Rota Controversy I received an interesting email enquiry recently. It highlighted one of the ongoing issues in the sport . The email read“G'day Gents, firstly, I think prevention is better than cure! I hear from many pigeon flyers that during this time of year they force the ROTA Virus into their lofts by holding onto infected droppings and placing it in theirs lofts year after year or simply allowing already infected birds into the lofts. My question is , is this common practice and should it be done, like I said I believe prevention is better than cure, not to say I don't have the symptoms each year, I can say however I don't have green droppings and or seeds all through my loft, very minimal, at max each year half a dozen perches may have seed bought up by my birds. What's the consensus of this practice of deliberately infecting the birds. This practice is carried out to ensure the birds get ROTA sooner rather than later, therefore it is believed they can't get the virus twice, in which I have my doubts , I believe the birds can catch the virus more than once.” This is something that has been discussed several times, often at length, already in the ARPJ. Rota is a fairly fragile virus and does not survive for a long period of time in the environment of a pigeon loft. Freezing, however, is a very good way of keeping a virus alive and Rota is no exception. Fresh droppings collected from a loft while the virus is active in that loft can be frozen and stored. They can then be thawed and used, a year later, to expose and stimulate an immune response in the next season’s batch of youngsters .The process is extremely controversial . Deliberately exposing animals to a disease agent knowing that it will make them sick or possibly kill them is an indictable offence. This means that if a fancier does this and is caught, he can be convicted and have a criminal conviction ( for animal cruelty ) recorded against his name. This can have long term consequences, compromising job applications and restrictions on travel etc. Because the practice is unlawful this should be the end of the conversation. Fanciers, however raise other concerns. These include the cost of the vaccine ( to vaccinate a team of race birds can run into hundreds of dollars) and also the fact that the vaccine is not fully protective. The Rota vaccine is, in some ways, like the Covid vaccine, in that it stimulates immunity but not enough to completely stop the development of symptoms in all birds. Two Rota trials have been done and the full results published in the ARPJ. In one trial, birds were vaccinated against Rota. They were then periodically bled and the level of Rota virus antibodies ( immune protectors) in their blood measured. The trial showed that individual birds responded differently to the vaccine, both in the amount of antibodies they produced and also the level at which each bird produced them.( This mimics the way the Covid vaccine acts in people ). In the second trial, blood was collected from both vaccinated and non- vaccinated birds after a natural exposure to Rota virus. The blood tests measured the level of damage done by the virus to internal organs particularly the liver. ( The liver is the organ that Rora virus particularly targets and damages). This trial showed that the damage done to the internal organs was far less in the vaccinated birds than the non- vaccinated birds. This trial, in particular , raised the concern that non- vaccinated birds when exposed to Rota, either naturally or deliberately by their owners through stored frozen droppings, may have their long term potential race performance compromised. This, in turn, raised the further concern that this may partially account for the losses seen particularly in some early races. Current advice is that birds receive two Rota vaccinations about 4 weeks apart with the second being given 4 to 8 weeks before the first race so that immunity formed through vaccine use can be boostered through natural exposure in the race basket. It has been well documented that birds can catch Rota virus more than once . Specific birds that have tested positive for Rota have tested positive for Rota again sometimes within 12 months. However, for most birds recovery from Rota infection does confer prolonged protection that if boostered through the natural exposure that occurs in the race basket, and later through exchange of breeding birds and loft visitors, means that birds developing symptoms a second time is not common. If fanciers find it difficult to vaccinate their birds either through time, physical or financial restraints it could be argued that it is better ( and perhaps kinder ) to expose their birds to the virus through stored frozen droppings at a time, of the fanciers choosing, remote from the racing season when the birds are robust and at home. A time, when the birds can be rested until fully recovered. Many argue that this is far better than an unplanned natural exposure during the rigours of the race season when the birds may already be under physiological stress and there is pressure to get the birds back into work as quickly as possible. This is an issue that may need to be addressed by the ANRPB in the future . Currently the use of frozen stored droppings is common despite the fact that it is an indictable offence. The endorsement of this practice by any government regulatory authority following any ANRPB discussions, were they to be held, would be a “hard sell”. Use of the vaccine does the birds no harm and decreases the risk of disease and death . Exposure to the virus , either naturally or deliberately through the use of frozen droppings( apart from being illegal) does cause disease and sometimes death. The issue is a potential “hot potato”. If the sport was challenged about this issue by a regulatory authority ,at some point in the future, solutions may include subsidised vaccination or an ANRPB fancier education program but the way forward currently is not clear.
