UGH - I have a pair of breeding turquoise green cheeks. They only gave me two chicks last year, and I had a waiting list for chicks this year. It's been a strange breeding season with pairs starting late, having calcium issues, etc. So, an opportunity to purchase some turquoise chicks came alone and I did it. The breeder has a large operation, and only sells wholesale to breeders and pet stores. Both myself, and a local bird store owner bought chicks from the same person. The chicks arrived and they were beautiful.
Last weekend, I was talking to a friend who breeds cockatoos and golden conures. He was talking to someone he knows on the east coast and was told about a pet store that purchased chicks from the same place I did, and they were infected with beak and feather. They suffered a large loss because of it.
I had already sent blood samples off for testing and I called the lab and requested they test for B&F as well. Two of them 8 came back positive, but very low indicators for the infection. They suggested I recheck again in 2 weeks to make sure it wasn't a false positive, or cross contamination. In the meantime, I have the two birds isolated and I've got strict procedures in place to make sure it doesn't spread.
The information I've read about this disease is conflicting. Some say it is highly contagious, other say it is not as contagious as it used to be. Some say birds can clear the infection and never have an issue, some say it kills within weeks or months. Does anyone have advice ? At a minimum, I need to get my personal pets tested because I know there are times before the test when I touched one or the other without washing my hands in between. That's 3, a golden that I handle, and the male she shares a cage with. Five in total. There are 7 birds outside that went out prior to the chicks arriving, and the only thing I handle are the food dishes, which get washed with soap and water daily. I'll count them out. I could potentially need to test 38 birds. Food dishes that I touch get washed with soap and hot water daily. The only physical contact I have with the breeders is once or twice a year when I do their nails. I haven't done that since last fall.
So - should I test every bird, or only ones I've been in physical contact with?
Then the question is what do I do with the breeder I bought them from? I'm waiting on the second round of tests before I do anything.
Last weekend, I was talking to a friend who breeds cockatoos and golden conures. He was talking to someone he knows on the east coast and was told about a pet store that purchased chicks from the same place I did, and they were infected with beak and feather. They suffered a large loss because of it.
I had already sent blood samples off for testing and I called the lab and requested they test for B&F as well. Two of them 8 came back positive, but very low indicators for the infection. They suggested I recheck again in 2 weeks to make sure it wasn't a false positive, or cross contamination. In the meantime, I have the two birds isolated and I've got strict procedures in place to make sure it doesn't spread.
The information I've read about this disease is conflicting. Some say it is highly contagious, other say it is not as contagious as it used to be. Some say birds can clear the infection and never have an issue, some say it kills within weeks or months. Does anyone have advice ? At a minimum, I need to get my personal pets tested because I know there are times before the test when I touched one or the other without washing my hands in between. That's 3, a golden that I handle, and the male she shares a cage with. Five in total. There are 7 birds outside that went out prior to the chicks arriving, and the only thing I handle are the food dishes, which get washed with soap and water daily. I'll count them out. I could potentially need to test 38 birds. Food dishes that I touch get washed with soap and hot water daily. The only physical contact I have with the breeders is once or twice a year when I do their nails. I haven't done that since last fall.
So - should I test every bird, or only ones I've been in physical contact with?
Then the question is what do I do with the breeder I bought them from? I'm waiting on the second round of tests before I do anything.
