On other seat (10-03-26)
Different sound
Of course, people like me are frequently asked questions such as:
'How do you keep up writing something meaningful that hasn't been written very often?' and also whether I never had any problems. Problems? Hmm. Once every ten years perhaps?
Never with vets (rather on the contrary) although I sometimes take their place.
I do that because people have questions and they themselves, the vets are silent.
Especially in Belgium. Belgian legislation has to do with this. So when a Belgian champion once had a question about disinfecting lofts, it was me who answered him.
SUCKERS
Some turn the lofts inside out after the moult, when 'big cleaning' is kept. The bottom is scrubbed and also the walls, the ceiling and even there are those who take care of every roof tile.
They don't want to see a speck of dust after the annual major service. 'Suckers' it goes through me when I see them busy, a bit irreverently. They should have seen the lofts of some big shots at the time.
There is nothing wrong with hygiene, but if lofts are airy and BONE DRY, it can be a little less. After all, the point is that disinfection is pointless because you CANNOT disinfect a pigeon loft.
POINTLESS
Hutches for cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys and so on is something else.
Those animals do not return to the pens after being disinfected. After a short period of vacancy, OTHER animals get in.
How different it is with our pigeons. After 'disinfecting', they do return to their loft with all their viruses, bacteria or other pathogens. Shouldn't you eliminate them? Easier said than done because realize that there are no means in medicine with which you can simultaneously tackle viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, protozoa and so on.
In particular, veterinarian de Weerd wrote;
'Beware of miracle cures for several diseases at the same time. They don't exist.’ Indeed. The sellers have their own well-being in mind, not that of your pigeons. Of course, you can't let things go to waste either.
WORMS
If pigeons have worms, they will never get rid of them spontaneously, so you have no choice and you will have to act.
The eggs can survive for a long time and be present everywhere. Chlorine or the popular Dettol can be useful for bacteriological infections, but not against worms or coccidiosis.
Especially hairworms can be a real plague, which can also destroy the best pigeons in an infected environment.
Not one pigeon has intestines that are 'worm proof'.
Avicas tablets (Oropharma) are said to be the most effective and least dangerous. If hairworms are detected, you cannot act quickly enough. Moisten the floor and shelves and then use the burner to eliminate the separated eggs. After about 10 days put on another tablet, burn again and then again manure examination.
Why that moistening? Famous Dr. Lemahieu once pointed out to me that on a dry surface you blow the eggs in all directions with a blowtorch, that worm eggs are incredibly tough and can stay alive for a long time.
'Specialists' almost unanimously advise against blind cures.
During the recently held Olympiad in Dortmund, an expert even pointed out that there is no evidence whatsoever that you can vaccinate preventively against paratyphoid.
COCCIDIOSIS
Coccidiosis should not be a problem in pigeon sport. Healthy pigeons in good lofts are not bothered by it and because top fanciers have healthy pigeons in good lofts, there are few who cure against it.
Curing on a certain schedule (every month or so) is completely wrong. If you cure today, and that applies to many ailments, pigeons can be infected again within two weeks if things go wrong. Furthermore, pigeons can be spontaneously freed from coccidiosis just by placing them in another environment (read dry loft).
It is sometimes called a factor ailment, which means that external factors, such as other diseases or bad environment, cause problems. Weakened pigeons, for example after a very difficult race or due to another ailment, are especially vulnerable.
For example, it often goes hand in hand with paratyphoid and streptococci. Sulfamides used to be a popular pesticide, now Baycox. So with chlorine you do NOT exterminate cocc, although many think so.
Some specialized veterinarians do not want to see an egg, others believe that a little bit can do no harm. Incidentally, Flanders is different, many people cure it there.
CANKER AND ORNITHOSIS
You can't stay ahead of canker, not with apple cider vinegar or garlic, nor with medicine. Dr. Stam used to recommend always putting a pinch of Halamid in the drinking water. It is striking with trichomoniase that some pigeons (lofts) are more sensitive than others. And also that it is on its way out.
There are remedies to free the pigeons from mucus, which can even be ordinary table salt, but soon you are back to square one because you are tackling symptoms and not the cause. 'Head diseases' do not exist. Fat heads, wet eyes and so on are not diseases but, again, but symptoms of.
OTHER CALAMITIES
A few 'stripes' (shaft lice) do little harm, those small round mobile light-shy red mites all the more because they 'live off the pigeon'.
Especially in warm humid weather, they multiply rapidly. Pigeons that leave the eggs or that you hear kicking at night can indicate a (lice) problem.
And moths? Strangely enough, you mainly see them in lofts where there is form. Because of a pleasant climate that is good for pigeons AND moths? One night a Vapona strip on the lofts and they are gone.
And what about those famous smoke cubes? They cannot hurt. Too many good fanciers take advantage of them seriously. Close the lofts well and leave pigeons in them otherwise it is useless.
Furthermore, watch out for mice and rats.
Their poops or pee in the coop or, even worse, over the food have already caused a lot of mischief. And remember:
Seeking reinforcements is pointless if you don't know whether you have mastered pigeon sport and don't know how to keep pigeons healthy with as little medication as possible.
