# Crossed Beak and Popping Noise



## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Hi, need some advice -

I have a pigeon that has recently developed a crossed beak. The top goes one way and the bottom the other. It doesn't interfere with her eating and some days is actually straight looking. I don't know her breed since she was a rescue but she looks just like the pigeon in my avatar. (By the way, my computer skills are increasing a little bit since I finally figured out how to do that - now, if I can only figure out the smilies!). Anyhow, a "down the road" neighbor dropped by the other day. He raises homers and looked at this little girl (Katrina) and said she was a "tippler" and they sometimes developed this cross beak and for us to just file it down. Any suggestions?

My other question. Our baby pigeon "Mr. Humphries" with the broken legs makes a popping noise in his chest, particularly when stressed. We think it may be caused in part by his having to lie down all the time. Other than the broken legs he is fat and seems to be doing well. He does go back to the vet tomorrow and I'll ask her but wondered if any of you have encountered this?

Thanks a lot.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

You said "broken legs"--they're both broke? Did they splint them? The only sound I've ever heard young chicks make is that funny clicking noise (I thought they did that with their beak) when they're trying to warn you off. It's different from that, huh? Kinda' deeper and more muffled?

Are you able to post a picture for the crossed beak?

Pidgey


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Hi Pidgey - thanks for responding. Yes, both legs have multiple fractures and they have been splinted now for about two weeks. The little guy fell from a really high ledge. The vet has been checking each week on his progress and hopes he will be releasable. The popping noise is not the typical baby clicking - it is down in his body and is only noticeable when being fed and shortly thereafter.

Re posting a picture. I am still working on accomplishing that particular aspect of "computerology". I have gotten as far as putting a picture of one of our keepers on our desktop so now I gotta figure out how to reduce the size. By the way, I did figure out how to delete a message (cross fingers) but for some reason or other I get in a "tizzy" sometimes on this wonderful machine and nothing I do comes out right. 

I was just in our aviary with our keepers and Katrina's beak is straight today. I am not really sure she is a tippler but I sure am glad she found us (3 years ago) because she is a dollbaby.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

If you can email a picture to one of us ([email protected] for me) we can take care of all that stuff. You will have to have a program that can do that kind of stuff before you can.

NEVER get in a "tizzy" if it's easier to con somebody else into doing the dirty work. Motto of my life--delegate!

I knew somebody else that had homers who had a pet tippler. He was a real sweetheart--would spend the day on your shoulder if you let him.

Pidgey


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hello,

I have heard that crackling popping noise in the chest of frightened pigeons. I don't know what causes it, I assumed stress.

Cynthia


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Hi! Update on the little pigeon with the popping noise. Picked him up from the vet yesterday. She said the popping sound came from stress and not to worry. She removed the splints from his legs - said she wants him to flex them. He also had a curled up claw that she bandaged again but still thinks he can be released later on. 

She also left me confused on two items: 

1) Mites - Last week I phoned her because the pigeon was covered with mites. Ordinarily, one of the first things we do is dust them with a cat flea and tick powder. We usually use Hartz Mtn. Because he was in such bad shape we decided not to dust him right away so I checked with the vet to make sure it was ok. She said no, that for right now, just use a q-tip dipped in alcohol and rub it through his feathers. It doesn't kill the mites but does give them temporary relief. Yesterday she gave me Ivomec and said to put a drop of this on the back of his neck every 3rd day for 21 days, stop for 3 weeks then repeat. She told me not to use the flea and tick powder anymore because it was toxic to birds. So, I just don't know! We have used the powder for 12 years and I have not seen a problem. Any ideas?

2) Probiotics - We were exposed to coccidiosis a few years ago when we rescued a pij. We had to do a lot of checking around until I found someplace where we could get the medicine to put in the water for all the birds that had been exposed. The vet did not have anything that could be put in the water to treat them all. We got the medicine from a farm supply store and the lady there said we needed to follow up with something called Probios - that it would help the birds after being treated. When I asked our vet about this she advised me not to use it, that she had recently read some literature that said some of the probiotics may not work the same on some species. This is a different vet than the one I saw yesterday. This last one told me to go ahead and use probiotics - that she felt they were good for the pigeons.

That is why I am confused.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

And for good reason! Conflicting advice is just that. As to the probiotics, there would need to be a bit of study done and if I were forced to give an opinion (love giving opinions--not much need to "force") I'd take the line that the study would likely revolve around the possibility that the same species of gut bacteria that we have might not be able to survive in their hotter innards. That's just going to have to be researched because I've never even heard what you've just indicated.

And as to the insecticidal dust, of course it's toxic to the birds! All such chemicals are toxic to all animals including us. But it works and they don't seem to have any ill effects. Now, if somebody produced a long-term study of increased cancer and other disease due to the use of these things, I'd take serious notice. Most of our techniques have a strong basis in being economical because you can spend a fortune otherwise. And that vet might be going off of information for parrots that can outlive the owner--when you've got a real long lifespan and no dangers, you do need to be careful with chemicals. I doubt feral pigeons need the quite the same consideration. By the way, I use pyrethrin spray because it's supposed to be the gentlest such poison produced by FOUR PAWS that I get at the pet store.

Pidgey


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Hi Pidgey and thanks. I have just finished reading the post you did on Winston and went to the site that Treesa mentioned where Fred2344 wrote some really great stuff on taking care of pigeons in trouble. He mentioned the pyrethrin also, only he used it in powder form. I'm going to get some the next time I go to the pet store. I have not seen the vet I mentioned (probiotics) in a while but I think I'll try to get in touch with her to see if she can give me more info. At that particular time, I didn't ask many questions because we were battling the coccidiosis plus having a lot of others to care for.

This man, Fred2344, seemed so knowlegeable. Is he no longer a member? I made copies of all the stuff he wrote and will study it more tonight.

The little quail Daryl mentions - are they the kind that make a sound like radio static? A fellow rehabber had a few and they were so cute but they sure lay a lot of eggs.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, Fred doesn't post here anymore or at least not very often.

By the way, regarding the crossed beak, did you read this thread:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=11373

It covers some of that and goes to a webpage that discusses alternatives including therapy. You might check that out when you get a chance.

You need to ask Daryl herself about the button quail (butt-butts, as she calls them) because she's sic'ed 'em on me and I'm layin' low!

Pidgey


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