Going Light – II

Information from Sharon in Australia

As you probably already know, "going light" is the traditional bird keeper’s term/name for the physical condition of a bird, which is failing, and is detected by a noticeable loss of breast muscle. It can be caused by a multitude of ailments, as the term merely describes a sign/symptom that something is not quite right. 

My first guesses as to causes of ‘going light’ would be:

1. Coccidiosis (diarrhoea and inflamed, swollen, digestive tract – bird drinks excessively and eats less. Can go unnoticed for quite a while until the bird is noticeably ill, by which time things are getting serious)
2. Worm burden
3. Canker (mouth, mucous membranes and throat are partially obstructed by cheesy growth of the canker organism, and swallowing is painful)
4. Diarrhoea caused by low grade, chronic intestinal bacterial/viral infections
5. Respiratory infections (lung or air sac inflammation and mucous build up, general difficulty in breathing, whistling or rattling sounds present when you hold the bird’s back to your ear)

It can also be caused by non-disease related factors:

I would get hold of a fecal sample and have it tested by an avian vet (some over here do it via the postal system) for cocci, worm egg floatation tests, etc. It is almost impossible to guess the illness, as so many have the same signs and symptoms. Treating a bird for cocci won’t do a thing if it has a respiratory infection. Hitting it with Flagyl won’t touch some micro-organisms, which are easily killed off with Moxidectin. It is a real minefield, and your only options are to get a definite diagnosis, and treat accordingly, or hit the birds with a succession of treatments, which will each kill off the organism they are specifically designed for. This is costly, and you may still not get it right before you lose more birds, so the avian vet is the way to go. Any signs or symptoms you can identify will help the avian vet ID the culprit

"Going light" can also be a problem with some birds that are just ‘poor do-ers’. These birds may have a suppressed immune system due to their genetic makeup for example, if they are bred from a long line of inbred birds, or if they were just born unlucky, and have no immunity to disease, which would not challenge other birds.