Upcoming veterinary conference in Belgium On 26th February 2026 the Veterinary and Scientific Commission of the Federation Columbophile Internationale ( FCI) is conducting a worldwide specialist-conference for official veterinarians and practical veterinarians in Dortmund.The event is being conducted in cooperation with the International Veterinary Pigeon Association (IVPA). In my capacity as Australian representative to the IVPA I have been invited to attend. An extremely interesting program has been prepared . One of the main topics will be PPMV but also included on the agenda will be Rota virus infection and vaccination as well as the current recommendations for disease management and diagnostics .The most important goal of the conference is to present scientific findings to politicians in an understandable manner so that political decisions that involve pigeons can be made in a more informed manner. The proposed program already lists eight prominent researchers, professors and veterinarians who are experts in their fields. If I am unable to attend I will obtain a copy of the conference proceedings and include information that may be of importance and interest to Australian fanciers in the ARPJ following the conference.
Wet canker and the race season Birds with elevated trichomonad levels are said to have ‘wet canker’. This condition remains the most common health based cause of compromised race performance in Australia and indeed the world. Although race results may appear OK, with good control of wet canker race results will be better. If control is poor then the results will not be as good as they could be . Put simply, without good control of wet canker fanciers can expect that less prizes will be won and more birds will be lost. Through good management and the correct use of medication, it is hoped that most race birds will have developed a reasonably strong natural immunity to wet canker by the start of the race season. The stress of racing will put any immunity that the birds have formed to the test. Depending on the birds natural immunity, what stresses the birds come under during racing and the level of trichomonad exposure in the race baskets, trichomonad levels will rise and fall. When high, they have a typical parasitic effect, weakening the bird, in the process creating a vulnerability to secondary infection (particularly respiratory infection) and compromising race performance. Trichomonads also produce a toxin that makes the birds feel unwell. Signs of elevated trichomonad levels ie wet canker can be subtle and quite varied. Typical signs that would alert the fancier to its possible presence include: 1. ‘Penguin’ posture – Associated with proventricular (glandular stomach) and crop pain. Birds will lean back on their tails and gulp. Noticed particularly after eating and drinking. 2. ‘Dry feather’ – Due to lack of down feather drop and bloom production. 3. ‘Leady’ feel – Affected birds will not come into condition and feel heavy in the hand. 4. Wet droppings – Inflammation in the digestive tract creates a thirst, leading to elevated water intake and urine production. This produces a clear watery rim around the dropping. 5. Green droppings – Due to digestive tract irritation and, in some birds, decreased food intake. 6. Inflammation in the throat – Tonsillitis and increased clear to grey bubbly mucus. 7. Interference with crop function – Delayed crop emptying and sometimes vomiting. 8. Increased food consumption by team as a whole – Due to the Trichomonads’ parasitic effect, the birds feel overly hungry. 9. Dry yellow canker – In birds of any age, this tells you that many other birds have elevated Trichomonad levels, which have not yet passed the threshold for yellow material to form. 10. Indirect signs – Poor loft flying, poor tossing, respiratory problems that respond poorly to medication or quickly relapse, a dramatic improvement in the birds’ general vigour in response to canker medication are all suggestive. Definitive diagnosis, however, depends on microscopic examination of a crop flush. Microscopic changes that are suggestive of the problem also develop in the droppings. These changes are associated with the stress of the disease and include elevated E. coli and yeast levels. These changes, however, do not occur in all birds. During the racing season birds are continually being exposed to canker organisms in the race baskets. Exposure, however, doesn’t necessarily equal infection. Birds that have a strong natural immunity and are being well cared for in their home loft are more likely to mount a good immune response and resist infection. If birds do become infected, however, this dramatically compromises their ability to compete successfully. Wet canker is the most common health cause of good pigeons failing to realise their full potential during racing. Wet canker is more likely to become established in the racing loft if: 1. There has been incorrect use (usually overuse) of medication during the breeding, weaning and pre-race times allowing insufficient exposure to the organism. 