Help,i have a outbreak !

[naldy]

Why are previous good breeding pairs now producing chicks with french moult,i seem to have a shed full of birds with french moult from various pairs which seems to have got worse as the breeding season has gone on !
I'm beginning to believe that this virus can indeed be transferred from one bird to another !
Anyone with any ideas or info ?
Thanx

[nigelsstud]

it can be transmitted both air bourne and by handling the birds take one set of chicks out of their nest box at a time disinfect the box with either F10 or Virkon spray the boxes then use a hir drier to dry them off clean shavings and put the chicks back in move on until all boxes are done . when the chicks are weaned keep them in a nursey cage keep stress to a minimum any loose looking feathers pull them out make sure you get the dead tip out thats about all you can do

[naldy]

Thanx Nige,does this mean all the adults in the birdroom could be affected or just the affected chicks ?

[brisy]

not sure if it is a virus might be wrong butthis guy Gerald Binks seems genned up on it heres what he writes:

FM will appear certainly here at Tanglewood every year. Shocked are you? Ah, but let me qualify that. It appears right at the very end of the season with the odd chick that hasn’t been fed properly and no more than that. The final pairings are tired and they sense they have had enough, so feeding becomes a chore in a few nests. However it is never the sort of FM that, in addition to all flights dropping, the body is affected as well and the chick looks retarded. That I honestly say. What I do do, is to be very observant from May until I stop and I check all the flights and tails every day. lf I see a big headed chick around this time I also “play safe” and remove one tail feather. That is purely an insurance. If I find any flights affected at this time, the bird has every primary and secondary feather removed as well as the tail and I get the affected chick out on the cage floor immediately so that it starts to get better nutrition for the replacement feathers just removed. The new growth will be fine – provided your principal dietary input was super to start with!! You should have had a very good season by the time a few FM’s arrive at the very end. Let’s face it you can live with that by that time. Remember it is the longest feathers in the body that are affected starting with the tail. Big headed birds in the nest towards the end of the season are likely candidates (long feathers). Watch them very carefully.

FM is like the cold virus in behaviour. Like a cold it doesn’t last. Taking out the flights etc clears the follicles which allows new growth to get through. This proves that the “FM virus” is a passing matter. So far I haven’t found a better technique to overcome FM problems but I do miss out when I am on holiday should any arrive. With good management practices success will be the reward — but that brings me back to not telling the public what a great hobby this is.

just take a look at his site
French Moult and Why You Get It.