[craig1981]

hi folks was doing my morning routine this morning and noticed one of my girls has a white powdery beak . she seems fine if not a little slower to the dandelion leaves than normal . does anyone have any ideas what that may be .


many thanks in advance

[Flowerpower136]

Could it be pollen?

[craig1981]

no flowers or such for them to get at im afraid . they havnt free ranged in the full garden for a few days and even so thats only grass and kids toys . im totally bemused   

[themagicaltoad1]

Sounds like your girl has a coke habit 

[Craig69]

Or needs help putting her make-up on 

[joyfull]

If she was my bird I would take her to a vets to get her checked out just incase it is a fungal or viral infection as soon as possible, just in case it is infectious. There is a fungal infection called favus which affects the face and wattles (although it is not very common in this country). Please make sure when handling ill birds that your bio security is tip top and really you should wear gloves.

[TeaPots]

Pop her quarantine pen ASAP, then as at least you can minimise spread if it is something nasty. let us know?

[craig1981]

took my girl to the vet on friday and he said she is absolutely fine but he couldnt identify the powder . on closer examination of my pen i noticed a fence post to the garden at the bottom had been slightly dislodged when he was fitting his shed and noticed the white powder which as it turns out is ant killing powder .  i assume she had been poking her head through to get at the long grass .  I panicked and phoned the vets and he assured me that if she wasnt showing any adverse reactions then she must have not ingested much at all . Needless to say fence has been repaired and shes under surveillance . Many thanks for the advice folks

[joyfull]

 , so pleased that the panic is over, they are a worry sometimes aren't they