Racing Pigeons During May
At this time of year in the pigeon racing sport, my attention turns to old birds, especially to their health care and to their will for racing.
Coccidiosis and canker bacteria are huge health threats that our birds are very likely to pick up from shipping crates or from drinking contaminated water out on the race course. Thoughtful flyers take care of this exposure before it can turn into a problem in your loft. It’s a great idea to give every bird a canker treatment approximately three to 4 hours after returning from the race, and then check again the next day.
Racing pigeons require a time-release dose of vitamin B, amino acids and carnitine into their systems so that these supplements are ready in the muscles during the race. This is one of the best ways to avoid stress in race birds. My best recommendationadvise is to give them Carmine liquid (Versele-Laga) (carnitine) for a minimum of five to seven days before sending them to a long race. On the night you basket your pigeons, give one Carni-Tab tablet (Colombine) and a Supra Pill (Colombine) to every pigeon.
I recommend using Turbosole to control canker in your loft and advise you not to overlook your old bird race team regarding the threat of canker. This is extremely important step for determined fanciers to take. Turbosole is a phonominal product, and I think its the best choice for canker in pigeons. I trust that it can be safely used during racing, breeding, or moulting.
I use an eye loupe to check for acute respiratory infections. How do I do this? I check the rim of the eye and look for air bubbles in an overly moist eye. If the eye looks to be watery and has numerous bubbles of air in the liquid around the rim of the eye, then that bird most likely needs to be medicated with a good respiratory treatment for a minimum of seven days. Doxyvet and Doxy-T, from the Australian Pigeon Company, are extremely effective antibiotics. Make sure you remember to take out the grit and mineral supplements from the loft whenever you are treating the birds with respiratory antibiotics.
I am happy to tell you a product that I get fantastic results from for my breeding pairs and babies: Calcium/Vitamin D3 Syrup from the Australian Pigeon Company. It works extremely well when given along with Pigeon Power. it helps with the overall strength of both the parents and the young. I mix this calcium supplement and Pigeon Power into water at the same time according to directions and give it to my breeders and to the babies they are raising. This is a great thing to do for your racing pigeons.
Originally posted 2010-05-04 12:01:42. Republished by Old Post Promoter