2. There are flaws in the loft management or environment that weaken the birds making them more vulnerable to infection – most commonly overtraining and incorrect feeding. 3. There is exposure to particularly pathogenic (disease-causing) strains of Trichomonad in the race basket. One of the nastiest Trichomonad strains known is a strain called the Barnes- Jones strain. In one experiment, a single Trichomonad organism of this strain was given to 20 adult pigeons. Over half died within a week, of canker. The strains of canker that cause wet canker in race units are ubiquitous and it is important for ongoing success either to have monitoring crop flushes done to check for the organisms’ presence through racing, ideally every two to three weeks or, if this is not possible or practical, to treat the birds periodically for wet canker through the racing season so that the disease cannot become established and interfere with the team’s performance as a whole. In most lofts, once racing is progressing, if the team hasn’t been treated for more than three weeks we would expect to find some birds with canker in more than 90% of teams. The usual treatment is ronidazole (eg Turbosole ) for three days every third week. Something as simple as this is adequate to keep the problem under control in the majority of lofts. If possible, it is a good idea to have regular monitoring crop flushes done to make sure that the drug being used is still effective. Often it can be good to use a different drug periodically to head off the development of any Trichomonad resistance. A very successful fancier that I dealt with in Europe several years ago had his veterinarian come to the loft every Tuesday. He had multiple race sections, each containing a number of widowhood cocks. The vet would crop flush one or two birds from each section. Those sections that contained birds that were positive would be treated and no birds from that section raced that weekend. The sections that were clear would be considered for racing. In Australia, a common medication protocol is to give the ronidazole-based "Turbosole" for three days every third week; every fourth treatment dimetridazole ("Emtril") is used as an alternative to prevent ronidazole-resistant strains becoming established in the loft. Ronidazole has the big advantage of being very safe and quickly excreted from the pigeon’s body. If medication stops two days before basketing then the birds go to the race as drug-free birds. Dimetridazole has the disadvantage of a narrow safety margin, and therefore needs to be accurately dosed. It is, however, the only other water-soluble canker drug available for flock treatment in Australia. In smaller teams, dosing with tablets such as "Spartrix", "Flagyl" or "Ronsec" becomes a practical way of giving an alternate medication. It is worth noting that these periodic treatments to control wet canker through the race season in race teams are best given on days when the whole team is there. Some fanciers treat on the day of the race or on the following day when there may be stragglers coming through. These stragglers may be late because they have wet canker and yet will have less access to medicated water the later they are, particularly if the loft is treated for a specific time. I think it is much better, in most lofts, to use Monday, Tuesday and possibly Wednesday as treatment days for a Thursday or Friday basketing. On these days all birds are in the loft and are most likely to receive a therapeutic dose. If a new strain of Trichomonad is introduced with a returning race bird then treating every few weeks is sufficient to prevent that strain becoming established and affecting the form of the team as a whole. It is naïve of certain fanciers to think that for some reason their birds will naturally be resistant to wet canker. Fanciers who don’t treat and don’t monitor cannot expect to be as less successful than they might otherwise have been. Some fanciers may think it is an overkill to test birds every three weeks during racing. I would strongly encourage them to do this at least for one to two years. What we often find is that the interval between treatments and the length of treatment that effectively keeps the trichomonad number low or zero, becomes predictable for that loft. Provided the loft parameters (the genetic make-up of the birds, the loft’s location, management practices, loft design and loft environment) remain unaltered then a program that has proved successful in the past can be successfully reapplied year after year. The aim is to find the lowest amount of medication that will keep the problem under control. Testing will identify this and once the control protocol for that loft has been developed it can continue to be used. Occasionally there can be a ‘spike’ after an unusual event (for example, a particularly hard toss during cold weather) and an unusual Trichomonad flare-up can occur. Interestingly, however, we do tend to find that as the season progresses, the need for medication declines. As the season progresses the birds are getting older, their levels of fitness and natural immunity rise and, in particular, in Victoria, the weather becomes warmer.
