Posted November 8, 200816 yr Thought some here might be interested to know what the initial results of my efforts with the little chick are. Well she wore her beak orthotic overnight last night to help correct her mild underbite. I felt this would be the least stressful time for her to wear it as she sleeps then rather than wanting to pick at seed, etc. She kept it on overnight and I took it off at around lunchtime today as it wasn't bothering her. Her beak seems to be sitting in a much better position this afternoon so I left it off for the afternoon/evening to give her a break and put it back on before bed to help her beak set in the right position. As far as her feet she wore one of her orthotics for a few hours last night before kicking it off and even that short amount of time seemed to make a difference. She is currently wearing one on the opposite foot and she is living on a deep litter of rolled oats and budgie seed to reduce pressure on her feet and encourage her to flex her feet more to gain strength, so far so good but only time will tell. If I can continue to provide gentle treatment to her feet for another week or so I can start encouraging her to perch which will be the best thing for her Edited November 8, 200816 yr by melbournebudgies
November 8, 200816 yr Author M card reader is cactus sorry Kaz so I'll have to provide photos at some stage in the future when I can get a new one To give you an idea though in both cases they were simply a piece of soft plastic cut to an appropriate shape and taped into place. The beak one is a teensy square slightly wider and longer than her beak (you don't want it to be able to go down her throat or obstruct her breathing) which is then placed inside the top beak and taped over the top avoiding the nostrils of course. She has tolerated this surprisingly well! I experimented with a few types of tape to find one that would be up to the task and the only one that stayed stuck well enough but could still be removed easily was the plastic bandaids which I cut into thin strips and removed the pad from the middle. The foot ones are simply a small rectangle which is taped over the two front toes and two back toes on either side of the ankle Edited November 8, 200816 yr by melbournebudgies
November 8, 200816 yr MB it sounds like you are doing everything possible, my fingers are crossed that your efforts are a success.
November 8, 200816 yr I hope with all the effort that you are going to that you get some great results.
November 8, 200816 yr Good luck MB and i really hope everything with this little chick works out well
November 9, 200816 yr MB you get huge kudos for effort! Let's hope the little chickie comes good! Are you still giving a drop of calcium to the beak daily?
November 9, 200816 yr Author Yep Well so far the news is good, she wore her beak orthotic all night again and I took it off this morning, as of now her beak looks perfect Her toes will be more difficult but we'll keep working on them Edited November 9, 200816 yr by KAZ
November 9, 200816 yr Yep ;)Well so far the news is good, she wore her beak orthotic all night again and I took it off this morning, as of now her beak looks perfect :DHer toes will be more difficult but we'll keep working on them Thats very good news. You will have to keep doing it though wont you ? ( like when some people wear a retainer after braces ? ).............for a little while ?
November 9, 200816 yr Author Given it only appeared for one day before I treated it I'm hoping the problem won't continue. I will watch it and if it looks to be returning I'll put it back on but so far it looks like its sitting nicely.
November 9, 200816 yr Good news. I look forward to the pics too. I hope the baby stays on the road to improvement
November 11, 200816 yr Author okay so the current status is that there has been no recurrance of her beak issues, it seems the method I used is effective in the long term so I will definately share details in a thread once the card reader is here As far as the feet go it has been good and bad, one foot looks great but the worst of the two is still a bit wonky, the main issue I have had is finding a product which will keep the splint on her foot when she is wriggling around and picking at it.
November 11, 200816 yr Author Can I ask Kaz, what level of perfection are they looking for in the feet n the show bench? I'm just trying to predict how much better I might be able to get them and work out whether it is worth stressing her out over it or just leaving her be now.
November 11, 200816 yr Can I ask Kaz, what level of perfection are they looking for in the feet n the show bench? I'm just trying to predict how much better I might be able to get them and work out whether it is worth stressing her out over it or just leaving her be now. Feet have to be able to grip the perch with the two toes forward and one back. Three toes forward and its disqualified. No legs splayed sideways. If the bird can do that and is a rung bird it should be fine
November 11, 200816 yr It is good that the beak has improved , i hope you have success with the feet as well.
November 12, 200816 yr Author okay so just to clarify as long as the toes are pointing generally in the right direction does it matter if the tip of a toe is bent?
November 12, 200816 yr okay so just to clarify as long as the toes are pointing generally in the right direction does it matter if the tip of a toe is bent? Depends on the extent of it and what the judges notice in the short space of time that they judge the bird.
November 12, 200816 yr Author okay thanks, gives me something to go on atleast. I might try and get it just a little bit better on the bad foot. ANother question, do you find that 'flat footed' chicks tend to straighten up a bit once they are perching?
November 12, 200816 yr okay thanks, gives me something to go on atleast. I might try and get it just a little bit better on the bad foot. ANother question, do you find that 'flat footed' chicks tend to straighten up a bit once they are perching? Some birds always slump over the perch, especially ones with weak feet or legs and feet issues. Mostly what you see by ages 10 weeks or so is the way they will stay. Some get worse. With some dedication and physio you may have a surprising result.
November 12, 200816 yr Author Cool, she is a little flat footed too and it does make her wonky toe look worse than it actually is, I've been encouraging her to grip my finger with her toes in the correct alignment and she is living on a deep litter of budgie seed to not put pressure on her feet and also make her exercise them a bit more so you never know. Atleast she is at a point now that I have no concerns about her ability to survive unassisted in the aviary and even breed in the future so even if she doesn't show she'll be a great stock bird and carry on her beautiful deceased dads bloodline
November 13, 200816 yr Author So here she is: A week or so ago And now Edited November 13, 200816 yr by melbournebudgies
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now