Diagnosis Found • Lab Testing Birds • New Developments

yOUR REPLY DESCRIPTION OF THROAT MASS:

That yellowish stuff from her throat looks like the stuff you would find in an infection in a chicken. Almost like yellowish hardened cottage cheese. Can you see the area on the throat you are swabbing? could she have a cut in there that has gotten infected?

As I said in the beginning it is canker
the growth will no be cured
AND YES IT IS VERY CONTAGIOUS

SO I WOULD ISOLATE HER TILL SHE DIES.

IF YOU ARE AQUAINTED WITH PIGEONS then you understand canker

this is a good explanation of canker
YES CHICKENS GET IT TO

This web site tells how the parents when feeding their babies give it to the young

likewise when chickens get it they pass it on thru drinking founts.
THUS THE NEED FOR YOU TO ISOLATE THIS BIRD AND NURSE IT TILL SHE DIES

THEY USED TO GIVE FLAGYRL BUT NOW IT HAS BEEN STOPPED SO IF YOU GO TO A VET THEY WILL KNOW WHICH OF THE MEDICATIONS IS STILL BEING GIVEN.


Canker, Pigeon Canker, Trichomoniasis, Roup or Frounce: Causes ...
Canker, Pigeon Canker, Trichomoniasis, Roup or Frounce: Transmission, Prevention, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Supportive Nutrition and Treatment Options.
www.avianweb.com/canker.html - Cached - Similar

Canker, Pigeon Canker, Trichomoniasis, Roup or Frounce
Index of Bird Diseases ... Symptoms & Potential Causes ... Bird Species & Diseases They are Most Susceptible to ... Bird Health Care
Bird Health / Avian Medicine Library: Shipped out of:: .. .. ..


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Trichomoniasis in domestic fowl, pigeons, doves, and hawks is characterized, in most cases, by caseous accumulations in the throat and usually by weight loss. It has been termed “canker,” “roup,” and, in hawks, “frounce.”



Etiology:

The causative organism is Trichomonas gallinae, a flagellated protozoan that lives in the sinuses, mouth, throat, esophagus, and other organs. It is more prevalent among domestic pigeons and wild doves than among domestic fowl, although severe outbreaks have been reported in chickens and turkeys. Some strains of Tgallinae cause high mortality in pigeons and doves. Hawks may become diseased after eating infected birds and commonly show liver lesions, with or without throat involvement. Pigeons and doves transmit the infection to their offspring in contaminated pigeon milk. Contaminated water is probably the most important source of infection for chickens and turkeys.



Clinical Findings:

Lesions:

The bird may be riddled with caseous, necrotic foci. The mouth and esophagus contain a mass of necrotic material that may extend into the skull and sometimes through the surrounding tissues of the neck to involve the skin. In the esophagus and crop, the lesions may be yellow, rounded, raised areas, with a central conical caseous spur, often referred to as “yellow buttons.” The crop may be covered by a yellowish, diphtheritic membrane that may extend to the proventriculus. The gizzard and intestine are not involved. Lesions of internal organs are most frequent in the liver; they vary from a few small, yellow areas of necrosis to almost complete replacement of liver tissue by caseous necrotic debris. Adhesions and involvement of other internal organs appear to be contact extensions of the liver lesions.



Diagnosis:

Lesions of Tgallinae infection are characteristic but not pathognomonic; those of pox and other infections can be similar. Diagnosis should be confirmed by microscopic examination of a smear of mucus or fluid from the throat to demonstrate the presence of trichomonads. Trichomonads can be cultured easily in various artificial media such as 0.2% Loeffler’s dried blood serum in Ringer’s solution or a 2% solution of pigeon serum in isotonic salt solution. Good growth is obtained at 98.6°F (37°C). Antibiotics may be used to reduce bacterial contamination.



Control:

Because T gallinae infection in pigeons is so readily transmitted from parent to offspring in the normal feeding process, chronically infected birds should be separated from breeding birds. In pigeons, recovery from infection with a less virulent strain of T gallinae appears to provide some protection against subsequent attack by a more virulent strain. Successful treatments include metronidazole (60 mg/kg body wt) and dimetridazole (50 mg/kg body wt, PO; or in the drinking water at 0.05% for 5-6 days). Neither of these drugs is approved for use in birds in the USA.