Avoiding that bad early toss It has happened to nearly all of us – despite every precaution , on an early toss that should be routine, a significant proportion of the team is lost. Just about every very successful fancier that I know has had this happen to them at one time or another. Recently during a conversation I had one such fancier summarize the precautions he takes to avoid this happening. His advice was that the first ten tosses are critical – they develop the mindset of the birds and set the tone for the season. In addition to all of the obvious things like ensuring that the birds are healthyl, are flying the roof well and selecting a sunny day with light winds he had the following three suggestions :- 1/Never take them more than 40 km (ie beyond the city limits) by yourself. 2/Always keep them on the line of flight - if they hit another team of pigeons then they are probably going in the same direction and are therefore less likely to drag your birds off line. 3/Don’t let the birds go until 11am and preferably before noon so that they can take full advantage of their navigation ability but are still likely to have sufficient time to work their way back if they get into trouble. To me , these suggestions sounds like good advice. But, pigeons are funny things, and despite the best of precautions things beyond our control can make a good toss bad. Hopefully these suggestions decrease the chance of this happening
Thinking laterally Around this time each year as fanciers start to toss their birds, like most fanciers, I get and report a number of strays. Most are in my loft half a day, or perhaps overnight, if I don’t notice them. The interesting thing for me is that about one in ten comeback after their owners collect them - and sometimes from quite a distance. During his race career well- known and very successful Wollongong fancier Graham Davison was known as a great innovator and lateral thinker. During a conversation that I had with him years ago he explained that he sometimes had Sydney pigeons stray into his loft in Wollongong. In order to save the owner, of a reported bird, a trip , if he was going to Sydney he would take the stray there and let it go. Some of these strays , despite being released close to home , went back to Graham’s loft in Wollongong. This got Graham thinking. Perhaps the fear of being alone and lost could be a motivator for pigeons. He placed several of his own birds as a trial in an open wire cage in the yard in front of his loft . In this cage the birds felt exposed and vulnerable. Graham ensured that they were safe in the cage but the pigeons themselves, did not feel safe. The pigeons in the cage could see the loft and when they were released they made a “bee-line” for it. They had developed a fresh appreciation for the sanctuary that the loft provided. Just how well any of these birds went in their races remains unclear. However, these observations do illustrate the importance of creating the desire in the birds to be in a particular loft. This is done by creating an environment where the birds do feel secure and want to return to quickly. Something that is essential for them to be successful race birds
Do untossed/raced yearlings make good two year olds? It is a widely held belief in some areas of Australia that unless birds are trained as yearlings that they will be “useless” as race birds. The suggestion is that , if for example, a fancier does not race for a year but breeds some birds during that year that he hopes to subsequently race , that in addition to the usual homing and loft training that the birds should also be tossed. I did not race in 2023 and so found myself in exactly that situation. In 2022 I bred about 50 birds. They were treated exactly the same way as a normal race team except for the fact that they were never tossed. Each morning throughout 2023 they were let out. I then ran the scrapper over the loft and after about 2 to 3 hours called them back in. They flew the loft well and were ranging bit were never tossed or indeed raced. At the end of 2023 I paired up normally , bred another 200 birds that joined the 50 unraced birds in the loft and then flew all of these birds as my race team through the full 2024 race program. At the end of the 2024 season I had gained eight placing in the top seven in the fed. Two of these were gained by the unraced birds , five were gained by the current yearlings and the eighth was gained by a three year old hen from 2021 team. Although a very small number, probably too small to have any mathematical significance there did not appear to be any difference in the likelihood of birds getting a top eight spot in the fed whether they were an unraced 2 year old or a yearling. This trend did continue when looking at all clock birds and returns as well. Although not exactly a “mythbuster” these results do cast doubt on the suggestion that it is essential, necessary or even beneficial to toss birds in the first year of life if they are to be subsequently raced. I am sure that results would varu from one oft to another but this has been my personal experience.
Unusual Pet Vets. Fanciers often bemoan that there are no vets that have any expertise with pigeons. More recently a group of motivated specialist veterinarians have opened a number of clinics around Australia that cater for unusual pets including birds. The clinics are manned by avian veterinary specialists and vets with a keen interest in birds. Although not being specific pigeon veterinarians, and therefore perhaps, not familiar with all the ins and outs of maintaining a race team and racing itself, they are very much familiar with the common diseases and their management. They are able to test for and recommend treatments for common problems in race birds and also able to treat individual birds of value that become unwell. Do however expect to pay rates consistent with specialist veterinary care. Clinics are now open in Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, in Waterloo in Sydney, in Fyshwick in Canberra, in Prospect in Adelaide, in Osbourne Park and Murdoch in Perth and in Jindalee, the Sunshine Coast , the Gold Coast and Chermside in Queensland. Contact details can be found simply by googling Unusual Pet Vets. Of course, these are not the only clinics in Australia that treat pigeons and birds more generally. A list of avian practices can be found on the Australian Pigeon Company website by clicking on the toolbar “About Us”.
PIC and Avian Flu control As discussed in the last ARPJ. Don’t forget to get your Property Identification Code (PIC ). Is it good for the sport to have good control of Avian flu? – of course it is. Part of this control involves early detection and control of spread of the disease. To do this AgVic in Victoria and the equivalent in the other states needs to know where bird populations are . This is one of the reasons for having a PIC. Fanciers not having a PIC makes Avian Influenza harder to control and places the sport more at risk.
