Health Care Regimen
PREPARED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF PIGEON VETERINARIANS

There are two approaches to preventive health care that a fancier can use. The best is to make use of diagnostic laboratory procedures before administering any medications. Unfortunately, due to financial limitations or lack of laboratory facilities and personnel familiar with pigeon di -
seases, diagnostics may not be used. Two programs, therefore, are outlined here.

1) PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE WITH DIAGNOSTICS (work done for you by a veterinarian and/or diagnostic laboratory) Breeders done 4-6 weeks before pairing, other birds done 6-8 weeks prior to racing or showing.

Vaccination:

A. Paramyxovirus - use oil emulsion vaccine approved for pigeons
B. Paratyphoid
C. Pox - Young birds.

Vaccinate for pox about 8 weeks before races begin. Paramyxovirus or paratyphoid may also be used at this time. Where paramyxovirus or paratyphoid is endemic, youngsters may receive their first vaccination soon after weaning (but not before 28 days of age). Give boosters at recommen
ded times after initial inoculation. Fecal (droppings) examination -- direct smear and flotation.

A. Helminths (worms) -- those species commonly found include: Ascarids (roundworms), Capillaria (hairworms), Tetrameres and Dispharynx (stomach worms or stomach-wall worms), Aporina (tapeworms), and Ornithostrongylus (strongylids or strongyle worms).

Treatments:

1. Ivermectin (cattle wormer-trade name Ivomec) - diluted 1:9 with propylene glycol and dosed at 0.l cc per bird orally (1-2 drops). Effective against all worms except tapeworms. Dosage may need to be increased up to .1 cc of straight Ivomec for stomach worms. Blood sucking lice and mites may also be killed while there is a blood level of ivermectin in the pigeon.

2. Mebendazole (dog wormer-trade name Telmintic) - dosed at 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of powder per gallon of drinking water for 3-5 days, (do a repeat treatment in 21 days where worms are diagnosed). Use the higher dose when treating stomach-wall worms and during cool weather when water consumption is down. Feather abnormalities and infertile eggs have been reported when using ten times the recommended dose. For this reason avoid using Telmintic during the moult and during egg laying.

3. Levamisole (one trade name is Tramisol) - dosed at 1000 to 1500 mg per gallon for one or two days. Use liquid or soluble powder as the tablets do not dissolve readily. Levamisole is sometimes poorly effective against Capillaria and will not eliminate stomach worms or tapeworms. Levamisole may also cause vomiting.

4. Praziquantel (trade name Droncit) - use 1/4 of a cat tablet per average sized pigeon. Effective against tapeworms only.

B. Coccidia - if present in significant numbers treat with:

1. Sulfachlorpyridazine (trade name Vetisulid) powder dosed at 2/3 to � teaspoon per gallon of drinking water for 3 to 5 days.

2. Amprolium (trade name Corid or Amprol) powder dosed at 1 tsp per gallon of drinking water for 3 to 5 days.

NOTE: Follow either of these treatments with 1-2 days of vitamins.

3. Clazoril a European drug, not yet available here, may eventually be the drug of choice. Dosed at 1 tablet per pigeon.

4. Nitrofurazone - less effective and not recommended usually.

III. Pharyngeal and crop smears (immediate, direct saline smear).

For Trichomonas (Canker organisms):

Treatments:

A. Emtryl - dosed at 3/4 teaspoonful per 4 liters for 5 to 7 days. Emtryl has been taken off the market and the supply is limited, but is an excellent drug. Toxic in overdose.

B. Ipropan - dosed at 1/4 teaspoon per gallon for 3 to 5 days. More expensive but works well. This may also be withdrawn from market.

C. Spartrix (Carnidazole). Pigeons dosed at one tablet per bird.

D. Flagyl (Metronidazole) - a prescription drug - tablets have to be finely crushed and mixed in water so that each pigeon receives the correct dosage (3-6 days). See formulary.

