Got a bird looking real bad....has a sort of fluid filled sack on it's stomach just above the vent; sloppy about the size of a marble but sees to go up further; sounds horrible and looks just as bad. Bird was sitting for 3 weeks on infertile eggs.... but no more and can't fly and has wings and tail down, shaking.
Appears terminal, bugger! WTF is going on?, what have I done wrong?....any clues. Ta
Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 7:50 am Post subject: Unwell bird
I certainly hope that your hen recovers. I agree with the others. The faster you can get her to the vet, the more chance she has.
I'll add her to our prayers.
Wolf
She's still going!...she spent the last couple of nights inside, in a beer box by the fire; put her back with the others by day, she was sort of feeding herself plus some from her mate who had been feeding her for weeks.
Just flaps around on the ground, but today managed to climb up to the perches and had a bit of a fly, this evening she avoided the usual round-up and had made it into one of the nestboxes!...so left her in there for the night.
The flying is "only just" and seems unable to take-off from the ground, can't stand up properly, the giant "blister" is still there?. She has an aluminium ring on her leg....which would have been tucked-up with close skin contact, on the eggs for weeks?.
.........
I'm way out in the sticks here with over an hour to the nearest country vet, really didn't think she'd make it the first night!....real tough birds.
Have an appointment tomorrow and will head in if she's looking well enough to handle it; use the opportunity to get a hand to take off the ring and maybe get a photo.
Thanks for your thoughts, must be something not that common... something a bit wierd?...if not seen before. Had a bit of a look on the net, still no wiser.
Thanks for your thoughts, must be something not that common... something a bit wierd?...if not seen before. Had a bit of a look on the net, still no wiser.
Birds get sick, with the usaul bird illness....worms egg bound mites etc
Then there are the problems cused by inbreeding
And stuff the mutation breeders expriance overseas.
We have those things to
And like birds, sometimes we scatch ourselves and end up in hospital with a head the size of a soccor ball, and weird stuff like that.
Quote:
I'm way out in the sticks here
Im not advising this.
If one of our cats/birds, pets gets an infection...bad tooth...I dig out a couple antibotics from the cabinet, read the doesage, assume its for about a 75kg Adualt. I then take that dosage and divide it up with a razor blade proportional for the pet. Yes a bird is pretty small LoL
I then give them a 2x dose, twice as per the bottle label, and continue treatment as per the bottle.
If there is no inprovement within 12 hrs (there usually is ) I take them to the vet.
Steps.
How many have u got? Few pics? and of the avaries? _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
There is one point worth considering. Your original post indicates the hen has been in the nest box for a considerable amount of time. What type of nesting material do you use. The reason for asking is that I am wondering whether the material has caused the problem. As hens sit on the eggs they quite often rub the feathers from the chest area which exposes very delicate skin. If the material contains bacteria or some type of insect infestation this would result in the skin becoming infected and often leads to ulcerations. If you do go to the vet with the bird I suggest you perhaps take some of the nesting material along as well in case the vet can check the material under a microscope. If you decide not to use the vet option I would recommend trying an antiseptic cream on the wound area. It may be too late for this now and the best form of medication would be a course of antibiotics via needle which the vest should be able to do. The lack of flying is probably due to the inflamation of the chest area. If this can be fixed hopefully the bird will be able to fly again.
For info I dont think the leg ring as caused any problems as the birds usually tuck their legs out to the side when sitting on eggs. The only other cause I can think of at this stage is that she may have ruptured an internal organ or suffered muscle damage whilst laying the eggs.
Hi, I am not an expert either- but I have read your post and I couldn't help to let you know what I think too-
The area you described (above the vent) is the area of the bursa- it is a small gland like organ that is really important in the birds immune system. It is really used when they are very little. However in saying that ,they still have a bursa when they are adults and it can hold some fluids.see this http://www.wingwise.com/immune.htm . I wouldn't hesitate getting some antibiotics into this bird of yours.
I would listen to Kaka-riki and get her to the vet...
good luck, K
Been to the vet....some sort of Ascites aka "water belly", though still no wiser really. Could have been caused by pressure/restriction (vets pick), but apparently could be a liver/heart/lung thing?; and I found reference(poultry) to cold conditions at nesting time can cause a sort of vascular hypertension (in line with vets pick)resulting in Ascites; There is a yolk business but she had stopped laying 3 weeks earlier.
Anyway, she got a jab of anti-biotics, the swelling had gone down heaps but there is an excess of loose so very thin skin, she made it back into the nestbox tonight, probably avoiding getting rounded up and in the box!.
Think the nesting material is fine?....but will renew; other hen did a couple weeks on same material, all fine.
It's real cold here....some of the snow hasn't melted since a big fall 3 weeks ago!!!!????. Thanks all for the input. Will inform on how it goes.
Hi My Gully...I think just to google "ascities waterbelly" will give you some results, mostly about poultry though. Ascites is really just a result of potentially many problems/causes, but if it was one of the more major complaints....she wouldn't still be alive...so still not sure what was going on?.
She can now get around pretty good, even starting to look a bit clucky again!; she has her tail feathers splayed out on landing and a bit wobbly on her feet but a vast improvement. The other hen is also behaving a bit broody!.
The male one was seen doing the "wild thing" with the other hen....not much "in sickness and in health" in the parakeet world! Changed the nesting material, can't seem to stop them laying etc. Don't want to shut-off their nest boxes as they need to get in there to keep warm.
What's the best way to discourage breeding till a more appropriate time of the year?, take the eggs off them as they lay or wait till stop laying then take them away?, or?? Cheers STBLR
Hi, the best way is to take their boxes off of them. but If they go in to keep warm then I wouldn't. In some parrot's it is bad to take the eggs off of them, it sets off hormonal problems- long story. I just don't know about budgies sorry.
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