Is He A Cameo Or Peach? He Has Gone Blind Already :(

[AquaEyes]

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I never knew that. Why do they go blind?

I think that there is an association between loss of pigment and loss of vision. If the cells with melanin pigment die off, or are no longer able to produce melanin pigment, the feathers in that area will be white at the next molt. If the cells in the eye no longer make melanin, vision can be affected. From what I've read, the birds that become blind are the ones that start getting white around the head...or, all of them will get that way eventually, but won't be blind until the white areas progress to the head.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
I never knew that. Why do they go blind?

I think that there is an association between loss of pigment and loss of vision. If the cells with melanin pigment die off, or are no longer able to produce melanin pigment, the feathers in that area will be white at the next molt. If the cells in the eye no longer make melanin, vision can be affected. From what I've read, the birds that become blind are the ones that start getting white around the head...or, all of them will get that way eventually, but won't be blind until the white areas progress to the head.

Thanks for the info. Do you think it's the same as like an "Albino"?

 

[AquaEyes]

Quote:
I think that there is an association between loss of pigment and loss of vision. If the cells with melanin pigment die off, or are no longer able to produce melanin pigment, the feathers in that area will be white at the next molt. If the cells in the eye no longer make melanin, vision can be affected. From what I've read, the birds that become blind are the ones that start getting white around the head...or, all of them will get that way eventually, but won't be blind until the white areas progress to the head.

Thanks for the info. Do you think it's the same as like an "Albino"?

Albinism is the inability to produce melanin. It is caused by a mutation in a gene (and there are many) that produces a protein that acts in the chain of processes that leads to melanin being produced -- there are many steps, with many parts, and a mutation in any one can stop the progression to melanin as an end-product. This is not albinism, because the birds do express pigmentation. An animal that once displayed pigment but then later doesn't is not albino.

Cells that once produced melanin can be prevented from doing so again after an infection, trauma, accumulation of gene products that block melanin or one of its precursors, or early cell death, among many other possibilities. Because the birds exhibiting the trait share common descent, we can assume that it is hereditary, and not caused by trauma or infection. But this still leaves a host of possibilities. It could be like a form of vitiligo. It could be an inherited predisposition to cancer, with variable onset and morbidity. I don't know, because I've only ever read about it, and know of some possibilities from learning about other genetic conditions in other species and try to think of how one might work on peafowl.

The point is that we know it doesn't happen randomly, so we can select against it in breeding. Unfortunately, many people buy their birds (or eggs) without seeing the parents, and siblings are spread far and wide in selling. The bird turning white in this thread could have a full-sibling on the other side of the country that isn't turning white (yet...), and the owner of that bird will have no clue that his bird has a sibling exhibiting this disorder, and won't think twice about breeding his. And because peafowl are not required to be identified with traceable bands (as are parrots and many "cage-birds"), the sellers are free to assume no responsibility when the birds are out of their hands, because no one could prove a bird came from him. It makes breeding this trait out of the genepool very very difficult.

If I were buying a bird with the Cameo gene in it, I'd ask to see the parents IN PERSON before I spent money on the bird. If the seller declines, then I'd seek another seller...and another...and another...until I found one who complied with my request. I have the good fortune of being able to take advantage of 20-20 hindsight by looking vicariously through the eyes of others while reading posts here, so that's what I would do. It's of little help to the OP, but I'm hoping that this (and the other threads on BYC and elsewhere about birds turning white and going blind) will make buyers become more vigilant in their future purchases -- and, most importantly, in their breeding choices.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Thanks for the info. Do you think it's the same as like an "Albino"?

Albinism is the inability to produce melanin. It is caused by a mutation in a gene (and there are many) that produces a protein that acts in the chain of processes that leads to melanin being produced -- there are many steps, with many parts, and a mutation in any one can stop the progression to melanin as an end-product. This is not albinism, because the birds do express pigmentation. An animal that once displayed pigment but then later doesn't is not albino.

Cells that once produced melanin can be prevented from doing so again after an infection, trauma, accumulation of gene products that block melanin or one of its precursors, or early cell death, among many other possibilities. Because the birds exhibiting the trait share common descent, we can assume that it is hereditary, and not caused by trauma or infection. But this still leaves a host of possibilities. It could be like a form of vitiligo. It could be an inherited predisposition to cancer, with variable onset and morbidity. I don't know, because I've only ever read about it, and know of some possibilities from learning about other genetic conditions in other species and try to think of how one might work on peafowl.

The point is that we know it doesn't happen randomly, so we can select against it in breeding. Unfortunately, many people buy their birds (or eggs) without seeing the parents, and siblings are spread far and wide in selling. The bird turning white in this thread could have a full-sibling on the other side of the country that isn't turning white (yet...), and the owner of that bird will have no clue that his bird has a sibling exhibiting this disorder, and won't think twice about breeding his. And because peafowl are not required to be identified with traceable bands (as are parrots and many "cage-birds"), the sellers are free to assume no responsibility when the birds are out of their hands, because no one could prove a bird came from him. It makes breeding this trait out of the genepool very very difficult.

If I were buying a bird with the Cameo gene in it, I'd ask to see the parents IN PERSON before I spent money on the bird. If the seller declines, then I'd seek another seller...and another...and another...until I found one who complied with my request. I have the good fortune of being able to take advantage of 20-20 hindsight by looking vicariously through the eyes of others while reading posts here, so that's what I would do. It's of little help to the OP, but I'm hoping that this (and the other threads on BYC and elsewhere about birds turning white and going blind) will make buyers become more vigilant in their future purchases -- and, most importantly, in their breeding choices.

Good info.

