Gene Modifiers – understanding the genetics of winning. Our understanding of genetics has changed tremendously over the last few decades. Most of us at school would have learnt about Mendel and how he discovered the science of genetics. With the development of molecular biology and the ability to sequence DNA our understanding of just how inheritance works is changing. What we now know is that genes make up only around 1% of our DNA. Yet 80% of our DNA is active. As it is DNA that actually makes an individual just what it is, it makes sense that it is the other 79% and not the genes that is the main game. What we know is that two characteristics of genes are that they mutate rather infrequently and the changes they control are relatively strict , for example, a pigeon is either a red or a blue – there is no blended colour in-between. What has become more recently known is that genes are controlled by smaller pieces of DNA called, logically, gene modifiers ( or sometimes DNA modifiers or hereditary modifiers ). By comparison with genes, these gene modifiers, mutate frequently and their pattern of inheritance is “blended”. For example if a big pigeon is mated to a small pigeon most of the young are medium sized . Gene modifiers tell the genes what to do -- they make very subtle changes and mutate up to 100,000 times more often than genes. So they mutate much more often but the changes caused by these mutations are very subtle. This means that these modifiers more rapidly and more subtly can help animals to adapt but they can also be used by breeders to shift animals genetically. So, how can we use this understanding of genetics to produce better pigeons and beat our competitors. In racing pigeons most racing characteristics are modifier based. It is rare for a gene mutation to occur but very common for mutations to appear in gene modifiers . For example it is very rare for a new colour to appear ( due to a gene mutation) but relatively common for mutations in gene modifiers to occur that might change the intensity of that colour. One of the hallmarks of gene modifiers is that you get blended inheritance. For example , as mentioned above, big mated to small produces mostly medium sized birds. This averaging effect is the hallmark for gene modified inheritance . Primary gene mutations on the hand , are relatively fixed, producing major changes and when birds with different gene mutations are mated together, strict segregation occurs among the young produced. For example , when a red is mated to a blue, sooner or later, both parental colours appear in the young but they are unchanged ie there is no blended inheritance, no averaging. This is why if we want our birds to race faster , it is possible to buy a superior winning race bird and blend it into our own. Because of gene modifiers and blended inheritance the introduction of a superior bird will lift the overall race winning ability of the birds in a loft.
Animal breeders have known this for millennia and have developed breeds of dogs, cattle, sheep, chickens and pigeons etc long before Mendel discovered the science of genetics. They realized that if you kept selecting for animals that had the characteristics that were wanted then gradually the animals would change and develop into the desired animal. “Like breeds like” and “bit by bit” were the methods used. “The apple does not fall far from the tree” is a phrase commonly used in pigeons. All of these gradual changes occurred through mutations in the gene modifiers. In this way beef cattle gradually got bigger, sheep grew finer wool and racing pigeons got faster. Modifiers in the wild turned a Brown bear slowly into a Polar bear without a gene mutation – the genes of both remain the same. In a similar way the feral rock dove became a racing pigeon. In today’s racing world we continually select for winning pigeons. When exceptional pigeons appear it is likely that they carry mutations in their gene modifiers that have made the subtle changes necessary to make them just that little bit better than the others . These mutations in the gene modifiers are heritable and so in this way by continually selecting for the best birds, families are developed that have the modifiers that are superior to others.