IV. Fecal (droppings) culture - either of individual birds, or of a composite specimen from a compartment. The main pathogens are Gram negative bacteria such as Salmonella species or E. coli. E. coli may be present normally, but when it is cultured in large numbers and/or in pure culture it is considered a potential pathogen (disease-producer). If a pathogen is cultured, an antibiotic sensitivity (antibiogram) should be performed to determine the appropriate antibiotics). If indicated, Amoxicillin trihydrate is a good drug of choice since it is bactericidal (kills bacteria). It is dosed at 25-50 mg per pigeon per day for two weeks. Vetisulid is often very effective against E. coli as is Apralan (apramycin). The latter is not absorbed from the gut so it may curb an outbreak, but will not be effective against a systemic infection (an infection spread by the bloodstream to many tissues).

V. Blood smears for Haemoproteus and Plasmodium species (stained with Wright's stain). In areas where these blood parasites are a problem, routine use of antimalarials may be indicated to keep it suppressed. To actually affect a permanent cure, a pigeon reportedly must receive 10 mg of Atabrine daily for 30 days. The routine use of antimalarials in endemic areas involves medicating the drinking water with Atabrine (1-2 tab/gal). Primagine (1 tab/gal), or Aralen (1 tab/gal) for 1-2 days each week during the race season.

VI. Routine control of external parasites: Since water preparations do not penetrate the feathers well it is better to use an insecticidal dust. Dust must be applied carefully and thoroughly to be most effective. Where available, �Chinese chalk� is useful. It has been banned because it contains arsenic but may be obtained from some oriental markets.

A. Feather lice and mites can be controlled by regular dusting with Permethrin, Malathion, or Carbaryl, Chinese chalk.

B. Pigeon flies (spread Haemoproteus) are more difficult but Permethrin dust applied every 2-4 weeks or Malathion dust applied weekly are effective.

C. Mosquitoes (spread Plasmodium and Pox) are a real challenge. Insecticidal strips hung in the loft are helpful. The amount to use varies greatly with size of loft and amount of ventilation, and is at best guesswork.

D. Ivermectin applied as a spray mixed fresh using 1 cc per quart of water has been shown to be fairly effective against lice but has failed to keep pigeon flies off. E. Judicious use of insecticides in the loft (including nests) is often necessary to break the life cycle of some of these parasites.

VII. Culture for Mycoplasmosis or Chlamydiosis when indicated.

Treatment - See Formulary:

Erythromycin (Gallimyicn) 25-30 mg per pigeon daily or Tylosin (Tylan) 50 mg per pigeon daily or Lincomycin (Lincocin) at 35-50 mg per pigeon daily for Mycoplasmosis. Treat for 1-2 weeks.

Tetracyclines (without grit/oyster shell) at 50 mg per pigeon daily for 2-4 weeks for Chlamydiosis. This may be effective against Mycoplasma also.

Doxycycline hyclate tabs at 25 mg/lb twice daily for 5-7 days then once daily for up to 4 weeks. Nasal flushes with appropriate antibiotic (antibiogram) for chronic sinusitis which may be primary or secondary.

2) PREVENTIVE HEALTH PLAN NOT USING DIAGNOSTICS

Refer to previous plan for specifics. Breeders done 4-6 weeks before pairing. Other birds done 6-8 weeks prior to racing or showing.

I. Vaccinations:

A. Paramyxovirus
B. Paratyphoid
C. Pox

wait one week..........

II. Worming:

A. Ivermectin (Ivomec)
B. Mebendazole (Telmintic)
C. Levamisole (Tramisol)
Two days of vitamins.............

wait 2-3 days................

III. Coccidiosis treatment

A. Sulfachlorpyridazine (Vetisulid)
B. Amprolium (Coprid or Amprol)
C. Clazoril (when available)

Two days of vitamins��wait 2-3 days��.

IV. Trichomoniasis (canker) treatment. Use ONE of the following:

A. Emtryl � now banned in North America and may not be available.
B. Ipropan
C. Spartrix
D. Flagyl � now the best choice available. It is a prescription item.
E. Ridsol - in short supply and may not be available.

If you flock treat, use one drug the first time, and another drug the next time to try to avoid the development of resistance by the canker organism. Switch back and forth.