Source: Merckvetmanual.com


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pigeon Canker
G.D. Butcher, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Trichomoniasis (pigeon canker) is the most common disease of pigeons. Approximately 80 percent of pigeons are infected with this organism. The organism is a microscopic flagellate classified as a protozoan. Different strains, Trichomonas gallinae or Trichomonas columbae , vary greatly in their ability to cause disease. The disease occurs worldwide in warm climates or during warm weather. It may occur at any time of the year in commercial squab operations. Adult pigeons frequently carry the trichomonads without showing signs of disease. When the adult pigeon is stressed, however, the organisms may multiply profusely. A mild infection can then turn into a serious condition. Stresses include other diseases, parasitic infestations, or overbreeding.

Affected pigeons in a loft may cease to feed, become listless and ruffled in appearance, and lose weight before death. Pigeons often have difficulty when closing their mouths because of lesions in the oral cavity. They drool and make repeated swallowing movements. Watery eyes may be apparent in birds with lesions located in the sinuses or tissues around the eyes. Diarrhea, increased water intake, and respiratory distress may be noted. Birds may die suddenly due to suffocation if the lesion blocks the opening of the trachea. The disease becomes more severe in birds that are noticeably emaciated. The thin weakened bird loses the inclination to fly and will "take to the wing" reluctantly.

Pigeons that are carriers often transmit trichomonads to their young during feeding. The disease is common in 10- to 24-day-old squabs. As a method of feeding their young, pigeons regurgitate the sloughed, fat laden cells lining the crop (crop milk) into the oral cavity of the squabs. If squabs are infected with only small numbers of the protozoan, they may develop immunity which is maintained by constant low-level exposure. If squabs are infected with large numbers, a severe outbreak may occur and endanger the entire young generation.

Lesions of canker are usually most extensive in the mouth, pharynx, or esophagus but may occur at other sites including the crop, proventriculus, or sinuses. The infection is promoted by minor injuries to these tissues. The spelts and awns from grains can easily cause small lesions. The lesions first appear as small, circumscribed, and elevated areas on the surface of the oral mucosa. They may be surrounded by a thin red zone. The lesions may increase in size and coalesce. The build-up of white to yellow/tan caseous material may be sufficiently extensive to partially or completely block the lumen of the esophagus. Organisms may also enter the body through the unhealed navel of squabs. In this form, necrotic tumor-like swellings occur under the skin adjacent to the navel. Lesions can spread to various internal organs, particularly the liver. Large, well-defined, and yellowish areas of hepatic necrosis may be found on necropsy examination.

Typical signs and lesions are very suggestive of the disease. Demonstration of large numbers of organisms in the oral fluids is usually considered enough evidence for diagnosis. The small plaques in the mucosa should be differentiated from pox, vitamin-A deficiency, or candidiasis.

Since the organism is transmitted from parent to squab, every effort should be made to treat or remove infected birds from the flock. If possible, depopulate at regular intervals and thoroughly clean and disinfect the premises.

In addition, the following preventive measures should help: practice a high standard of sanitation at all times; do not add birds to an established flock since they may be carriers (if birds are added, quarantine for 30 days); and provide a source of clean, fresh water eliminating all sources of stagnant water.

The antiprotozoal drugs which were used successfully in treating this disease, such as dimetridazole and metronidazole, have been removed from the market. Experimentally, a number of drugs are active against trichomonas infection. Use of 0.1% copper sulfate (100 mg per 100 ml of drinking water), 0.5% hydrochloric acid or 0.02% mercuric chloride (sublimate) is worth investigating. The optimum time to treat breeding pairs is at the initiation of egg production.

Source: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/VM032

EMAIL ME ANY QUESTIONS
 
We just put her down. There was no reason to increase the risk of her infecting the other chickens.

If it is canker..we wait 2 weeks to see if another one becomes symptomatic. We pray this is the end.

If it is old age, I save on feed and the girls have more room on the top bar when they roost.

If it is aspergillosis, which I am almost certain is in my yard because a culture from my sinuses revealed that fungus was the cause for my sinus problems and we move onto vitamins and less stress to keep them healthy. The stress was high with "47" pecking at all the hens and pulling feathers. The stress is gone and there are 7 less birds.

We wait and see...I will keep you posted of any changes.
Thank you to everyone who gave me input and helped me figure out what is happening at the Barrett Farm...Got to go disinfect the feeders.
 
