their best chance of being saved by adding an appropriate medicine into the ER/Quik Gel formula and administering it directly by crop needle.

  At the same time, whilst waiting for the final outcome of veterinary tests, adding Quik Gel to the drinking water may temporarily protect healthy in-contact birds.

  First aid medicines are “guestimated” from the following list of medicine / symptom options.

Emergency First Aid Medicine Options

• The symptoms are used to “guestimate” the first choice of medicine. The correct medicine choice is confirmed by a positive response of the sick bird to the medicine or from the results of veterinary testing.

   
  The probability of selecting the correct medicine is improved by knowledge of the symptoms and behaviour of the various diseases.

  • Sulfa-type Antibiotic (Sulfadimadine / Trimethoprim)

     
    Sulfa-type antibiotics should be selected when:

    • A sudden cluster of deaths occurs in the flights
    • Stained vents appear in individual birds
    • There is an odour associated with the droppings
    • When the dropping is watery
       

  • Penicillin type Antibiotic (Amoxycillin / Tylan)

     
    Penicillin-type antibiotics should be selected when a sudden illness is associated with:

    • Feather staining above the nostrils
    • Vomiting after cold weather
    • White or brown droppings
    • French Moult and Yellow Belly
    • Pasted vents
       

  • Doxycycline hydrochloride Antibiotic (Doxycycline 10%)

     
    Doxycycline-type antibiotics should be selected when:

    • Intermittent deaths & recurrent diseases occur throughout the stud
    • There is widespread infertility or poor breeding results
       

  • Anti-fungal Medicine (Amphotericin B)

     
    Antifungal medicines should be selected when an illness is associated with:

    • Black or brown and large droppings linked with weight loss
    • The presence of mould on droppings
       

  • Baytril (Enrofloxacin)

     
    Enrofloxacin-like antibiotics should be selected when an illness is associated with:

    • Mice infestation
    • Contaminated food
       

  • Canker Medicines (Ronidasole & Metronidasole)

     
    Canker-type medicines should be selected when:

    • There is vomiting, sudden severe illness with dark green droppings often starting in related birds
    • Watery, smelly droppings of breeding birds
       

  • Water Cleansers & Water Buffers (Water Buffers or Citric acid)

     
    Water Cleansers should be used:

    • In the drinking water to protect all in-contact healthy birds whilst a diagnosis is being confirmed
    • Following a disease to disinfect the flights breeding cabinets, water and food containers

     
    Water Buffers should be used:

    • Whenever there is wet weather or when large droppings appear in the flights
       

Medicine Options for the Flights

• Flights crowded with young birds are especially susceptible to illness because of the fierce competition for feed and rest.

   
  At this time often the birds “just don’t look right” and it is difficult to know whether or not to use medicines.

  At the first signs of large droppings, Quik Gel should be given to the flock before thinking about using antibiotics.

  Veterinary dropping tests are the best means for determine an appropriate antibiotic.

• At the First Signs of Illness in the Flights

  • Isolate sick birds for individual emergency first aid treatment
  • Select a medicine from the symptoms and add to ER/Quik Gel, then administer by a crop needle
  • Add Quik Gel into the drinking water of all other birds whilst waiting for the diagnosis from veterinary tests or response to the “treatment trial”
  • Clean then disinfect or blow-torch floors of flights
  • The correct choice of medicine is confirmed by a positive response of the sick bird to the selected antibiotic. The entire flock (except breeding pairs) should receive this antibiotic medicine when two or more birds have died within a two-week long period
  • Antibiotic choice is incorrect and should be changed when the ill bird fails to respond after 48 hours of emergency first aid treatment. By this time veterinary tests should have returned a definitive diagnosis and indicate the best antibiotic to use

Medicine Options for Breeding Cabinets

• Individual breeding cabinet rather than flock treatment is the best approach for most breeding problems as most diseases of the breeding season reflect the health status of the individual pairs rather than the entire flock.

   
  It is far better to treat individual pairs in their individual breeding cabinets and to avoid flock treatment when problems occur in the breeding cabinet. Exceptions to this rule occur when food contamination infects all breeding pairs and when Psittacosis and French Moult are seriously impacting on breeding performance.

  Flock treatment for the breeding birds is given only for those diseases transmitted through the air or food (French Moult, Aspergillosis, Mite Infestations and Psittacosis) and is not recommended for other diseases such as Canker and Megabacteria which reflect a weakness in individual pairs.

• At the First Signs of Illness in the Breeding Cabinets

  • Treat the individual bird in the breeding cabinet with ER/Quik Gel and selected antibiotic by crop needle
  • Add Quik Gel and selected antibiotic to the drinking water of the affected breeding cabinet
  • Clean and disinfect the affected breeding cabinet
  • Mix Quik Gel into the drinking water of all other breeding cabinets
  • The correct choice of medicine is confirmed by dropping tests or a positive response of the sick bird to the selected medicine. This medicine is then given in the drinking water of in-contact breeding birds but not to the entire breeding room
  • Medicines are stopped but crop feeding continued when the ill bird fails to respond after 48 hours of treatment. By this time the veterinary tests should have returned the diagnosis and the best treatment

Dr Rob’s Products

To order the products mentioned in this article, please use the links on the Dr Robert Marshall page.