The Bad Years
All proceeding informatiom on these pages are of no doings of any Avain Veterinarian or any other persons than myself. These are my own thoughts that could be similar or contradictory of many Veterinarians. This article has been written by me in good faith to many other breeders of birds so they can have insight into what can happen when things do go wrong. Gary Armstrong
The Bad Years
From 2002 to 2005 caused a huge amount of pain to myself. Since 1993 I had advanced quite well with no big problems health wise with the Budgerigars.
From early 2001 I had my birds on a new method of feeding regime include dietry supplements recommended by a Vet. and 2001 was my best 1st round of birds I have ever bred in numbers.
Won a Nationals in the Spangle D/F class 2001, then won the Spangle S/F class, and 1st and second in the Spangle D/F class the following Nationals and including other varieties bred by me end up being 3rd overall in point scoring.
These results appeared to me I was certainly on the right track.
However the following year even though I trained my birds very well for State selection they where very nervous in the show cages. Not many of them made the team. Still, I won the Hens Class at the Nationals.
From then on literally, the wheels fell off. I had my first case of Coccidiosis found under my Microscope. The bird died after 5 days.
The scope I had bought early in 2002 and was helped by a Avian Veterinarian to identify different infections. With his help I learnt to identify how infections start and spread and what can be used to control it.
My scope has also a video head on and is connected to my computer and is so easy to send live movies or stills anywhere. This way I did't have to wait weeks for a diagnoses but only minutes if the case to do so arose.
About 2 weeks later I lost another bird with the same infection and the following day 4 more. The birds would huddle up in the corner and have their vents and tails up as if they had a huge stomach ache. The aviary was filled with the stench of scouring birds faecial matter.
The aviary was scrubbed out and those birds showing symptoms where housed in hospital cages. There was around fifty birds one time in this setting using heat lights to try to keep them warm. Out of 50 birds I lost 15.
I was giving the sick birds a Sulphur medication to help stop the E.coli and other micro - bacteria multiplying. Nothing will stop the Coccidia going berserk once the have the infection but the Sulphur medication slowed the bacteria down and many birds where saved.
Each week I washed out the Aviary and scorched the perches and whole surrounding areas also was cleaned. Later on when introduced the raised mesh was removed washed, dried and put back into place also (regards to next paragraph). The whole avairy was kept virtually medically clean. I kept this up for 18 months but every 5-6 weeks was getting this re-occurence of Coccidia infections.
By the end of July, 2004, I changed my Vet and went to another. I had been thinking about putting mesh under my perches and where they walked about mainly on the floor. The Vet said this was a good idea but said you will be lucky to beat Coccidia because once you have it, the infection is very hard to remove.
Having sent birds along to the Vet for pathology to try to identify what is causing this infection and the Vet could not put his finger onto the cause.
The birds where then taken to Murdoch University and Pathology on another lot of very unwell birds was carried out to identify or try to establish the cause of these infections.
The results where conclusive of the birds having Polyomavirus infection not P.B.F.D. also the newer type Coccidia called Eimeria Dunsingi which was causing alarming problems in the avian community Australia wide apparently.
The common Coccidia is called Isopora in budgerigars.
Interestingly a Doctor of Humans medicine told me about sufferers of H.I.V. die from mainly Coccidia not the HIV problem itself. If there is a connection here I am not qualified to discuss!
The Vet advised also not to give anymore vitamins and additives to the birds as this could be feeding the problem.
I followed his thinking and then every 30 days gave them a medication he recommended used to help stop Coccidia.
However it was not conclusive that the birds where looking much better and healthier and there was only one other thing to do again, and that was check for Psittacosis which the birds had been checked for on previous occasions but each time the birds turn up negative to the test and also this time a negitive result.
As prescribed by the Vet, they were given on a last resort, a dose of Doxycycline for 60 days - yes- you read right and then I did see signs they were picking up.
The deaths slowed and eventually stopped January 2005.
Summing up of the major happenings over the two years.
- 2003 many Chicks and also hens with eggs where going down lame in the breeding boxes.
- Many hens where having large wet smelly droppings in nest boxes and breeding box floors.
1 to 4 eggs laid by most birds that did lay.
- 2003-4, 70 youngsters bred in 2 rounds and many of them Polyoma Virus sufferers.
- Birds with Polyoma Virus where given away to other breeders who wanted good birds and these birds did not have any problems with infection and bred very well. My birds were not breeding and still dying!!
- Birds from July 2004 where all autopsied by myself and checks where done in the Abdomen and Proventriculas which connects to the Gizzard.
- A number of birds also died from Megabacteria.
- Did not matter what the season was however if there was a lot of Humidity around the set time of the cycle for coccidia to appear this would kick the sickness and deaths off.
- Birds in the breeding box are prone to have an occurrence of Coccidia as well. The cycle of the infection to complete is around 5-6 weeks.
- Never guestimate an infection and give the wrong medication that is obvious but everyone does this.
Is this due to frustration or lack of understanding?
I have written this article on 27th of March 2006 and it has been over 14 months since the last death due to any infection in our Birdroom. 2005 breeding season, using what was left in my avairy and that includes early bred 2005 birds breeding 10 months later to have around 90 chicks by December and 30 chicks in January, 2006. Some as you will see in "2005" icon on "Our Birds"web page.
As I write this article, we have some birds down breeding with varied fertility.
I feel it will take another few years to have the quality back in my aviary as was the effects of the devastation on my stock.
One of many things that have been in the birds favour is the dedication from my wife in keeping the welfare of the birds on track and being on hand to rekindle my spirit. Thank you Dolores.
***Added Footnote July 2006. The 2006 Australian National has come and gone and we are pleased to let you all know we got 2nd in the Spangle D/F Class and 3rd and 6th in the Spangle class.
So maybe I should add never give up like I nearly did.
Maybe this well thought phrase below
"If there is ever a flicker of fire light at the end of the tunnel don't let it go out, strive to reach it and rekindle that fire alight. To let it die out is a mistake."