After all birds were on the bar to roost tonight; we pulled each one down, held open their mouths, shined a bright light into their mouth and throat looking for canker sores. We changed gloves after each bird so we would not infect the healthy birds.

Of my remaining 10 hens, 5 has small lesions inside their mouths.

All the sick birds are banded. We held off culling the sick birds so we can treat the illness. All the lesions are very small with the exception of one my youngest hens that has multiple lesion forming in one area of her throat.

I guess I am going to learn everything is to know about cankers. Does anybody have first hand experience with this illness?
 
One of the birds that I culled, with lesions inside the mouth, because of all the recent deaths with similar symptoms in the flock, and the large mass found in an ailing hen, was sent off to the CA Food Health & Safety Lab.

I also noticed there are less doves and wild finches in my yard. I contacted the Silicon Valley Wildlife Society that deals with injured and sick wild birds in our area. And they tell me that they have experienced a lot more birds this year with Trichomonasis then in the past. She also told me other birds can contract this illness. The illness was prevalent this year and I could get more information from the County Audubon Society. They survey breeders about illness. I am waiting for a call back.

The diagnosis is beginning to piece together. Really want to see what the lab finds!

Watch for the gaping yawn, stretching neck and shaking head, the desire to eat but refuses to eat followed by a bird that whittles away to nothing then finally dies of starvation and exhaustion. This are some of the symptoms for Canker.
 
The next time a bird dies, take it to your state veterinary lab for a necropsy. A local vet. will probably send it off for you.
 
Last edited:
Here in CA we can skip the vet appointment and the bill. If you have less than 1000 birds, you can ship directly to the state lab and they will perform necropsy free of charge. All we need to cover is shipping and they even offer to let us use the lab's FedEx account so we get the discounted rate. They bill us for the shipping. I sent my cochin off on Tuesday night. She had lesions inside her mouth and we culled her. I would have sent the hen with the mass in her mouth but I put her in the freezer.

New Update Today...
The Silicon Valley Wildlife Agency says that Trich has been prevalent this year. They have seen more bird than normal. I have a call into the Audubon Society to learn about surveys submitted from bird breeders. I hope they have statistics for our county. I have 30 doves hanging around my yard, the same amount of finches and at least 2 falcons maybe more that I haven't seen for about a month.
 
Last edited:
wow I have been following this congrats on figuring it out or at least for the most part. I know this must have been very difficult.
hugs.gif
 
We spoke to the doctor at the lab late Friday afternoon. His first findings were positive for the remaining flock but bad news for the birds I culled. He said the hen was in good health, only flags were a slightly fatty liver and I think he said she had hyposaliva, which he thought was a vitamin A deficiency. He asked what we feed, and he said she should not be a deficiency. There were no masses or lesions in her mouth or throat, like both my husband and I saw on that Sunday night. But I knew that before I culled her. I went through with the culling because I figured we now a carrier, even though the symptoms were not present. He did find a fiberous material in her crop and asked about her environment. He was puzzled by these findings.
The cultures, he took to see what things were growing in her, were not back for him to report on.
I sent him the photo of the mass we pulled out the Lacy's mouth. I hope to hear from the doctor on Monday.

Any other birds with symptoms? Well on Aracauna has been standing by herself inside the chicken coop behind the door away from the other birds. Occasionally she shakes her head, but there is nothing on her beak or face to shake away. We looked into her mouth today and there are no sores. I felt all over her head and throat, looking for lumps or changes or reactions to my touching. She felt fine and she liked it when I rubbed around the corners of her mouth. When I throw food to the flock, she races to eat and she actually is eating. She appears to be developing the symptoms that will lead to the illness and death from starvation. Tomorrow I will weigh her so I can track her weight!

MORE UPDATE! There is a problem. One of these birds is not like the others.
Went to lock up the girls for the night. The one chicken, the Aracauna that has been standing by herself has another symptom, something I never noticed in the other hens only because I did not check them like I am now. All four of the hens have crops that are large, almost the size of a tennis ball maybe a 3" lump and the one Aracauna has the crop that is just larger than a ping pong ball. All crops feel firm and like they are full of grain and feed or gravel. Four are large and one is small.

As soon as I get a full diagnosis or more info I will share with everyone.
 
Last edited:

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom