Page 30 - Hand rearing birds second

Baby Bird Basics 11

eyelid functioning? Is its movement normal or slow? Is the iris normally positioned within the
globe? If warranted, use fluorescein stain to examine for corneal ulcers and examine the retina
with an ophthalmoscope.
Nares and Bill: Check the nares and bill for discharge, patency, symmetry, dried food, masses,
or parasites. Fly eggs or freshly hatched maggots are easily overlooked, but are frequently found in
the nares. Soft swellings may indicate parasites such as bot fly larvae which will need removal.
Beak fractures and dislocations are sometimes seen. Examine the beak for cracks, bruises, and
proper occlusion. In all wild species in North America, with the exception of crossbills, the top and
bottom beak tips should be well aligned.
Mouth: Check the color of the oral mucous membranes. Bird species vary widely in normal oral
mucous membrane color from yellow to purple to pink to black, and some species have unusual
markings inside the mouth. The conjunctiva or skin tone may be a better gauge of perfusion than
the mouth in some species. Look for parasites or blood within the mouth. The presence and state
of gape flanges at the corners of the mouth will help determine how old the bird is, because these
regress as the bill matures. These flanges are sometimes torn in injured chicks. Stringy saliva sug-
gests significant dehydration. Look for plaques, swelling, discharge, and abscesses in the mouth.
Some species, such as roadrunners and cuckoos, have normal markings within the mouth that
must not be mistaken for lesions. Trichomonas gallinae affects many species and may result in
malodorous whitish plaques and masses within the mouth, throat, or crop. Similar lesions can be
seen with vitamin deficiencies or viral, yeast, and bacterial infections. Perform a wet mount of a
throat swab to differentiate potential pathogens if suspicious lesions are present.
Ears: Are there any signs of parasites, blood, or infection in the ears? Are there any lacerations,
discharge, or swelling? Young chicks with head injuries may show a protuberant everted ear canal.
Scalp and Skull: Is there evidence of swelling, bruising, or lacerations on the head? Gently pal-
pate the skull for indentations, scabbed areas, or crepitus. The skulls of chicks are not fully calci-
fied and normally feel soft. If a chick appears to have a wound such as what might be a skull
puncture, clean the wound carefully and use the chick’s neurologic status as a guide for prognosis.
Scalp lacerations exposing the skull should be closed or dressed as any other wound. Old, dry,
skull‐exposing lacerations often heal well when dressed to keep moist and clean.
Crop: Palpate the crop for contents if the species has a crop. Is it empty or full? Does it feel like
normal food or is it mushy or hard? Is it leaking contents from a laceration? Crop lacerations are
quite common in young doves and pigeons or birds caught by predators. Impactions are common
for chilled, dehydrated birds with food in the crop due to lack of gut motility. In some cases, when
the material is either unlikely to pass or is decomposing, it may need to be removed once the chick
is warm and well‐hydrated. Crop infections may be a primary problem in an unthrifty chick. Yeast
infections are common and may show as a gassy crop. Microscope examination of a direct smear
from a crop swab is often informative.
Abdomen: Gently palpate the abdomen. It should feel soft. Many altricial hatchlings have
abdominal organs that are easily visualized through the skin. Markedly dehydrated chicks may
have firm or hard‐feeling abdominal organs and wrinkled skin over the abdomen, both of which
may resolve with fluid therapy. Chicks that have fallen onto hard surfaces may have blood visible
inside their abdomen or even herniated viscera. Hatchlings with intraabdominal bleeding do not
do well. However, older chicks may recover, depending on the severity. Hernias can be surgically
repaired. Use the chick’s attitude as a guide for prognosis. Precocial chicks sometimes present with
an umbilical hernia or infection, or an unabsorbed yolk sac that has not been normally resorbed.
Check the vent for lesions, diarrhea, patency, crusted droppings, and normal sphincter tone.
Gently wash the vent with warm water if necessary, without soaking or chilling the chick.