flaky beak??

[mellykyitus]

beau's beak is really flaky, little bits hanging off etc. i know beaks do flake but just wondered if its a sign of a vitamin deficiency or something? the other fids are ok, just beau's beak. help! xxx

 

[Von1983]

No expert on this Melly, but birds beaks are like our fingernails. If we had flaky fingernails the Dr would say: Calcium deficiency.

I know AG's are prone to this but my knowledge of the macaw is very little.

I think the best people to help you with this are our super dooper mods. Bobby has macaws and knows everything there is to know in my opinion. Spiritbird knows everything about EVERYTHING lol she's a very intelligent lady and of course our Ant who again is like a walking birdy encyclopedia.

I know they will help you.

 

[Bobby34231]

I'm far from knowing everything, but I really do appreciate the kind words and the confidence Von , having worked with birds for over 30 years and learning so much from reading, breeders, others owned by birds and great sites such as this forum, some of it was bound to stick....lol, I did reply to Mellody in a PM, but basicly what I said was that some flaking of the beak, also known as sloughing is quite normal, as you stated it can also mean a deficiency in diet, usually Vitamin A, having your birds on a good pelleted diet such as Harrison's, Zupreem ect. as well as fruits and veggies high in Vitamin A will be benificial not only to beak health, but for skin and feathers as well, doing a little searching on the net with give you a good list of F&V that contain Vitamin A, Fats in a macaws diet is also important, more so that many other parrots, you may also want to do some research on seeds and nuts, those high in saturated and unsaturated fats and work out a good balance for Beau

 

[Von1983]

Thankyou Bob! Vit A! I really would have thought calcium but as I said I am DEFINATELY no expert!! Yet another reason why it's so good Cal eats tons of green veg!

I still think you are though! No false praise or "sucking up", absolute truth. No forum ever did have any better mods/admin in my opinion. I hope you all know how much we appreciate your efforts, advice and kindness.

 

[Spiritbird]

Thanks for your vote of confidence Von. There are many things that I do not know for example I know next to nothing about the breeding and feeding of baby birds, nor do I want to.

As Bobby so wisely stated beak flaking can be a nutritional issue and lack of Vit A. This is corrected with intake of the fresh foods and vegies. Beta Carotine (orange/red) pigmented foods is the precursor to vit A. The liver turns beta carotine into Vit A and stores it for future use. Some of the yellow/orange vegies are yams. pumpkin, sweet potates, carrots, winter squash and red peppers. Flaking can also be normal sloughing of the beak.

 

[mellykyitus]

thankyou guys so much, i'd be lost without you! x

 

[antoinette]

Me a walking birdie encyclopedia, sorry I disagree, more like a walking bird brain, with verbal diarrhea, thanks for having so much faith in us.
The above members have given great advise, so I will keep it short and sweet

The most common cause of flaky beaks is a vitamin A deficiency

You might be interested to read the link below, very informative

Beak Problems / Deformities: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Options as well as Prevention

 

[patterson]

what u feeding him melly? mine macaw is on nutribird p19 pellets dear but best put in to ur bird has everything it needs in it

 

[mellykyitus]

they were all on a seed mix (tidy mix i think its called) but i've started mixing kaytee exact rainbow pellets in with it, they all seem to like it. x