Even though these changes are directly quantifiable by comparing race results they can sometimes be hard to imagine . Sometimes it is easier to understand something that you can see more readily – like colour. Say , we were selecting for a colour , such as a pale red , rather than racing ability. If we continued to select for this and only bred from the palest red birds then eventually we would end up with an almost white bird. To produce this almost white bird a gene mutation would not have occurred but by continuing to select for the more rapidly mutating gene modifiers that make the bird pale , eventually the almost white bird is produced. Gene modifiers often occur on the chromosome within the area where a particular gene exists. They are just short bits of DNA base pairs such as AAGT. If a gene has one bit of AAGT it might, using the colour example above, produce a little bit less colour. If it has say, three bits of this sequence, AAGTAAGTAAGT, then, reduction in pigment is more extreme. A bird ( or animal) can have one hundred bits of DNA, and this can create major differences. The gene modifiers act as very precise and flexible volume controls on genes. Without knowing it we use this effect to sculpt our racing pigeons. Where the short bits of DNA that modify genes and regulate their action are repeated they are called tandem repeats. Keep in mind that only around 1% of our DNA is genes and yet 80% of our DNA is active. The 79% that includes the gene modifiers is the main game. Interestingly the first person to propose gene modifiers was Nobel Prize- winning scientist Dr Barbara McClintock. Information not only in the pigeon world, but also the world generally can spread slowly. Dr McClintock realized as early as 1948 that DNA elements regulated genes by inhibiting or modulating their actions. Only much more recently have her theories been proven to be correct and applied . Genes are the factories and modifiers can be regarded as the staff and management which run each factory , bending genes to their will. Using a knowledge of these modifiers empowers us to create tomorrow’s really great pigeons. It is actually these that we select for when mating our birds each season. Gene modifiers are readily heritable and so can relatively quickly alter the genetic makeup and subsequent racing ability of a loft setting it apart from its competitors . When we are selecting for winning pigeons we are selecting for the gene modifiers they contain. Having the desired gene modifiers can add financial value to a pigeon. When we buy a pigeon we are actually buying the gene modifiers it contains. These have accumulated in today’s best pigeons through generations by judicious breeders applying the correct selection technique ie the ability to win races. These modifiers can only be accumulated this way and because they are heritable this is why winning birds become so valuable. I would like to thank Don Burke for much of the information presented in this section. Several sections of his original text have been reproduced unaltered.
Calamity Jane The weather forecast for the second VHA 400 mile race last year was not good. I had previously been on the VHA liberation committee for several years and based on the information available to me, I decided to make an executive decision and not send any birds. It was the only race I missed in 2024. The race did not turn out well. As an indication ,one of the leaders in the VHA aggregate at that juncture sent 27 birds and to this day has never got a bird back. Champion long distance fancier , Gary Mountjoy sent 13 and homed 4. His first bird was clocked at 7.47 am on the second day to record a velocity of 763mpm and gain 3rd VHA Federation – a great result. It took 4 hours for 10 fanciers to clock and over half of the competing fanciers never clocked. Gary’s clockbird has since been named Calamity Jane. Certainly a great effort but what makes this result more amazing is Calamity Jane’s story. Gary is very conscientious with his PMV vaccinations but through no fault of his own , PMV entered his loft while the birds were very young in late 2023– too young to have completed their vaccination program. As a result about 80 birds died. Gary kept breeding in order to get enough birds to form a team and salvage the season. As the virus was in the loft many of these chicks died in the nest. Some survived, and of these , a significant number were compromised. Calamity Jane was one of these. Not weaned until the 24th March she was an extreme latebred. Too young to complete a moult she raced on her nest feathers. Her health had been so compromised in the nest that when these feathers lengthened it cast doubt on her colour. Genetically she could be a blue bar but she looked like a barred opal. Her tail had no tail strip ( like all opals ) and there was a thick faded strip through her wing bars and indeed most of the feathers on her body. So, as an extreme latebred that had been sick in the nest she started her race career. This career culminated in a high placing in an extremely low velocity distance race where most of the competing birds were lost. PMV has not been documented as specifically targeting the function of the feather follicle, interfering with its ability to pigment a growing feather. Calamity Jane’s false opal appearance is more likely the result of PMV affecting her general health so dramatically that physically she could not grow a normally pigmented feather. What I think is remarkable , is that she was able to recover from such severe disease to achieve her result. Certainly a game bird. Put to stock at the end of the season she ovulated singly and inconsistently. One egg that was filled died through incubation. It was not possible to breed any youngsters from her but with the start of the moult she has morphed into a normally coloured blue bar. It is expected and hoped that after a restful season in the stock loft that she will recuperate sufficiently from her rugged start in life to breed normally this breeding season.