A Quick Differential of the 6 most common virus Diseases A fancier walks into his loft and finds that some of his birds look sick and in a day or two some start to die. Chances are the problem is a viral disease. But which one? All viral diseases cause similar symptoms to some extent, with affected birds eating less, becoming fluffed up and being reluctant to move around the loft or fly. Several viruses cause yellow scum to coat the mouth. But, what are the symptoms that set each viral disease apart? Symptoms can vary between pigeon populations depending on their background immunity and age but in Australia at the moment the “in loft” signs that would alert a fancier to which virus is involved are :- 1/ PMV – distinguished by its high mortality rate and high volume extremely watery droppings. If more than 10% of birds and certainly more than 25% die then the problem is almost certainly PMV. No other viral disease matches the high mortality rate of PMV. Damage to the kidneys by the PMV virus makes them unable to concentrate urine. This leads to large wet patches on the floor and fanciers describing the loft “awash” with wet droppings 2/ Rota – distinguished by green droppings and vomiting. With Rota usually less than 5% of birds die . Often none will die. Rota damages the liver. This makes the droppings generally green with the normally white part of the dropping ( uric acid ) becoming “fluoro” green as bile salts are passed in the urine. 3/ Circo – mortality always less than 5% and more usually 1 -2%, it is older youngsters ( usually those that have dropped 2 to 4 flights ) that are affected , most sick birds develop a yellow scum in the mouth and those that become unwell almost invariably die. 4/ Pox – yellow vesicles on the skin in a bird that is otherwise well, birds spontaneously recover in 2 to 6 weeks 5/ Herpes – pigeons of all ages are affected and display a variety of symptoms based on what part of the body the virus targets in that particular bird. Some birds die acutely – not being sick long enough to lose weight, others have a protracted illness primarily with weight loss, inappetance and diarrhea 6/ Adeno – 2 forms of the disease , in young birds --most birds are affected with diarrhea, only a few birds die and most unwell birds recover with antibiotic treatment, in old birds -- only a few birds are affected and virtually all birds that become unwell die.
State and Federal Issues Fanciers may recall that in an earlier edition of the ARPJ I put together a list of issues that I thought warranted attention by the VRPB and ANRPB. I received a detailed reply from the VRPB. I appreciated that. VRPB members are all volunteers and it is good that these fanciers are prepared to give of their time for the pigeon sport. I feel that some of the issues and decisions made would now benefit from a review and a broader discussion. One of the issues was listed as point 4 . It stated – “Investigating the benefits of OLRs to the sport and addressing the health issues associated with these events and introducing a form of accreditation”. In the correspondence from the VRPB I was advised that this was discussed at a VRPB meeting “and it was decided that the management of one loft races is a private issue and should be managed by individuals who run those races.” I think that this decision should be reviewed. I am not aware of any situation where the disease and mortality that has occurred in a OLR has been due to poor management practices by the OLR operator. Disease enters OLRs in birds entered by Australian pigeon fanciers. The level of health problems and deaths that occur in OLRs is not therefore an individual manager’s problem but is rather a problem within the sport. How can a OLR manager be expected to keep birds under his care well if fanciers send him birds infected with serious high mortality diseases. I also just don’t see how each loft manager addressing the problem privately solves the problem for the sport generally. Operating privately means that each manager would be addressing the same problem independently with the same testing being duplicated from one OLR to another. This is not efficient. Working together, combining information and results would address the problem and be more likely to provide solutions that would help the sport. Greg Hamilton organised for me to speak to the SAHPA two years ago. A OLR conducted in South Australia was discussed while I was there. Over 25% of the entered birds had died – there was no vaccination program in place, no quarantine, no veterinary diagnostics , nothing . The birds just kept dying . Dead birds were removed daily and fanciers were asked to send replacements – some of which also died. OLR managers are not animal health professionals and even if they wanted to access an avian vet, this is not always easy. Some are also either not aware or resistant to the idea of getting a PIC and the possibility of investigating the health problems in the OLR birds under their care being subsidised by the SDI scheme ( as discussed in previous ARPJs). I don’t think it is reasonable that they should be expected to each address a problem independently that is a problem of the sport generally. Duplicating costs and effort makes no sense to me. Apart from the advantages in addressing health issues in OLRs through working collaboratively and not privately the other issue is accreditation. The VRPB or ANRPB could release guidelines for OLR managers. Protocols developed by Dr Rob Conradie and used by him in the Million Dollar race and in AfrikaPro are useful and have been discussed at length by me in the ARPJ. They are a good starting point to developing Australian guidelines. Accreditation would simply mean that OLR managers had agreed to follow these guidelines. For example , PMV seems to be one of the diseases that causes significant problems in OLRs. Dr Conradie has shown that vaccinating potential OLR entrants at 4 and 6 weeks of age and then shipping them at 8 weeks has dramatically reduced the incidence of the disease. Certainly there would be problems homing some of these older birds but this would be more than offset by the reduction in mortality and