Hahns Feather Problem

[snuffkin]

Hello,
My hahn's started his first molt last July, but is still going. In the last 3 or 4 weeks i've noticed these yellowish crust things at the base of where his new feathers should be coming through. The yellow crust is only where these two bald patches are (one strip on the side of his head and on his cere). The rest of his feathers seem fine and have had no abnormalities when growing in.
My avian vet took a feather sample and saw no evidence of mites etc but gave a precautionary Betaphor spot on treatment anyhow. There has been no change since then and googling has gotten me nowhere.
Does anybody recognize this??
He is fine personality wise, very happy and playful and eating normally.

He is on harrisons adult lifetime pellets, fresh fruit and vegetables daily with Feather Up molting supplement, Avimix and Calcivet. I also take him outside in the sun a couple of times weekly, and have been showering him with weak F10 spray.
Maybe aspergillosis in feather follicles (external fungal infection?)

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[weco]

With a yellow crustiness, my thoughts would have tended toward mites, but if your vet found no indication of the little critters, maybe do your own test…..mites play at night , so if you line the cage bottom with blank news print or with typing/printer paper, you will find some on the paper in the morning…..just be quick to look when you first turn on the light or as you turn on the light, while still dark.

If the bird is not otherwise compromised or been diagnosed in lacking certain vitamins and/or minerals, why is his diet being supplemented by over the counter preparations? As long as a bird is eating a balanced diet it will not need further diet supplementation.

The same holds true for feather sprays, soaps, cleaners, etc……why are all these solutions necessary? If you have a problem in the household and are using these solutions as a preventative, move the bird to a safer location, correct the household problem(s) then bring the bird back.

Too often we cannot find the answer to a particular problem (or is it that we cannot find the specific answer we want) and we see XYZ compound on a pet store shelf or on a glitzy webpage, we purchase some, start feeding it to our feathered friend(s), but we really have no idea what we are feeding our feathered friends…..unless your vet prescribes the additives and/or supplements, throw them out…..

 

[snuffkin]

Thanks for the reply Weco,
I will try the white paper test tonight and report back tomorrow.

I'm giving the avimix and feather up purely on my vet's advice as it's my hahn's first molt he told me there would be a need for this extra nutrition. Do you think I should begin to reduce and remove these supplements? The calcivet supplement I am giving is based on the most recent bloodtest he had, which indicated a calcium deficiency - I'd only be happy stopping that after the follow up test has been done though.

I e-mailed my avian vet the photos i've attached in this post today and his opinion was that it looks like candida or other external yeast infection which may have come from rubbing his face on a dirty perch etc. He advised that I apply f10 to the affected area as an anti-fungal a few times daily for a week or two and see if that reduces the crust.

 

[weco]

Sorry, I didn’t realize that you were acting on your veterinarian’s advice about the supplements. Since your bird is still under vet care, I don’t think it would be right to hypothesize about a problem or problems still under the vet’s care.

From your first post, I was of the impression you were trying to self-medicate your Hahns and I was having a problem with this self-medicating. I probably would stay with my vet's counsel & see what comes out of the tests you're waiting on.....

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Although your vet recommends F10(which is a fantastic cleaning product) I would still ask for testing to be done as well.

 

[snuffkin]

For anybody who may come across this in the future - this has been confirmed as hyperkeratosis due to a vitimin A deficiency.

I've been treating this with Sunshine Factor palm oil supplement and in less than one week we've seen the excess keratin blocking the pores disappear and healthy feathers are now growing through again and lots of them!
So happy
Thanks for your help,

 

[Peeker]

For anybody who may come across this in the future - this has been confirmed as hyperkeratosis due to a vitimin A deficiency.

I've been treating this with Sunshine Factor palm oil supplement and in less than one week we've seen the excess keratin blocking the pores disappear and healthy feathers are now growing through again and lots of them!
So happy
Thanks for your help,

That's great news! I've never heard of Sunshine Factor palm oil. Is it a topical or a vitamin type thing?

 

[SandyBee]

I use it all the time, it's a supplement( I put on a small piece of toast for my birdies)

Sunshine Factor-harrisonbirdfoods.com

 

[Peeker]

Thanks for the information!

 

[BoomBoom]

Thank you for the update and info. I'm interested in using the Sunshine Factor Palm Oil for my sun conure as a preventative supplement.

Is it like liquid oil? How do you use it with the bird's food? Just drizzle it over anything pretty much?

PS. Also do you refrigerate it after opening?

 

[snuffkin]

It's a thick oily substance made from the pulp of the palm fruit so it is pretty much solid at room temperature.
You have to float the bottle in a cup of warm water for a couple of minutes before using it.
I give 0.05ml per day on a small piece of bread and he loves it!
Its pure beta carotene so will be converted into vit A inside the body and excess will be safely excreted.
I don't refrigerate it personally and the instructions don't say to, i think keeping it out of sunlight is the only thing you have to do.