Angel wing

[Ourgosling22]

Hi everyone-I posted earlier but I think I put in wrong place. Still trying to figure out the navigation on here.
I think one of my 2 goslings has Angel Wing along with whatever is going on at hip joints. I have been doing everything suggested for vitamin deficiency but apparently something is not working. I saw on some posts about wrapping his wings. I’m thinking of trying to find an avian vet Was trying to do what I could myself before things got worse.I posted a picture just taken of him. Any thoughts or advice?

 

[Isadora]

It does look like angel wing to me. Glad you're supplementing the extra vitamins. Take a look at this thread. It shows how to wrap the wings.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ucks-how-we-wrap-to-mend-it-pictorial.644239/

 

[Ourgosling22]

It does look like angel wing to me. Glad you're supplementing the extra vitamins. Take a look at this thread. It shows how to wrap the wings.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ucks-how-we-wrap-to-mend-it-pictorial.644239/

Ok thank you-will take look at link you posted. Don’t I need to feed him something different or change diet? Also any thoughts on swollen hip areas?

 

[Isadora]

Ok thank you-will take look at link you posted. Don’t I need to feed him something different or change diet? Also any thoughts on swollen hip areas?

What are you currently feeding them?

 

[Goosebaby]

Angel wing can be corrected at home without a vet by wrapping the wings for 3 or 4 days.

I’m not sure what’s going on with the hips though, if you suspect a problem that probaby should be looked at by an avian exotics vet. That’s more of a serious issue.


Angel wing can be caused by an incorrect diet and a mix of genetics. Some would suggest lowering to a lower protein and carb diet as that can help to prevent it but sometimes there isn’t really anything you can do. Once it appears the only way to correct it is by wrapping the wings.

What actually happens with angel wing is that the new growing feathers are growing to fast and heavy for the bird to hold their wrist in the right position and it causes the wrist to twist, the twist becomes permanent if not corrected immediately.
Luckily for your gosling you caught it early.

Sometimes you can get a whole gaggle of goslings and only one will develop angel wing, it just means that one gosling’s genetics caused their metabolism to be a little different than the others. I’ve wondered sometimes if a deficiency could also cause it.

If the other gosling is fine I don’t think it’s necesarily to change the diet, maybe something more might be going on. What feed are they on?

 

[Goosebaby]

First and foremost I’m not a vet and I can’t really say what’s going on, especially only looking at photos but even in person I can’t really say what going on, a vet can diagnose better than I can, but looking at the wide leg stance with the angel wing it could be rickets.

“Rickets in poultry is caused mainly by deficiencies of either vitamin D3, calcium, phosphorus, or calcium-phosphorus imbalance. Rickets in poultry occurs frequently by using old feed, in which vitamin D3 has been destroyed by rancidity.”

From https://tvmdl.tamu.edu/2020/03/30/r...ch vitamin D3 has been destroyed by rancidity.
Rickets occurs most commonly in young meat birds; the main characteristic is inadequate bone mineralization. Calcium deficiency at the cellular level is the main cause, although feeding a diet deficient or imbalanced in calcium, phosphorus, or vitamin D3 can also induce this problem. Young broilers and turkey poults can exhibit lameness at ~10–14 days of age. Their bones are rubbery, and the rib cage is flattened and beaded at the attachment of the vertebrae. Rachitic birds exhibit a disorganized cartilage matrix, with an irregular vascular penetration. There is an indication of impaired metabolism of collagen precursors such as hyaluronic acid and desmosine. Rickets is not caused by a failure in the initiation of bone mineralization but rather by impairment of the early maturation of this process. There is often an enlargement of the ends of the long bones, with a widening of the epiphyseal plate. A determination of whether rickets is due to deficiencies of calcium, phosphorus, or vitamin D3, or to an excess of calcium (which induces a phosphorus deficiency) may require analysis of blood phosphorus levels and investigation of parathyroid activity.

From https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...iciencies-in-poultry?query=Rickets in poultry
In most field cases of rickets, a deficiency of vitamin D3 is suspected. This can be due to simple dietary deficiency, inadequate potency of the D3 supplement, or other factors that reduce the absorption of vitamin D3. Rickets can best be prevented by providing adequate levels and potency of vitamin D3supplements, and by ensuring that the diet is formulated to ensure optimal utilization of all fat-soluble compounds. Young birds have limited ability to digest saturated fats, and these undigested compounds can complex with calcium to form insoluble soaps, leading to an induced deficiency of calcium. Again, this situation cannot be diagnosed through diet assay for calcium but rather through excreta assay of this mineral. Diets must also provide a correct balance of calcium to available phosphorus. For this reason, ingredients notoriously variable in their content of these minerals, such as animal proteins, should be used with extra caution. In recent years, the use of 25(OH)D3 has become very popular as a partial replacement for vitamin D3, with reports of greatly reduced incidence of rickets, especially in poults. This metabolite is similar to that naturally produced in the liver of birds in the first step of conversion of vitamin D3 to 1,25(OH)2D3, the active form of the vitamin. The commercial form of 25(OH)D3 is therefore especially useful if normal liver metabolism is compromised in any way, such as occurs with mycotoxins or other “natural” toxins in the feed that potentially impair liver metabolism.”

Now it may not necesarily be rickets, a vet can better diagnose the problem.

 

[Ourgosling22]

Angel wing can be corrected at home without a vet by wrapping the wings for 3 or 4 days.

