Two-toned feathers

[Colt]

I feel like I just read a chapter out of Jurassic Park on The Lysine Contingency... "Dr. Wu inserted a faulty gene so the animals are unable to process the ammino acid lysine. Unless supplied with lysine by us the animals slip into a coma and die."

So sorry you seem to be having issues currently. I'm certainly no expert on lysine deficiency, but I would definitely be suspicious of any bird that appears like the "chocolate" in the photos. It's posture and feathering all indicate a general un-wellness to me.

[Smurf]

I hadn't heard of the reason for this being a lysine defficiency before which is interesting to know, reason i was asking about the age of the birds when they died was because i experienced a very similar isssue last year were 1 in 4 canary chicks from a pair of dominant white canaries died during juvenile moult showing similar problems growing the new feathers. Since the're numerous articles online about a lethal genetic factor with regard to pairing 2 x dominant white canaries together i suspected a possible genetic issue.

The fact your chicks died at about 3 months of age which is when societies are nearing end of juvenile moult and feathers were regrowing abnormaly would concur with them being unable to digest/absorb certain dietary requirements needed for successful feather growth.

At least you know it's not due to illness or housekeeping and no matter what you did the fate of the chicks was unfortunately already inevitable.

[MiaCarter]

Smurf - that's exactly what I was thinking about the age. And the fact that they died within a couple days of each other.

That suggests to me that they never had the ability to process Lysine properly and as a result, they all reached a point where their body chemistry was no longer consistent with life.

I'm sorry to hear about your canaries. That's sad.

There's something so sad about the fact that these babies were doomed from the moment they were born. That breaks my heart. I'm glad that it sounds they went quickly without much suffering. Poor little ones.

[cindy]

If the bird was as thin as it is it could have passed due to a few causes, I will send the belly picture off to a friend that may be able to recommend what to treat if necessary the other birds with. Internal parasites, protozoa can steal the nutrients from foods the birds eat.

Do you still have the body, the area closer to the vent looks whitish... if you have the body could you get a better picture of the area?

[cindy]

I showed the belly picture to my friend, the neck is vey skinny, body skinny, she said just under the ribs there seems to be a sign of infection... could just be infection or protozoa or coccidia. She suspects coccidia which takes babies between 8-10 weeks old, younger is usually protozoa. you can treat anyone left in the cage with Trimethoprim Sulfa it will help with infection and coccidia. Or Enodcox 2 days followed by a week of Enrofloxin. Thoroughly clean and disinfect the cage.

This was based on what she saw in the belly. Terri has been very helpful on other groups, she is from glamorousgouldians.com

[Derk]

Raleighwheels
I am so sorry you lost these birds. But thank-you so much for posting. I found this information very interesting and it may be useful in the future. I am wondering if either of the new pairs has produced any eggs. Also wondering if you contacted Garry Landry to find out why he did not think it was genetic?

Mary

[Raleighwheels]

Raleighwheels
I am so sorry you lost these birds. But thank-you so much for posting. I found this information very interesting and it may be useful in the future. I am wondering if either of the new pairs has produced any eggs. Also wondering if you contacted Garry Landry to find out why he did not think it was genetic?

Mary

I've set up the male to breed. I don't know if it'll come up again, so I'll just have to see how things play out.

All he said was that he didn't think of it as a genetic issue, but I'm not going to tempt fate again. The whole ordeal was heartbreaking. Only one of the chicks from the clutch survived and is doing very well.