reduced risk of damage that comes with exposure to the virus in partially immune birds that survive. OLR managers that agreed to this and other protocols would be accredited . So , why would the OLR manager want to be accredited ? Accreditation would show to fanciers that health management practices were in place that would make it less likely that their birds would become sick or die if entered in that particular OLR. I am sure that most OLR managers run a OLR because they enjoy it but for them it is also a business. They want fanciers to pay and enter birds. Accreditation would allow them to advertise this point , in the process giving fanciers more confidence and attracting entries. At the moment any fancier can start a OLR. A rogue fancier who ran into problems would not only have problems himself but draw negative attention to the sport. There are several instances in other animal based activities where this has happened. The most recent being in the greyhound industry where the poor practices of several trainers actually led to the sport being shut down for a period of time. There are other examples with pet shops, sheep farmers and chicken breeders. Accreditation would mean that recognised vaccination programs and other health management practices were followed and that veterinary advice was sought when birds become unwell or die. OLR managers if they chose could contact me . I have always provided veterinary advice for no charge to the managers of OLR so this would not place a financial burden on them. Another factor to consider is that under the new Victorian Animal Welfare Act, if an owner knows that an animal under his care is unwell, is at risk of dying or in pain then under the new Act failure to seek veterinary attention is an offence. As a sport we would obviously prefer to be self- regulated and indeed the government prefers activities like ours to be this way. We should not do anything to put this at risk and so it falls to the VRPB in Victoria and the ANRPB nationally to ensure OLR managers are aware of their requirements . Accreditation would also show a willingness of the VRPB and ANRPB to ensure that animal welfare guidelines are met and at the same time isolate fanciers who chose to ignore these and operate independently.
As I see it we have 2 ways forward :- 1/ VRPB – does nothing saying it is a private matter, ANRPB—does the same , the problem persists ie significant disease and death flare ups in OLR, potential for reputational damage to the sport and VRPB, risk of OLR managers being prosecuted under new Animal Welfare laws 2/ Guidelines are issued , OLR managers that agree to follow these become accredited, the VRPB, the ANRPB, OLR managers and the sport generally are addressing the problem and just as importantly are seen to be addressing the problem, general health increases and mortality decreases in OLRs I feel that it is up to our state and federal bodies to get on, help fanciers and address the situation. Another discussed issue was my proposal for an investigation into the causes of ill health and death in OLRs. Tony Price, in his capacity as a Victorian rep to the ANRPB put forward my recommendation that the ANRPB fund an investigation into the principle diseases causing illness and death in OLRs. I have been proposing this investigation for several years. Funding, was not approved by the ANRPB. I feel this is another decision that needs review. As discussed in this column, on numerous occasions, the ANRPB holds in excess of $60,000 in a health management fund for something that is extremely unlikely to occur at any time in the future . I feel it is better to use part of this money to deal with an issue that is facing the sport now. I am struggling to understand how health management programs can be developed to control the diseases killing young pigeons in OLRs if we don’t know what are the diseases of concern? As an avian veterinarian I have offered my time completely for free – something that many racing organisations would jump at. A significant number of Australian fanciers send birds to OLRs ( and this is growing ) so the fancy would benefit from the results of such an investigation generally. OLRs are the sports Achilles heel -- they are used to promote the sport and yet they are where most deaths and losses occur. The investigation of disease , pooling of results and development of management programs is vital. Another issue that could potentially receive “bad press” about OLRs ( and may be related to health issues) is the number of birds lost. In some OLRs toss and race losses have been huge. There have been occasions where as a many as 500 birds have been lost in a single toss. Apart from potential animal welfare concerns, at $300 per entry this represent $150,000 of fanciers money gone. Testing and effective health management programs would enable OLR managers to provide more targeted and effective treatments. It stands to reason that the healthier the birds are then the less likely they are to be lost.
Another issue that I suggested was that the ANRPB actively represent Australian fanciers in the FCI. It was pleasing to learn that the ANRPB is now a member of the FCI. But , I feel that becoming a member is the easy part . Actually contributing and achieving something is the issue. Australia punches well above its weight internationally already. Remember it was in Australia that the cause of the new disease killing pigeons around the world was actually diagnosed as due to a Rota virus. I presented these findings as keynote speaker at the International avian vet conference in Poland in 2019. It is in Australia that some health management practices that are now common around the world were pioneered. Similarly , following a recent meeting , further trials are planned for the Salmonella vaccine this coming breeding season with a view to release in China. A 6 venue speaking tour is envisaged with up to 600 attendees at each one. The irony is that most Australian fanciers don’t use or in fact are not aware of this vaccine despite it being available for 20 years. Australia is a pigeon racing backwater but we are taking our expertise to the world.