Avian Flu Update Confirmed HPAI H7 in Victorian poultry farms in 2025. High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) H7N8 virus was confirmed as the cause of death of layer hens on a free-range commercial poultry property near Euroa on 8 February 2025. On 13 February another closely located farm within the same enterprise was confirmed as infected with HPAI H7N8.The affected farms have been quarantined, and movement controls are in place in surrounding areas to prohibit the movement of poultry and birds as well as poultry products and fomites to minimise the risk of disease spread. Stamping out the disease on these properties has commenced, with destruction and disposal work completed on the first farm. Poultry, other domestic birds and wild birds in the area will be closely monitored for any additional cases. A housing requirement has been introduced for bird owners with 50 birds or more in the restricted area to confine birds to prevent contact between wild birds and poultry. The business acted quickly to identify infection within the flock and put in place a voluntary quarantine before the confirmatory diagnosis. It is now working closely with Agriculture Victoria officers to contain the outbreak. This incident highlights the importance of early reporting and the need to consider HPAI as a differential diagnosis whenever sudden onset and progression of illness with respiratory signs, or sudden death, occurs in a flock or group of birds. Avian influenza is a notifiable disease, and any suspect or confirmed cases must be reported to Agriculture Victoria on the all-hours Emergency Animal Disease hotline 1800 675 888.
Avian Influenza, the disease in pigeons Avian Influenza (AI ) is caused by a virus that primarily causes a respiratory infection in birds. The virus “likes” salt water and is typically associated with coastal and sea birds. The virus is thought to enter Australia with these birds as they migrate south from South East Asia along Australia coasts. Different species of birds vary in their susceptibility to the virus. Commercial poultry are very susceptible. Infected birds shed the virus in their saliva , tears and droppings. Sometimes the virus is transmitted or “spills over” from wild birds into domestic poultry. When this happens, in Australia, the disease is controlled by isolating the outbreak in restricted exclusion zones. In an inner zone some birds are killed while in a wider surrounding outer zone bird movement is restricted and the disease is monitored through testing. Domestic pigeons are relatively resistant to AI and when they do become infected show mild signs. They clear the virus quickly from their system. The persistent carrier state does not occur. Pigeons are regarded as a “dead end” host of the virus because the virus does not build up in them to infective levels . This means that the virus cannot be passed by them on to further birds. In previous outbreaks, fanciers within exclusion zones have been required to confine their birds to their lofts. Confined domestic pigeons have not been killed. At the same time racing organisations have not been allowed to release birds where the anticipated line of flight is over a restricted protective zone. Because of the mild transient nature of the disease caused by Avian Influenza virus and the low viral loads that develop in them, domestic pigeons are not regarded as a significant AI risk to humans
Indian Fancier I often get enquiries from overseas. As Australian fanciers we are lucky , in that we have access to every effective medication for our birds. In many countries this is not so. In some countries the range of medication is limited. Often overseas fanciers contact the APC looking for advice on their birds health problems and then want to buy medication and have it shipped to them. Sometimes it can be very frustrating because amongst some fanciers there is a lack of understanding of the diagnostic process and an over reliance on medication to fix the birds. A recent case involved an Indian fancier. He sent me picture after picture , in multiple emails, of diarrhoea droppings on the floor of his loft. Young hens were not laying. Young cocks were not filling their eggs and some birds had joint abscesses. Without testing it is impossible to make a definitive diagnosis but based on the information available to me it appeared that Salmonella was in this case , at least , part of the health problem. I explained to him that the most likely cause of the swollen joints, diarrhoea and infertility is a very common disease called Paratyhoid and that it is caused by a bacteria called Salmonella. The bacteria is more likely to cause disease where the diet is nutritionally deficient, where parasite control is poor , where there is concurrent disease or where there is a problem with hygiene leading to high exposure to the organism. I explained that the disease is controlled through vaccination, correct use of antibiotics and correction of underlying issues related to diet, hygiene, parasite control and general management. Unless these underlying issues are managed response to antibiotics and vaccination will be poor. He wanted infertility injections ( “Receptal” ) sent to India. I advised him that they would be unlikely to work in this situation because the testis of affected birds was likely to be diseased due to the disease and that the testes needed to be healthy to respond to the injections .(These injections are most commonly used in healthy older cocks and hens with age related reduction in fertility). My aim was to help him to get his birds healthy and not just sell him a lot of drugs. Unfortunately it turned out that he just wanted a lot of drugs .The APC is happy to supply fanciers with medication but it is important to us that the medication is used correctly and fanciers are spending their money wisely.
