Medicating pigeons in the race season.

[Murray]

There are a couple of good topics going on about worming and canker. These are things that we have to consider all year round.

I thought a more specific topic about the health of the pigeons when they start going in the race hampers might be useful.
When I last raced, which was 2023, I can recall carefully putting my pigeons in the hampers and taking them to the club, where they were put in the race panniers with pigeons that were not shitting water, they were shitting bubbles
I did win that race, but the penny dropped. You can get your pigeons as fit and healthy as you can. But then they go in the transporter with sick pigeons.
How do you deal with this?

[Steve Howells]

It’s always a challenge. If mine have spent two days in the basket I always use yellow drops. My microscope is permanently out in the racing season and I’ll randomly pick birds for testing, if I find canker depending on what race is coming up I’ll either do a short two day treatment or a 7 days treatment which is my preference. Droppings get tested twice a week I find cocci is the biggest issue,getting the count to zero is very difficult. If they are really off form l,ll do a Grams test, if the result of that is unsatisfactory I’ll then send dropping off to a lab for a proper investigation. Something I’ve thought about doing but never done is washing their feet in disinfectant on return. Mad or what

[Murray]

Yep, that is mad. Obsessive.
But maybe not.
The one thing that stops me from sending the very best youngster in the shed is not the weather or the hawks.
What makes me hesitate to send my pigeons is the pigeons they have to spend the night with.

[NeilA]

It’s always a challenge. If mine have spent two days in the basket I always use yellow drops. My microscope is permanently out in the racing season and I’ll randomly pick birds for testing, if I find canker depending on what race is coming up I’ll either do a short two day treatment or a 7 days treatment which is my preference. Droppings get tested twice a week I find cocci is the biggest issue,getting the count to zero is very difficult. If they are really off form l,ll do a Grams test, if the result of that is unsatisfactory I’ll then send dropping off to a lab for a proper investigation. Something I’ve thought about doing but never done is washing their feet in disinfectant on return. Mad or what

Funny you say that Steve soak my yb perch’s each Saturday so they are still damp with virkon for when the birds return

[NeilA]

I need to get like Steve with the microscope but for now I have treatment ( blind ) from the end of April to late June
In these 3 months there be cankered twice wormed twice .
Respo every 2-3 weeks fungi every other week or every week
Cocci about a month in

I used pharma tdc this year on youngsters in not keen on all in one products but I new about Kombi working for a good fancier and to be honest I couldn’t fault my babies they had this each week unless having respo so I may use it again for old birds instead but I’m still thinking about it

Basic test kits sent off monthly and change treatment to there advice although I’m not sure how good they are they picked up fungus for me before I treated regular for it in 2019 and after treatment I had 17 drop out of 31 I sent to win the fed yet the week before the treatment I won a club card and no fed position so I do think that helped me

[Murray]

If I may, and of course I may., I will tell you what to do with a microscope.
If you have a window which can be opened you can enjoy the gleam of the sun off polished metal as you hurl it out of the window.
If not, the council usually empty the bin on Monday.

[Andy]

If I may, and of course I may., I will tell you what to do with a microscope.
If you have a window which can be opened you can enjoy the gleam of the sun off polished metal as you hurl it out of the window.
If not, the council usually empty the bin on Monday.

Only empty our bins every 3 weeks here Murray

[Buster121]

It’s always a challenge. If mine have spent two days in the basket I always use yellow drops. My microscope is permanently out in the racing season and I’ll randomly pick birds for testing, if I find canker depending on what race is coming up I’ll either do a short two day treatment or a 7 days treatment which is my preference. Droppings get tested twice a week I find cocci is the biggest issue,getting the count to zero is very difficult. If they are really off form l,ll do a Grams test, if the result of that is unsatisfactory I’ll then send dropping off to a lab for a proper investigation. Something I’ve thought about doing but never done is washing their feet in disinfectant on return. Mad or what

I always used to wash my birds feet and tails every Friday before basketing

[NeilA]

Why would you need to do that Buster ?

[king]

It’s always a challenge. If mine have spent two days in the basket I always use yellow drops. My microscope is permanently out in the racing season and I’ll randomly pick birds for testing, if I find canker depending on what race is coming up I’ll either do a short two day treatment or a 7 days treatment which is my preference. Droppings get tested twice a week I find cocci is the biggest issue,getting the count to zero is very difficult. If they are really off form l,ll do a Grams test, if the result of that is unsatisfactory I’ll then send dropping off to a lab for a proper investigation. Something I’ve thought about doing but never done is washing their feet in disinfectant on return. Mad or what

I always used to wash my birds feet and tails every Friday before basketing

Washing them when they came back would make more sense.