Unfortunately I think that there is currently a massive disconnect between the state and federal bodies and many fanciers. I speak to on average six fanciers per day about veterinary matters. More than half don’t even know of the VRPB’s existence. I feel it is important to keep fanciers abreast of state and federal activities with a monthly ARP Journal update – these do not need to be long. Regular updates promote a feeling of inclusion and involvement. Also, updates will let the fanciers know of these bodies existence and also what they are doing for them. Fanciers are unlikely to give their full support otherwise. Also the establishment of a fancier list would enable accurate information and updates on state and federal activities to be sent directly via email or social media to each fancier. It is standard practice in every other sporting group that I am aware of to have a membership list.
In a recent conversation a fellow fancier stated words to the effect that unless the state and federal bodies send information to the Journal to be published, generally no-one has any idea what the boards are doing and so fanciers assume they are doing nothing and are useless. He went onto say that he agreed with my comments about the investigation of disease in OLRs-- given there is only one OLR in Victoria it would probably make more sense for the ANRPB to do the OLR research, but if they won’t do it then there’s no reason the VRPB shouldn’t do it. There is a large number of fanciers participate in OLR’s so it would certainly be beneficial to the sport and members, not just the operators of the businesses. I am sure that some fanciers will disagree with what I say and that is fine. Unfortunately, the sport of pigeon racing has shown itself to be very ill equipped to deal collaboratively with broader issues – remember all of the issues and problems with PMV and then Rota. Just last year when Avian flu led to the cancellation of the ANPA national show and threatened racing, the amount of misinformation on- line was, I found, really troubling. Unfortunately there were no directives and no information release from a representative body. Even if there were there is no efficient means of spreading that information in place to all fanciers. In the absence of accurate information, misinformation tends to fill the void. Members of the VRPB and ANRPB are all volunteers and it is good that these fanciers have put up their hands to take on the role. It is nice that the ANRPB runs championship competitions, gives money away as prize money to some races and celebrates the role of pigeons in previous wars but there is lots for our state and federal bodies to do that have significant consequences for the sports immediate future. Obvious examples being a co- ordinated response plan to deal with an Avian influenza outbreak co- ordinated with the relevant government body and the development of a comprehensive membership list where accurate information can be disseminated throughout the fancy. Privacy issues are not a concern here . Every fancier who keeps more than 50 birds by law should have a PIC ( Property Identification Code) . Supplying an address and contact details is necessary to obtain a PIC. Other issues have been discussed in earlier ARPJs. Hopefully in the coming ARPJs we can be updated about the progress and successes of these bodies.
Vet Questions 1/ I read an article that said if people have a bird bath in their backyard, if they put an old copper coin in it, it will take a lot longer for the water to turn green. If this is true and someone put a coin in their pigeon drinkers, would the copper have any negative effect on the pigeons? Copper is a heavy metal ( like mercury and lead ) and so is toxic . Poisoning occurs either with a single high exposure or long term low grade exposure. Heavy metals are quickly absorbed into the body but only slowly excreted . They accumulate in the body which is a problem. When I was working we used to see pet cockatoos with lead poisoning whose drinkers were made of galvanised metal. We used a number of drugs( eg Ca EDTA, dimercaprol and others ) to chelate the metal out of their system. If the pigeons had an occasional drink of the “copper coin “ water I don’t think this would be a problem but there is certainly the potential for toxicity depending on intake in the longer term. Plastic, glass or stainless steel drinkers are all good
2/ I had a pigeon get pox after I vaccinated the team.What should I do? Vaccination in this bird has failed either through being overlooked or not done correctly. Because the pigeon pox vaccine is a modified live vaccine, vaccinated birds are infectious. They are infectious until the pox vesicle has healed. This can take up to 6 weeks. I suspect that the bird with pox has caught the disease from one of its loftmates. Essentially this bird has vaccinated itself and will recover in the same way as the vaccinated birds. Provided the pox vesicle in this bird is not interfering with its ability to breath, eat or see it is best to just let this process run its course.
3/ I don’t know if you have seen this before but I have young bird in my race team that is well in itself and hungry but when it goes to eat grain on the floor it misses . It takes 3 or 4 strikes for it to get the grain . What is going on? This is called “seed blindness” and occurs when pigeons are either long or short sighted . These birds know that the grain is there and are hungry for it but cant see it sufficiently clearly to grab each grain cleanly. Seed blindness can be acquired due to disease or damage to the eye but in a young bird it has probably just been born that way. I think that the problem is more common that we realise. It takes an astute and observant fancier to pick it up. When birds are fed in a hopper it is easily overlooked – they just peck into the hopper and can’t miss a grain. When fed on the floor and grain is scattered it becomes more apparent. Affected birds are often first through the traps and may appear hungrier than the other birds. As far as racing is concerned the thought is that birds with impaired vision would have a compromised race ability. After all it is hard to enough to win with a perfect bird.
