OBESITY. (on seeds) Needs high amounts of fruits and vegetables. Fat hens still have produced well, though.
VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY. Abscesses are sign of . Abscesses also in the mandibular area, external glands, roof of mouth, making it difficult to eat. Chronic deficiency shows the cere enlarged, and the glands near the cere exude ribbons of caseous material squirts out on pressure. Abscesses also in other parts of body.
SCALY SKIN & FEET. VERY SMOOTH OR VERY CRUSTY. From vitamin deficiency.
BACTERIAL INFECTION. Papillia slimey. E coli can travel to other parts of the body. Liver. Generalized Septicimia. Enteritis. Eyes appear sunken. Air saculitis. Upper respiratory
DIARRHEA from enteritis. The foul smelling, granular droppings for those hens just before egg laying is not the same kind.
SALMONELLA. Exposed to rats or mice. Destroyed lungs. Abcesses. Can cause death.
TUBERCULOSIS. Can remove tuberculus lesions. Cutaneous of the skin. Persons with waterfowl, chickens at risk.
CHRONIC WASTER. White count down, intermittent diarrhea, feather not so good. Spreads to other birds, difficult to disinfect. Passed thru feces. Blue-fronted, treat for 18 month period, or euthanize. Fecal screening for Acid-fast bacteria.
CANDIDIASIS. Not often seen unless there is strong medication given, high doses. Often found in birds coming from quarantine or from zoos.
PSITTACOSIS. Number 1 problem. Sudden sickness. Automatic medicated pellets in quarantine. ELIZA test from swabs in choana and cloaca. Bird stops talking, loses weight, loose chartreuse green in urates. Give oral(30 days) or injectible vibramycin.
PACHECO'S, especially in an indoor aviary, with poor ventilation. Most common viral disease. She pushes vaccination. Several strains. Often happens during breeding season.
POX. If eye doesn't look good after pox, have it removed. Still will breed OK.
PAPILLOMA. Indoor aviaries worst. Fertility problems, etc.
POLYOMA VIRUS. Bleeds readily. Babies die.
WASTING DISEASE. Inside the bird: weaker bones, sores in the choana (mouth) loss of skin health and susceptibility to bacteria, viruses, fungi.
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* at the American Federation of Aviculture 1990 Convention, Washington, D.C. VanDerHeyden is at practitioner in Indiana and breeds birds as well.