Two days of vitamins.............
wait 2-3 days ..................

Note: Telmintic can be dosed at the same time as Emtryl and Amprolium or Vetasulid, thus treating worms, coccidia and canker together. Follow with two days of vitamins. Use caution when mixing other medications not proven compatible, as toxicities may develop in some cases of drug combinations.

V. Preventive treatment for paratyphoid or E. coli with antibiotics is medically unsound, but may have benefit in some cases. Amoxicillin, Nitrofurazone, Vetisulid, or Apralan are common drug choices. Preventive treatment for, or periodic treatment for respiratory infections (Chlamydia and Mycoplasma) may be beneficial only if there is some evidence of respiratory disease. Erythromycin (Gallimycin), Tylosin (Tylan), Lincomycin (Lincocin), and Tetracycline drugs are commonly used.

Note: Using any antibiotic blindly is a hit or miss proposition and way actually predispose to infection with a pathogen because of disturbing the normal bacteria. Indiscriminate or incorrect use of antibiotics may also contribute to the development of resistant strains and resistant forms of bacteria.

Steps I through V may be repeated after racing/showing/breeding.

After any antibiotic treatment it is a good idea to put birds on a day or two of a multi-vitamin mix. It is also highly important to get the birds on a good probiotic (friendly bacteria) after any antibiotic treatment to help restore normal protective bacteria to the digestive tract.

Husbandry and Loft Management

Loft design should vary with the climatic conditions of a given locale, but lofts should be build with foresight, especially concerning ease of cleaning. Raised floors (slatted or wire) or open bottom wire floors have significant merit. Concrete floors are easy to clean and disinfect, but may hold moisture at times.

Most parasite eggs and oocysts (coccidia) must undergo development in the environment before becoming infective to the next host. Warm and wet environmental conditions enhance this development. Therefore, regular (preferably daily) scraping and a dry loft are of utmost importance to prevent spread within the loft. A clean loft means healthier birds. Crowding is the fancier's worst enemy. Crowded birds never have the general good health of uncrowded birds, neither will they perform to their potential in races.

Disease Control

Quarantine new birds. These are very often the source of disease in the loft. The same goes for strays. Ideally, new birds should be quarantined for 30 to 60 days, sick birds should be removed from general flock and quarantined in cages that can be disinfected between cases.

Don't guess - get positive answers to problems before random treatments are used. Most veterinarians can help even if they have no specific knowledge of pigeon diseases. They can at least direct you to labs or veterinarians who specialize in birds so that sick or dead birds can be examined for diagnostic purposes. The cost is usually very reasonable. There are a number of veterinarians with an interest in avian medicine and some specifically interested in pigeon medicine. They are trying to provide a service to you. Don't be too proud to ask for help when you need it. Compare veterinary costs against the cost of the $1000+ birds you just bought!!

Where Young Bird is King
by: Jim Wiley

Perhaps in no other county in the world has young bird racing flourished as it has in the United States. Futurities, Bond Races, and of new vintage, the Young Bird Auction Races, bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars in capital prize money each year, not to mention the Calcutta�s and board pooling. It�s no wonder that young bird racing has found such an elevated spot, with the money incentive that�s evolved in this county. I believe, however, that young bird racing would have become popular here even without the money incentive because of the very nature of it. Most newcomers to the sport begin the young bird racing season and many are able to compete successfully with the veterans and go on to become outstanding fanciers. Unfortunately though, this can also be a graveyard where high hopes and beginners� enthusiasm are dashed against the rocks, interest lost, and a would-be fascinating hobby abandoned.

So, it is to the newcomers to the sport who will be flying their first young bird season this year that I dedicate this article. It is my high hope that the ideas presented will help you attain a degree of success in your first year and help you become a dedicated fancier in this great mind-absorbing sport. I love young bird racing, and although I�m a pretty competitive old bird flyer, I must confess that with me, �Young Bird is King.� I suppose it�s staring a new each year with a new group of youngsters that makes it so interesting to me. It�s also the first test of the winter�s breeding plans to which so much mental energy was channeled. It really doesn�t matter what turns me on to young bird racing because it�s here to stay and you�ll be here to stay also by using techniques that have proved to be so successful for me over the years. This, of course, is not the only way to success in young birds racing but it is my way and it works for me.