 

[Exotics R Us]

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There is NO cure the only thing you can do is to cull all of them and start over with a different blood line or keep them but don't breed so as not to hatch more blind ones, if you keep them you can never change your pen once they know where the food and water is.

Ricky

 

[AquaEyes]

I'd like to add one thing to those of you with blind or turning-blind birds.

PLEASE consider donating your birds for research. I don't know who is doing anything in this area (if anyone), but perhaps you can find out information through your local agricultural extension program. Perhaps there is something that can be provided to reduce the severity, or slow the onset, of blindness in these birds. And after death, the birds can be necropsied for tissue analysis to find out what is actually going on to cause the blindness. Find out if there are vet schools in your area. Ask outside the "peafowl world" and perhaps someone is interested in working on this for a thesis project.

 

[deerman]

The bronze that start turning white doesnt go blind like the cameo. Best way to rid the cameo of this gene, is thru culling the birds from the breeding pool, which alot of breeders have done. Problem with this peafowl takes so long to get to breeding age, then on top of this some took years to show this gene. So those breeders that sold some of these birds had no idea they carry the blind gene.

There was a case in the Lutino cockatiel, when the mutation showed up. They carried a bald gene, which has been bred out of most now.

Have come along way of getting rid of the blind gene cameo lines, just take alot longer. Peafowl take about 4 times longer to mature than cockatiel. So give it time.......most breeders of peafowl would not raise chicks from birds they know carring the blind gene.

AquaEye trouble with seeing the parents of cameo chicks, they can produce chicks before they even show the signs of that gene.


There is a type of pigeon that turn more white with each molt.......and those don't go blind.

 

[AquaEyes]

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I think what would help is if breeders made a move to advertise that their cameos are proven to come from birds that aren't turning white. If that means holding off on breeding for a couple of years, well, that might be what the breeders need to do if they want to clean their lines. But it's something that will have to be voluntary. There needs to be an incentive for doing so, perhaps some sort of certification that can be provided by the UPA? I know that many dog breeders advertise that their dogs have passed hip and other health/physiology tests.

The Eurasier dog breeders go a step further in requiring health tests of breeder dogs before their pups can be registered with the breed club. If peafowl breeders are able to go through their cameo lines and be sure that their breeders don't have the trait, and they advertise their stock as being free of the trait, perhaps buyers would be willing to pay a little more for birds that come from these breeders. If people with birds that turned blind were able to donate the birds for research, perhaps a diagnostic test could be made to determine if the bird shows the signs of turning blind in the future, before it ever actually goes blind (or starts turning white). Maybe even the specific gene(s) responsible could be found, and a blood test can be developed to check the birds before they show the trait.

With cockatiels, there was an incentive for breeders to produce birds that lacked the bald spot. Many (but not all) breeders raise birds for show, and show-winning stock warranted higher prices for chicks. This sort of dribbled down into the pet sector, decreasing the frequency of the baldness trait. True, cockatiels show the trait earlier, and have shorter generation times, so the process happened faster. But it's not impossible with peafowl. It's just going to take a concerted effort on the part of breeders -- and maybe some encouragement from the UPA.

Why not grant a sort of certification for breeders that meet a standard for breeding practice set forth by the UPA? Encourage banding of chicks with traceable bands in the breeding practice. Those breeders who comply with the standards set forth by the UPA can advertise their chicks as meeting these standards, and thus offer a superior product that can be priced accordingly. There has to be some sort of incentive beyond "the good of the peafowl" for encouraging this -- in other words, a financial incentive. It could be like the difference between a regular used car and a "certified pre-owned" car -- costs a little more, but you know it's been checked out.

I don't know how the bands work with peafowl now, but I know that with cage birds, most species' bands are traceable through the maker of the band. A breeder registers a code that is sort of trade-marked to that breeder, and then what follows is a number. When I bought my amazon parrot Sammy, I was able to contact L&M, the maker of the band, with his code. For a small fee, I was able to trace the purchaser of that band back to the original breeder, and provided my contact information so that I could communicate with the breeder. I was able to find out his true age (I am not Sammy's first owner) and even find out about his parents. If the UPA had a registry (they might already...I don't know) that worked the same way, then a bird that went blind could be traced back to the original parents, and the breeder (who might not even know any of his chicks later turned blind) could make adjustments with his pairs...maybe break up the pair and set the birds up with others, or not breed them anymore at all.

These are just some thoughts from an outsider. I hope this trait doesn't follow Cameos forever.

 

[Yoda]

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My bird's head is just starting to turn white now, he went blind a little over a week ago. Only his body feathers were turning white went he went blind. I will not kill this bird. My birds are part of my family and they are like my "kids" I will not cull my pets because it is handicapped. He is adapting his way slowly and I am fine with it. I will take care of him just like I do any of my other birds

I do not understand how a blind bird can breed with a hen if he cannot even see the hen in front of him? How does a blind bird breed?

 

[deerman]

Quote:
My bird's head is just starting to turn white now, he went blind a little over a week ago. Only his body feathers were turning white went he went blind. I will not kill this bird. My birds are part of my family and they are like my "kids" I will not cull my pets because it is handicapped. He is adapting his way slowly and I am fine with it. I will take care of him just like I do any of my other birds

I do not understand how a blind bird can breed with a hen if he cannot even see the hen in front of him? How does a blind bird breed?

I understand you not culling him, just remove from breeding stock......once they go blind DON'T think you have to worry about him breeding. Heck the peahens would pick on him. A blind hen could lay fertile eggs.

I really think now the word gets out about the blind gene, you will find fewer each year.........no one wants to breed birds that will produce blind birds.

Think the best way to rid this gene is to keep pasting this info out so people breeding them know......