Aussie Finch Forum

Hey one of my hens is going bald in the face she was a bit bald when i got her from breeder. He said that she was being attacked by others but i dont think shes getting accacked in my avairy. Could it.be a mite. Have put s76 in cage 10 days ago and they swam in it but got worse in last 10

Should i catch he and treat her with a76 by dropping some on her face or could it be she is still getting attacked.

GG

Sounds like its stuck in moult to me...gouldians will sometimes go bald in head area...some say dietary. ..my personal opinion is its stress...

Yes does happen with some gouldians but usually later in the year due to stress feeding young etc. The other cause could be a lack of iodine so feed an iodine rich diet for a while but usually feathers wont grow back to the end of the year when they moult. Craig

So boiled eggs?? Should i pull her out and put in hospital cage and feed boiled eggs in morn and feed usual feed in early afternoon witch is her norm feed with
greens 3 days a week or leave her in avairy and feed egg as free choice or???
This hen is still very active with dark almost black beak amd good feathers otherwise

Also her left.eye seems to be closed half the time?? As of today.

All other seem in great condition and all hens have dark beaks but no signs of breeding. Still plenty of time this season right?

GG

salt lick blocks with iodine...if eye closed I would use chlorsig drop...

vettepilot_6 wrote: ↑08 Mar 2018, 20:40 salt lick blocks with iodine...if eye closed I would use chlorsig drop...

As in chlorsig from the chemist for hamans?

Salt lick i will have to order online i live along way from pet shops.

So little hen wont look right till after malt? Bugger

GG

Yes chlorsig for humans...

Interestingly enough human and avian eyes are extremely similar in makeup. So yes the same drops do the same job and have been doing so for many years.
LML

Eye all cleared up feesing egg 4 morns a week see how we go

GG

gumlu goulds wrote: ↑08 Mar 2018, 20:33 So boiled eggs?? Should i pull her out and put in hospital cage and feed boiled eggs in morn and feed usual feed in early afternoon witch is her norm feed with
greens 3 days a week or leave her in avairy and feed egg as free choice or???
This hen is still very active with dark almost black beak amd good feathers otherwise

All other seem in great condition and all hens have dark beaks but no signs of breeding. Still plenty of time this season right?

You can feed boiled egg to all your birds every day. I boil an egg for 10 minutes. While egg is boiling get 1/2 to 1 cup of cornflakes and put them in a paper or plastic bag. Then use a rolling pin to crush the cornflakes into a powder. When egg is done, peel the shell off and use a fork to crush the egg into the cornflakes. Mix egg and crushed cornflakes together for an even consistency and then put in a bowl for the birds. At the end of the day, remove any leftover egg mix and wash bowl ready for tomorrow.

*NB* egg mix is fed as a supplement to their normal seed diet. They should have access to dry seed all the time, and each day you add egg mix and green feed to supplement the seed diet.

Make sure egg bowl is away from ants. Better yet, just kill any ants on the property so they don't eat your birds.

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Green feed (plant matter) should be offered every day to all the birds. You can use grass, grass seeds, dark green leafy vegetables & fruit. Most finches will not eat citrus (oranges or mandarins) but some might if they see other birds like canaries eating it.

*NB* make sure any plant matter fed to the birds is free of chemicals like herbicide & pesticide. And if you have dogs or cats around the area, make sure they haven't peed or pooped on it.

You can feed soaked or sprouted seed every day too. Soak 1/2 to 1 cup of finch seed in a container of water overnight. Put into a sieve and rinse off under tap water. Then gently shake most of the excess water off and put the seed into a zip lock sandwich bag (from Coles or Woolies). Inflate the bag and keep in a dark place for 24 hours. Take seed out of bag and rinse well under tap water, then put in a bowl for the birds.
In cooler weather the seed might take longer to germinate so just look for a little tiny root coming out of the seed. Feed it when you see the root.
Soaked seed has no root yet, sprouted seed has the root. You can feed either, however I prefer sprouted.

Replace soaked/ sprouted seed each day. If there is any left over from the previous day, throw it on the floor of the aviary and put a thin layer of sand on it. It will grow and the birds can eat the grass.