LOFT

The young bird loft or section should be light, well ventilated and NOT OVERCROWDED! Air should enter the loft or around floor level, rise slowly and exit through a roof ventilator located at the high point of the roof. I also recommend a skylight in this section. Make sure the loft is �bone dry� at all times. I prefer box perches 10� x 10� made from 1 x 4 material. Water fountains should be about 12� off the floor preferably outside the loft with a hole and drinking platform inside the loft. It is important that not a single dropping can get in to contaminate the water! Poor water management contributes more failure than anything I know of. Take time to do this right! In most localities, a loft facing south will provide the most sunlight and the least draft exposure. Instant trapping is paramount to winning young bird races. A picket fence on the roof, strung so the birds must land only on the landing board is important. We prefer a low landing board that is about waist and California style stall traps. Young bird racing is a game of seconds! Our birds exit the loft by a drop-door, level with the landing board. Our training crates are equipped with a slide door on the back so that the crates can be placed on the landing board and the exit door opened from the inside of the loft and the birds simply fly into the training basket without having to be handled. This saves a lot of time and energy for everyone.

LOFT MANAGEMENT

Racing is the only thing that is seasonal about this sport, everything else is 365 days a year! Let up on year-round management and nothing else you do will bail you out. If the newcomer misses this point, then he can stop reading this article now for it will be in vain. Our young bird section is 6� X 8� and houses between 25 and 35 youngsters. I believe this area could healthy support around 50, but 25 to 35 has always been an adequate amount for our methods. Before the first youngster is placed in this section, the loft is scrubbed thoroughly with a strong solution of water and bleach from ceiling to floor, including all perches. After it is �bone-dry�, a liberal sprinkling of carbola is administered and then the floor is covered with a one-inch layer of clay particles ( kitty-litter) which we purchased in 50 lb bags. This pulls the moisture from droppings unbelievably fast and makes an attractive floor covering. Once a week, usually race day morning, all water fountains, grit bowls, covers and covered feed are removed from the loft and washed in water and bleach and dried in direct sunlight. While these are drying, all dried accumulated droppings are raked and removed from the loft and a liberal sprinkling of carbola put down and raked in. About once every two months, a new bag of litter is added to replace that which is raked out with the dried droppings.

FEED, GRIT AND WATER

From weaning until 2 months before the first race, the youngsters are fed ICT Number 5, a mixture of about 15% protein. From that time on until the end of the races, 10 lbs of brown rice and 10 lbs of barley are added to 50 lbs of ICT Number 5. Brown rice releases more unusable energy than any other grain and is rich in minerals. Barley keeps you and the birds honest and is an excellent guide to know when to stop feeding. Grit is put into a covered bowl every Wednesday morning and removed from the loft Wednesday night. Grit left in the loft can and does accumulate moisture from the birds� respiration and can cause problems. Grit requirement for race birds, not breeding, is minimal. Water, as mentioned earlier, must be fresh, clean and located in such a way, that it cannot be contaminated. We add 2 tablespoons of honey to a gallon of water on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, birds returning from the races get an extra energy boost. This is basically grape sugar with vitamin C additives. This is a great recuperative and I strongly recommend it. On the first day of every month all birds are wormed, even during races. We use Tramisol. � teaspoon per gallon of water and left in the loft for one day. Do this year round and worms will never be a problem for you. Other than worming, we do not routinely medicate birds, as our management does not require it. However, when birds begin racing, they come in contact with birds not well cared for all there is always a chance of contamination. We keep on the medicine shelf: Emtryl for canker, Terramycin for respiratory problems, Sulmet and NFZ for intestinal problems, and potassium permanganate which is used in the bath water on Monday after the race. One small pinch is all that is needed for the bath pan.