Pigeon movement and the spread of disease. I recently had a fancier contact me from Canada about a health problem he was having with one of his birds. He mentioned in his email that the bird in question had recently been imported from Turkey. I asked how this could be. The main concern for many countries around the world is that Avian Influenza ( AI ) is not introduced with any pigeons that are imported. Apparently it is possible to import pigeons from Turkey into Canada but there are checks and balances in place to prevent the spread of disease in particular AI. This was his reply :- “Initially the birds were hidden in a produce truck from Turkey into Germany and then through the proper route with quarantine in Poland and then in to Canada. This was during Covid so a lot of mess with delays and wait time. Sitting idling in Poland. Anyway they just recently arrived.” This reply illustrates how comparatively easy it is, in today’s modern world to move pigeons about to get around restrictions. Currently it is illegal to import into Australia ,pigeons from non- tier one countries ie countries free of Newcastle disease ( the PMV diseases in chickens). To get around this fanciers simply transport birds from non -tier one countries such as those in the middle east to tier one countries ie the UK. Once there they become UK pigeons and are imported through the normal legal channels into Australia
My personal belief, is that the current quarantine regulations in Australia could be improved but even so, the current situation does allow for some monitoring and filtering of pigeons as they arrive. In my opinion, too much concern is placed on some diseases eg pigeons with PPMV antibodies are killed despite the disease now being present in the country, while birds that are identified with pathogens that are potentially a problem for pigeon fanciers eg some flagellates, are allowed entry. Smuggling pigeons into Australia from non-tier one countries is a serious crime with a maximum penalty of $110.000 and 10 years jail. It is thought that PMV entered Australia in 2013 in pigeons smuggled from Turkey. This disease has killed 100’s of thousands of Australian pigeons and continues to cost Australian fanciers tens of thousands of dollars in vaccines , lost birds and treatment annually. Racing had to be suspended in 2013 because of PMV, inconveniencing thousands of fanciers . All , for what many would regard as a very selfish act by a few. The smuggling of any pigeons into Australia potentially allows for the introduction of further diseases, putting all of our birds and hobby at risk and must be strongly condemned
Pigeons dying after attack by a dog or cat A fancier recently related how his family dog had grabbed one of his pigeons with its mouth. The fancier had managed to retrieve the pigeon which appeared to have only sustained minor injuries with just a few scratches and teeth puncture marks. The bird was expected to recover but died 2 days later. The fancier summarised that it “must have been shock”. This was an incorrect conclusion. The bird almost certainly died of a Pasteurella bacteraemia. Carnivorous animals such as dogs and cats carry in their mouths a type of bacteria called Pasteurella. When these animals bite or mouth a bird these bacteria contaminate the wounds and feathers .These bacteria are highly pathogenic for birds and without preventative antibiotics infect the pigeon through breaks in the skin or when the birds subsequently preen their feathers . Death often occurs in 2 to 3 days. When I was in private practice it was a regular occurrence to have rosellas and other native birds presented by members of the public for treatment following attack by the family cat or dog. It was imperative that these birds received antibiotics no matter how minor the wounds otherwise they would almost invariably die several days later of Pasteurella. So, if you are unlucky enough to have one of your birds grabbed by a cat or dog , best to give a course of antibiotics immediately, no matter how well the pigeon looks at the time.
Correct PMV vaccination timing vital A fancier recently rang saying that 15 of his 80 young birds had died over the previous 48 hours . Some of the other birds looked unwell and there were a lot of wet droppings on the floor. The birds had PMV. The birds had each been given a single PMV vaccination at weaning. Some birds had been weaned 3 months earlier while the youngest only in the previous week. It is a common practice in some areas for fanciers to give their birds a PMV vacc at 4 weeks of age at weaning. This is fine ,and in fact in a high risk situation is advisable, but it is important to remember that 2 shots must be given, both after 6 weeks of age to confer protective immunity on all birds. Extensive testing has shown that the response to PMV vaccination by pigeons under 6 weeks of age is variable ,leaving some birds vulnerable to infection. Similarly testing has shown that just one shot, even if given after 6 weeks of age, only provides protective immunity to about 70% of birds. As stated, two shots, both given after 6 weeks of age, four weeks apart ( or less ideally two weeks apart in the face of an outbreak) are required to provide full immunity to all birds. The concern always with partially immune birds is that they may look OK if infected but the virus may be damaging them inside and compromise their subsequent racing ability. So, for full protection – two shots both after six weeks of age.
