Disease Discussion

    Despite all the care a fancier may give the loft and persistent efforts to keep the pigeons in condition, disease will occasionally make an appearance and he must be prepared to know how to treat them and prevent their spreading. Most of the diseases are highly contagious and once they get a foothold will ravage an entire loft within a few days, unless the affected birds are promptly isolated and steps taken to eradicate the trouble. Disease and parasites will be reduced to a minimum by keeping the loft clean.

Following are the principle diseases that affect pigeons, the symptoms by which they may be identified and the most effective measures for their control.

• Going Light
  
  Going light is one of the most common complaints. The bird appears feverish, and attempts to eat but food is unable to get past the crop. The bird grows thinner each day and the disease is usually accompanied by greenish excretions and vomiting. Going light may be caused by a multitude of things, including: Colds, poor food, filthy water, unclean lofts, worms or a damp loft. Several treatments are effective. First of all if the loft, food or water is at fault, those matters must be attended to at once. Give the bird affected a dose of Epson salts and follow up with one capsule of cod liver oil once daily. Additionally I have also found that Aureomycin tablets administered twice a day works very effectively.

• Roup
  
  Roup is characterized by discharges at the eyes and nose, offensive odor about them, swollen eyes and the bird breathes with much difficulty, usually being forced to hold its mouth open. The best treatment is to fill a can with camphorated oil and wash out the nostrils well prior to putting in three of four drops of the fluid. Carbolated Vaseline is another effective method of treatment.

• Wing Trouble & Boils
  
  Wing lumps, wing boils and other names under which they are known frequently form and can be effectively treated. It is usually an indication that the birds' blood is becoming to rich from a faulty diet. The best thing to do is carefully revise the diet and reduce the size of the morning and evening rations. The wing boils on the birds already attacked by there disease may be opened with a small incision by using a knife or razor blade. Squeeze the accumulation out and then paint the affected part with iodine.
  
  The lumps are always accompanied by the dropping of the wing. Plucking some of the quill feathers might lessen its load. Birds thus affected may recover and apparently show no other ill effects.

• Canker
  
  Canker usually affects young birds and frequently appears in squabs from two to four weeks old. Canker may be inherited from the parents. Canker is a yellowish growth, which gathers inside the mouth and occasionally at the eyes. It is caused by poor feed and similar loft complaints. The disease can take a heavy toll and proves fatal in most cases. The canker deposits may be scraped out with a small instrument and iodine applied to the wound caused by the removal of the growth. If a new canker deposit appears after this operation the bird should be culled.

• Vertigo
  
  Dizziness and a staggering walk on the part of the bird is a sure sign it has become affected by vertigo. I have seen birds suffering from such an affliction and the owners rarely know what the trouble is caused by. There is no known effective remedy of this disorder and if the trouble does not clear up in the early stages of the disease the bird is doomed.

• Swollen Joints
  
  Swollen joints may be brought about by injuries or damp floors but are usually traceable to food being too rich in protein. If the trouble appears, immediately cut down on the feeding of peas or vetch, as they contain a very high protein content.

• Sour Crop
  
  Moldy grain, moist feed or impure water are conductive to a condition known as sour crop in which the pigeons vomit repeatedly. Remove any pigeons that are affected and do not feed them for 24 hours. At the end of that time, give them a dose of Epson salts and half a teaspoonful of baking soda and water solution.