BIRD MANAGEMENT

Youngsters are weaned at 25 days of age. They are taken first to a wire bottom weaning pen where they drink medicate water with Emtryl for possible canker. They remain here for five days and then to the young bird section. The youngsters are then put on the landing board in a settling cage for one or two days before allowed to go out freely. The birds are exercised morning and night until June 1st. we feed generously during this time and the first handful or two is given on the landing board when they finish their fly. We then enter the loft, call them in and finish the feeding. This gets the youngsters used to you being beside them on the board and they can easily be picked up off the board or driven into the stall traps on race day. On June 1st, we catch youngster and cut off the end two flight feathers about 2 inches from the wing butt. The birds must have moulted at least the first primary feather before we do this; if they haven�t, we wait until they cast a flight before cutting the end flights. From June 2nd to June 15th the birds are exercised twice a day as usual. This requires a great deal more energy from them to stay up with the cut flights and rapid development of the chest muscles results. By June 15th the two cut primaries will be completely dried up and can be pulled out. After these dead flights are pulled, the birds are locked in the loft and not exercised again until the new feathers are both half way out. At that time the birds begin daily exercising again. By doing this, you can fly the entire season with a full wing and the birds can be repeated week after week, barring a smash or strong head winds; and they come into excellent condition and gain much confidence from the experience. The more birds you have that break early with the lead group, the more influence you will have on the drag at the home end. When we win, we usually also take several more top positions due to a large amount of birds on the drop. Under our methods, the drop usually gets larger week by week as the birds gain race experience. You must understand that simply having a full wing isn�t all that�s required to race a bird. You must train your eyes and fingers to assess which birds can be repeated and which birds must be rested. No amount of reading will make a pigeon man out of you, but a well followed plan will allow you time to observe and learn more from the birds.

TRAINING AND RACING

By the time training time rolls around, our youngsters are a well developed, unruly bunch, feeling their oats and dashing about the countryside on their daily flights like wild men. If we tried to train them in this mental condition, they would continue to fly about the countryside and we�d pull our hair out waiting for them. So, one week before the first toss, we have a period of �getting their minds right.� Young birds are not impressed by very much other thank their stomachs, so this is what we concentrate on. On the evening of the sixth day before training begins, they are not fed anything. The fifth day they get 1/5 the normal amount, morning and night; the fourth day 2/5 the normal; the third day 3/5 the normal; the second day 4/5 of the normal; and on the first day of training, after they return, they get their normal amount. Thereafter, the normal amount is given. This will give you a good quick toss the very first time, as the birds fully believe they�re starving even though they�re back to normal ration.

The first training toss is 3 weeks before the first race and the birds are trained in the morning every day except Sunday until the first race. We get a map and draw a straight line from the first station to our loft and train right on line. The first toss is 10 miles and they go there six consecutive days. The next toss is 20 miles for 3 consecutive days; then 30 miles three consecutive days. This gets us to one week before the race. Then on Monday 20 miles, Tuesday 30 miles, Friday 4o miles and Saturday 50 miles. The birds get a full feeding upon returning Saturday morning and about 5:00 pm, they get a scant handful, just enough to induce a big drink of water. Around 6:30 pm, they are basketed and taken to the club. During the races, the birds are trained Thursday 20 miles, Friday 30 miles, and Saturday 40 miles for the 100 mile races; Thursday 20 miles, Friday 20 miles, and Saturday 30 miles for the 200 mile races; Saturday 20 miles for the 300 mile races. If the birds have a bad race, the training must be adjusted. Sometimes, during the latter part of the season, the birds may look great but give a poor performance. If this happens, lock them up and don�t train or even let them out for exercise. If by Thursday, you notice they�re ballooned out and have become very rounded and �corky� feeling, you can enter that week with great confidence. An old timer taught me this and I was rewarded with 6 on the drop from 300 miles and 5 diplomas. The week before, I was practically on the bottom of the sheet. When birds look great but perform poorly, the inclination is to train harder but sometimes doing just the opposite will produce results, particularly if late in the season. Well, this how we do it. I don�t think anything has been left out except what can be learned by living with the birds and observing what they tell you. You�ve got the ball now. Good luck, good flying and good sport!