I’m not sure what’s going on with the hips though, if you suspect a problem that probaby should be looked at by an avian exotics vet. That’s more of a serious issue.


Angel wing can be caused by an incorrect diet and a mix of genetics. Some would suggest lowering to a lower protein and carb diet as that can help to prevent it but sometimes there isn’t really anything you can do. Once it appears the only way to correct it is by wrapping the wings.

What actually happens with angel wing is that the new growing feathers are growing to fast and heavy for the bird to hold their wrist in the right position and it causes the wrist to twist, the twist becomes permanent if not corrected immediately.
Luckily for your gosling you caught it early.

Sometimes you can get a whole gaggle of goslings and only one will develop angel wing, it just means that one gosling’s genetics caused their metabolism to be a little different than the others. I’ve wondered sometimes if a deficiency could also cause it.

If the other gosling is fine I don’t think it’s necesarily to change the diet, maybe something more might be going on. What feed are they on?

Yes-I agree on everything you said. Did a lot of reading so I could understand. The other gosling seems fine as you may be able to see in picture. I was solely feeding them purina flockraiser crumbles sprinkled with nutritional yeast flakes (about 1 cup and 1/2 tbsp ratio) per feeding. Then when I became really concerned about the vit deficiency a lady who works at tsc who said she’s been raising ducks, geese, and poultry for 20 years suggested I try adding duck pellets to their feed. I started doing that about a week ago. I gave them about 1/2 tsp of liquid b 12 for a couple of days. Maybe he’s getting too much protein? I let them outside to get some sunshine and possibly forage if they want. I read somewhere this was not a good idea.

 

[Ourgosling22]

First and foremost I’m not a vet and I can’t really say what’s going on, especially only looking at photos but even in person I can’t really say what going on, a vet can diagnose better than I can, but looking at the wide leg stance with the angel wing it could be rickets.

“Rickets in poultry is caused mainly by deficiencies of either vitamin D3, calcium, phosphorus, or calcium-phosphorus imbalance. Rickets in poultry occurs frequently by using old feed, in which vitamin D3 has been destroyed by rancidity.”

From https://tvmdl.tamu.edu/2020/03/30/rickets-in-backyard-chickens/#:~:text=Misshapen sternum and bones with wider and disorganized,which vitamin D3 has been destroyed by rancidity.
Rickets occurs most commonly in young meat birds; the main characteristic is inadequate bone mineralization. Calcium deficiency at the cellular level is the main cause, although feeding a diet deficient or imbalanced in calcium, phosphorus, or vitamin D3 can also induce this problem. Young broilers and turkey poults can exhibit lameness at ~10–14 days of age. Their bones are rubbery, and the rib cage is flattened and beaded at the attachment of the vertebrae. Rachitic birds exhibit a disorganized cartilage matrix, with an irregular vascular penetration. There is an indication of impaired metabolism of collagen precursors such as hyaluronic acid and desmosine. Rickets is not caused by a failure in the initiation of bone mineralization but rather by impairment of the early maturation of this process. There is often an enlargement of the ends of the long bones, with a widening of the epiphyseal plate. A determination of whether rickets is due to deficiencies of calcium, phosphorus, or vitamin D3, or to an excess of calcium (which induces a phosphorus deficiency) may require analysis of blood phosphorus levels and investigation of parathyroid activity.

From https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/nutrition-and-management-poultry/mineral-deficiencies-in-poultry?query=Rickets in poultry
In most field cases of rickets, a deficiency of vitamin D3 is suspected. This can be due to simple dietary deficiency, inadequate potency of the D3 supplement, or other factors that reduce the absorption of vitamin D3. Rickets can best be prevented by providing adequate levels and potency of vitamin D3supplements, and by ensuring that the diet is formulated to ensure optimal utilization of all fat-soluble compounds. Young birds have limited ability to digest saturated fats, and these undigested compounds can complex with calcium to form insoluble soaps, leading to an induced deficiency of calcium. Again, this situation cannot be diagnosed through diet assay for calcium but rather through excreta assay of this mineral. Diets must also provide a correct balance of calcium to available phosphorus. For this reason, ingredients notoriously variable in their content of these minerals, such as animal proteins, should be used with extra caution. In recent years, the use of 25(OH)D3 has become very popular as a partial replacement for vitamin D3, with reports of greatly reduced incidence of rickets, especially in poults. This metabolite is similar to that naturally produced in the liver of birds in the first step of conversion of vitamin D3 to 1,25(OH)2D3, the active form of the vitamin. The commercial form of 25(OH)D3 is therefore especially useful if normal liver metabolism is compromised in any way, such as occurs with mycotoxins or other “natural” toxins in the feed that potentially impair liver metabolism.”

Now it may not necesarily be rickets, a vet can better diagnose the problem.

Goodness-that doesn’t sound good. Sounds like I need to find a vet.

 

[Ourgosling22]

What are you currently feeding them?

They have been on purina flockraiser crumbles with nutritional yeast. I gave them about 1/2 tsp of liquid b 12 for couple of days. Added duck feed to their crumbles about a week ago at someone’s suggestion who has raised poultry for many years.

 

[Goosebaby]

If you can find a vet that will see them blood work will tell if there is a deficiency. I can’t really say if they have rickets, but that wide stance is a little unusual. I had one gosling that was a bit like that and he turned into my biggest gander so maybe it’s a growth thing, but I don’t remember my gander Helios standing with his feet that far spaced.