BLACK
SPOT IN CANARIES
by Ronald & Candace Pezzuti
Symptoms:
Black Spot appears when chicks hatch.
The Black Spot will appear on the Chick’s anatomical right side. It can vary in size.
The paragraph below, states what most
breeders have come to believe as the cause and effect of Black Spot.
“Circovirus infections are commonly
associated with
immunodeciency-related diseases that are
potentially fatal. A
condition known as ` black spot ' of
neonatal canaries, characterized
by abdominal enlargement, gall bladder
congestion and
failure to thrive, has been described for
many years in Europe
and was reported to have been caused by a circovirus
(Goldsmith, 1995). “
I do not believe Black Spot is caused by a
virus. My finding are founded on the test results from this year’s breeding
season. Here are some of my finding and observations.
1– Not all birds in my aviary had chicks
born with Black Spot.
(8 nests out of 85 cages set up.)
2– Not all the chicks in a clutch had Black
Spot.
3– Treatment with antibiotic and high level
of protein improved after 3-4
Days the health of the chick and the Black Spot disappeared.
4– Chicks developed at a normal rate as the
ones not affected and had no
further sign of illness.
Conclusion:
I believe Black Spot to be a bacterial
infection passed from the hen to the
Embryo during development. Note: each egg develops independently which
might explain why only two chicks out of five in the same nest will have Black
Spot.
A
bacterial infection is treatable with antibiotics. On the other hand,
Viruses
as you know are not treatable with antibiotics. A virus would
affect
all the birds in your Aviary.
The
hen or cock can’t be passing the infection from the gut because they continued
to feed and the chicks got better. I,
suspect pulling the eggs might be the mode of transmission from our hands or
where we store the eggs.
Treatment:
I
used this method and had 99% success rate based on the fact that I only lost
one chick to Black Spot during breeding season.
This
was the first time I had this problem in my aviary and with God’s help gave me
the answers I was looking for. Here is what I did.
Kaytee
Hand Feeding Formula ….. One Scoop Full = (4 Tablespoons)
Mixed
with Distilled Water* to the appropriate consistency.
Heat
formula before ** adding any other ingredient.
Then Add: 1 teaspoon of Liquid Cod Liver oil
1 teaspoon of Guardian Angel
Vitamin/Mineral Supplement
1 capsule of Amoxicillin 250
mg
Note: I fed my chicks 5 times per day so the
concentration of
medication should be noted if you
feed less per day.
*Always
use Distilled Water when administrating medication.
Organic
material in tap water reduces the effectiveness of antibiotics.
**Heating destroys vitamins/minerals and
antibiotics.
Please note the purpose of this article is for information to other breeders based on my own personal experiences. If you have any problems, please consult a Veteranian if you have a sick bird in your aviary.
