FINCHforum

Hi everyone,
So, I've been MIA for a few months. This spring has been crazy, and I am finally graduating with my Ph.D. next week!

Anyway, my finch flock has been happily thriving in the meantime. Thanks to my alpha Gould Cucumber (RH GB WB), who has mated with two different hens, I have four juvenile Goulds on my hands . My question is about Crook (pictured--pardon the state of his feathers; he's coming into his adult plumage). As you can hopefully tell from the photos (doing this on my phone so I don't know how well they turned out), the lower part of his beak sticks out a lot further than the upper. It has always been like this. It doesn't appear to be misaligned, just really long. He has no trouble eating or drinking. He has perhaps the prettiest song of all my Goulds. No one picks on him. So my question is, should I (or someone who knows what they are doing) trim his beak? Is this something fixable, or is it permanent? I'll love him either way--I just want to know if it is an issue I should address. Thanks!

ps--sorry the pics are upside down! Stupid iPhone.

I can't help with th beak problem but just wanted to congratulate you on th ph d !!!' That's amazing !!!! You must be very smart. That's so great that you accomplished something do great. You attended many extra school years I'm guessing!!!! Wow great job!!!!

Congrats on your phd! That's wonderful news!

I flipped my laptop to look at your pics. LOL

Since it has always been like this, I would tend to believe it's a genetic abnormality, but I know it can result from nutrition deficiencies and viruses too, so if he had one of these problems from day one, it seems logical that this could cause the problem.
I *believe* this condition is called prognathism.
This page has some good info:
http://www.hartz.com/Birds/Health_and_N ... blems.aspx

I've seen this before, but it was not this pronounced. So I'm not sure what the treatment would be. It can range from trimming, to traction and even surgery. This is one case where I'd definitely consult a vet.

If he's eating okay, I'm inclined to say let him be. That would be my primary concern -- an inability to eat.
I'd be afraid to alter it if he's adapted to this beak shape and he's eating well, you know? But I'm sure an avian vet could give you a better idea of what's best.

Musetta.....that could be caused by liver disease or lack of vitamin d

Is the beak crossed? Hard to see in the pictures
Here's a link to check...look towards the bottom.
I would guess genetic if not a disease.

https://ladygouldian.com/node/223

Congrats on your Phd. Too bad about your bird's beak; maybe someone (a vet?) could trim it. Keep us posted. He looks like this

Congratulations on your PHD. Hard work paid off. Awesome.
He does look a bit sorry, but obviously has done well with his disability. Did any of his kids get the long mandible trait? It's possible a vet could trim his beak. Best of luck with him.

Thanks, everyone, for the PhD-related lauding. I appreciate it!

As for Crook (and maybe that's an unfortunate name, but it came to me one day and it stuck), I appreciate all of your advice and the links you provided!

Crook has fathered no babies, and I don't intend to allow him to breed. debbie276, no, his beak is not crossed, as far as I can tell. His brother has no malformation. Nor do/did his father and mother (the latter now deceased). The other juvies of Cucumber (joint father to Crook, his as-yet-unnamed brother, and two as-of-yet-unspecified gender mothered by Currant, the sister of Crook's deceased mother) also show no beak issues. (By the way, I know these family relationships sound confusing, but there has been no inbreeding, unless it happened with Currant and Clover before I owned them.)

Also, of course, I am keeping him. He has rather endeared himself to me: he seems to be the most personable/least afraid of me of all my finches, and when I come close to the cage he usually pops over to "say hello." When I whistle at him, he sings for me. How could I not love that ? I mainly just want to make sure a) he is not in pain, and b) this is not a life-threatening medical issue that needs to be addressed. Since it has been present from the beginning (and he is about 6 months old now, maybe closer to 7), I am inclined to think it is a mutation rather than a disease/virus/infection etc.

I know his beak is not looking so hot, but I think he will turn out to be a very pretty bird in terms of coloring. He is showing signs of a fine orange mask, I think. This has sentimental value to me because his mother Clover, my only OH hen, passed away from a wing injury shortly after her babies fledged. So, at the risk of sounding sappy, I see his mother in him. sniff.

This is going to make me sound inexcusably ignorant for someone who has owned finches for over a year (in my defense, I have never had to deal with beak issues before), but does it cause a bird pain to get his beak trimmed? Is it, say, more like a person or a dog getting his/her nails trimmed (i.e. painless), or like a cat getting declawed (basically the opposite of painless)? I'm not planning on trimming his beak myself, but I would like a better understanding of the process.

It doesn't come through in these photos, but I am wondering if he will be lilac-breasted? His dad is WB, mom PB. His adult breast plumage looks much lighter than that of his brother (who, by the way, is looking like he is going to take after his father with a red mask).

Thanks again for your input!

(ps his "aunt" Currant is totally photobombing those pics!)

Cutting his beak will be like trimming your nails, do be careful of not taking too much off though. If he is eating well you may want to leave it be. If it gets too long it could crack/split so a trim now and then may be in order. With bottom beaks, be careful you don't clip it's tongue.
As far as Lilac Breast, both parents would need the gene for Lilac and pass it on. Purple is dominate to White Breast so unless he got a WB gene from the PB parent he will be PB.

Best of luck

debbie276 thank you!