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Questions
Saturday
1. What kind of iodine to you use for the canaries?
Wednesday
1. I wonder if you can confirm something for me,,,,my
frosted red hen has a black belly,,and I thought I read
somewhere that means she has liver problems,,,
Is that correct ???
I've started my birds breeding,,,,however she has not
produced any eggs but sits in the nest,,and now she and
her mate are fostering a couple of chicks from another pair,,,
What do you think is causing the color of her belly ????
Sunday
1. What should a breeder do when an egg is extremely soiled in the nest, prior to setting? Wash it in water, wipe it off, leave as is?
2. Would the fecal matter on the eggshell 'infect' the developing chick during incubation?
3. My breeding season got off to an early start. One hen successfully raised her first clutch of 3 and laid, sat and hatched 5 more just 5 days ago. Last night, everything seemed perfect (feeding, 5 little head held high) and this morning 3 dead and the other 2 died as the day went on. They were cold and dehydrated looking. What happened? Are my other birds in danger?
thank you Linda for all the information. your love for canaries is extremely beneficial to others, as well as your own birds i am sure...
ReplyDeleteJohn
Linda
ReplyDeleteQuestion: what should a breeder do when an egg is extremely soiled in the nest, prior to setting?
Wash it in water, wipe it off, leave as is?
Another question: would the fecal matter on the eggshell 'infect' the developing chick during incubation?
Deb E
Even by promptly removing fresh laid eggs, on occasion, the egg gets soiled. Eggs are relatively resistant to bacterial invasion even when soiled. If the excrement has not dried, I gently remove what will easily come off with a soft cloth or paper towel. (Last season, I posted pictures of a soiled egg and its hatching.)
ReplyDeleteThe vet book (Ritchie, Harrison, and Harrison) notes that in some species you can gently sand off the egg surface, but with canary eggs that would likely not work.
Likewise they recommend other techniques that have been successful in larger birds include using chlorine dioxide foam, wash with warm iodine solution (104 degrees F), immerse in warm water baths (110 degrees F) for up to five minutes or dipping into a antibiotic solution (gentamicin) solution.
Myself, I have had no success with any of these methods which work for large bird eggs. I just remove what I can if it is not dried and incubate with the other eggs. I do not wash with anything.
It might be just a coincidence but anytime I try washing I either break the egg or it does not develop and has never hatched. In contrast, I have had reasonable success with them hatching when I just leave them alone.
Bacterial and fungal agents infrequently cause problems with fertile eggs. It is most likely seen when an incubator is contaminated. So it is important to keep incubators clean.
ReplyDeleteI have had many fertile soiled eggs hatch and have not had a problem with them dying during incubation.
Since our hands are also a source for contamination, it is recommended that one thoroughly wash our hands or wear clean latex or vinyl gloves prior to handling eggs. Even though I am comfortable wearing gloves, I prefer washing with anti-bacterial moisturizing hand soap (get mine from Bath & Body Works) prior to handling eggs to wearing gloves.
my breeding season got off to an early start. One hen successfully raised her first clutch of 3 and laid, sat and hatched 5 more just 5 days ago. Last night, everything seemed perfect (feeding, 5 little head held high) and this morning 3 dead and the other 2 died as the day went on. They were cold and dehydrated looking. What happened? Are my other birds in danger?
ReplyDeleteNothing makes me sadder than having banding age chick die...
ReplyDeleteAt that age one has to consider too much protein being fed to the chicks resulting in dehydration and death. Since hens have their favorite foods to feed, some hens who feed lots of egg food are at risk more than others.
If this was the problem, the skin color of the chicks instead of being a nice slightly yellowish-pink would be increasingly more and more red. When ever you see this, drop the proteins and increase carbohydrates as if you are going to save the chicks, you will have to act promptly.
I would immediately drop any extra hard boiled egg and cut the nestling food with 2 parts nestling food mix to 1 part of your current egg containing egg food. Also offer greens such as peas or broccoli and a dish of plain non egg added nestling food such as ABBA green 92. A hen that has this problem will likely have it again so watch the amount of hard boiled egg you feed her and cut hers with peas or sprouts after the first couple of days.
This is the most common cause of this problem. And if I am right, there is no danger to your other birds if correct the nestling food and watch the chicks coloring.
Other causes might be infectious but then you should be smelling a foul odor from the hens droppings.
Linda,
ReplyDeletethank you for the advise! I knew you would be the one that might help me. I have disinfected everything and will let the hen rest for a few days and see if she wants to try it one more time.
I had changed my egg feeding to 1/4 slice of hard boiled egg instead of egg mashed in the bisquit mix. I bet she did over feed it.
I feel better, but still sad at the lost of the chicks. It looked to be a nice mix of colors and crested/non crested.
THANK YOU Barb
Barb
ReplyDeleteYou might look at the biscuit mix for sugar which can cause a problem also.
Why not just use a jiffy corn bread mix (made into corn bread) with hard boiled egg?
When too much protein causes this, I drop all pure hard boiled egg and increase the carbohydrates. Greens immediately and even regular table oatmeal will help.
If she does not have any chicks to feed back off on all hard boiled egg. Offer her plain white bread, oatmeal,ABBA Green 92 if you have it and sprout some seeds.
Clarification: Oatmeal is not cooked before feeding to the birds.
ReplyDeleteBarb
ReplyDeleteSometimes the too rich diet causes the chicks to get diarrhea. It is hard to see as it is a clear lacquer like discharge that seals the vent shut.
Wash the vent and gently using your fingernail make sure that the vent is open.
A darkened black area observed through the skin and muscle of the abdominal wall is probably due to an enlarged liver.
ReplyDeleteBe sure that you are not confusing the reddish purple color of a hen who is too thin with the black enlarged liver.
Liver problems may be due to liver damage leading to cirrhosis or various infections or parasites and even aging. In any case, I would not use her as a foster, rather I would put her in a separate cage.
Currently, I get my iodine from Foys Pigeon Supply online. I have in the past used a number of different products from Lugol's to vanodine.
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