Vet questions 1/ I live in Western Australia. One of my race birds has swollen legs. I have attached a photo .Is this Salmonella? The photo shows that your birds legs are uniformly swollen. I do not think this is Salmonella. When Salmonella bacteria infect the legs they cause a bacterial joint infection leading to one or more of the joints filling with infective material. The swelling is localised and confined to the joint(s). In your bird’s case the swelling extends uniformly along each entire leg . The most likely reason for this is that the bird has hypoproteinaemia ie low blood protein. The protein level in the blood becomes low either if the diet is too low in protein or alternatively protein is being lost from the bird’s system. The two most common ways that protein is lost is through a damaged kidney ( this is usually diagnosed by measuring the level of protein in the liquid urine part of the pigeons dropping ) or a damaged bowel ( due to a disease such as coccidia ). Because only one bird is affected this is likely to be a single bird problem. Low blood protein alters the osmotic potential across blood vessel walls so that fluid leaks from the blood into the surrounding tissues leading to swelling. If the bird has particular value or further birds become affected this problem may warrant further investigation however the bird is unlikely to make a competitive race bird and many fanciers would cull this bird.
2/I have used APC permethrin to dip my pigeons and they now have no bloom. Is this a problem? No, this is quite normal.The APC Permethrin solution has a wetting agent added to it. This prevents the liquid beading off the feathers and allows the insecticide to penetrate and thus come into contact with any lice and mites present, thus working well. As you will have noticed , when wet the feathers collapse on themselves. This makes the birds vulnerable to chilling. This is why we recommend dipping them in the morning of a warm day. The birds normally dry in 2 or 3 hours. After the birds have dried and preened, the bloom will quickly re- establish. As time goes buy or after one or 2 baths the permethrin will disappear from the ( now parasite free ) feathers.
3/I’d appreciate if you could answer a query for me.This morning Sunday 16th February just after I had released my young birds to loft fly. I was accosted by an unknown bloke who apparently lives 1 street over and diagonally 2 yards over behind my yard.He said that every time I let my birds out they defecate all over his roof and a caravan in his back yard. I said to him that it is more likely that wild birds would be the culprits as in all the time my birds have been out over the past 3 year. I have never been pooped on and neither has my house or direct neighbors houses been sprayed with pigeon poo whilst they are in flight.I have read several articles saying they usually do not poop in flight only when resting/perching and on the ground & in loft. There are some older articles/forums stating that they do poop in flight. Can you clarify this for me & supply a short note as whether they do or do not.I worried that this person will be off to council to make a complaint. It’s not so much an issue that pigeons don’t poo in flight – they can and do, it’s more a matter of ensuring that they are not given the opportunity. Bowel transit times in pigeons are comparatively quick. Food eaten can be passed as a dropping as quickly as within two hours . When I was in practice we fed pigeons and added to the food a liquid called barium. Barium shows up bright white on X-ray. We then took a series of X-rays tracking the food through the bowel. We found that, in healthy pigeons, food that had been eaten only two hours earlier was being passed as droppings. The normal way that pigeons are managed is that they are called in after an exercise session and then fed. They are usually not exercised again until later that day or the next day, certainly well over two hours. This means that by the time the next training session comes around the birds are empty with no more digested food available to be passed as droppings. With normal management practices you can reassure your neighbour that your pigeons soiling properties near the loft is not a concern. Any droppings that your neighbour is seeing are likely to be from wild birds
4/I have vaxxed my birds for PMV and I have one bird with a canker nodule the size of a jellybean in its neck. I have treated the bird with Turbosole in an attempt to kill it. Should I leave it alone or incise it out? The yellow cheesy lumps found in the necks of some birds after vaccination are not usually canker nodules . Avian pus is thick and cheesy and looks just like canker. Most lumps that develop after PMV vaccination are bacterial abscesses. Best to wait for the lump to consolidate and hopefully come to the surface. Often these lumps come away by themselves but if necessary they can be gently expressed. Premature intervention can lead to significant bleeding. If they are extensive , then because they are usually bacterial, antibiotics are a good choice of medication. Canker is caused by single celled parasites called flagellates that live in the digestive tract. It is possible during vaccination , if the vaccination needle perforates the crop , to introduce some of these organisms into the surrounding soft tissue. Unless there is a wide connection to the digestive tract, they cannot survive however.