4/ Six of my younger stock birds ( I keep about 25 pair of stock birds )have started limping over the last few weeks. What could this be ? None of my race birds are affected. All birds have free access to grit and pink minerals . The race birds but not the stock birds have been vaccinated against Salmonella. If this was happening in a race loft then the most likely cause would be that the birds are injuring themselves. In the stock loft the odd bird can injure itself but with 6 affected something else is likely to be the cause. Older stock birds can get a variety of age related problem that can make them limp including arthritis , gout and a condition called “bumblefoot” where the base of the foot is repeatedly damaged through inappropriate flooring or perching. However with the younger birds affected these types of problems become unlikely. The bones of breeding stock birds can become under- mineralised which makes them sore and in turn causes affected birds to limp but with ongoing access to mineral sources such as grit and pink minerals this too is unlikely. With just the younger birds affected and now just over 10% affected an infectious cause becomes a possibility. Of these Salmonella would be the most likely. Salmonella can cause a range of problems but one of the conditions it can cause is a bacterial infection of a joint. As the infection becomes more established, fluid builds up in the joint causing the affected joint to swell. This can be felt by feeling along the affected limb. In the early stage of infection however there is insufficient fluid to be felt but the joint is still sore making affected birds limp. Salmonella can be both hard to diagnose and hard to treat. The condition can be suggestively diagnosed by drawing blood and looking for changes in the biochemistry ( organ function tests) and haematology ( blood cell tests) consistent with infection. Salmonella can be definitively diagnosed by aspirating some fluid from the affected joint and then having this tested , either through culture or PCR for the bacteria’s presence. It can be hard however to get a suitable diagnostic fluid sample for testing if there is not much fluid present. Salmonella is hard to treat . Unlike some other bacterial infections where 3 to 5 days of antibiotic treatment is sufficient, Salmonella often requires treatment times of 10 to 14 days or even longer. The organism needs prolonged exposure of an appropriate antibiotic at a therapeutic level to have any chance of success. This is because Salmonella has a couple of nasty characteristics. After being engulfed by a white blood cell , as the body fights the infection, rather than being destroyed , Salmonella can survive in the white blood cell. Once here, not only can the bacteria be carried throughout the body but antibiotics cannot reach it . Even despite a long antibiotic course not all birds will be effectively treated. In some birds the bacteria persists in various places throughout the body – for example in micro abscesses, in white blood cells and in areas with a poor blood supply ( and therefore poor antibiotic delivery ). Once antibiotic therapy ceases the infection leaches back out into the body and infection re- establishes. In this situation I would initially try a 7 day course of Sulpha AVS ( Baytril is another alternative but is much more expensive for usually little if any advantage). This should at least stop further cases developing and hopefully lead to some improvement in affected birds. If these things happen this would be very suggestive that Salmonella is involved. If this does in fact happen the antibiotic course can be extended but the longer term solution will be to vaccinate the stock birds against Salmonella . Now, while the stock birds are not paired is a good time to do this.
5/ Several of my race team have come late from tosses and have on return a dropped wing . After a week or so they get better. Initially when it was just one or two birds affected I thought they had just injured themselves but with further birds being affected I am worried that this could be Salmonella. This could be Salmonella but I think that this is a less likely cause in this situation. The main reason being that the birds get better without treatment. Salmonella once it gets into a joint does not fix itself and even, if by some quirk, the bacteria did go , the infection quickly damages the joint surface leading to persistent soreness and compromise of function. I think it is most likely, in this situation, that the birds are injuring themselves. Salmonella is an insidious disease that can affect general health , breeding performance and race performance. These days with a cheap , easy to use affective oral vaccination available it makes great sense to routinely vaccinate the birds.
6/ Hope you are well. I am a vet with a small loft of pigeons (pets/like to watch them fly). I was wondering if I could please pick your brain about the PPMV vaccine. I have sourced the vaccine from Zoetis and intend to vaccinate my flock of 8 pigeons and repeat the vaccine in 1 month. From what I can tell it is possible to buy this vaccine online but not sure if Zoetis sells to Ag stores. I've been thinking it could be nice to give away some of the bottle (from myself as an individual not from the clinic I work at) to any local pigeon owners instead of binning the unused portion but I'm trying to figure if this is even legal (albeit perhaps professionally dubious/a liability) or will be of any benefit to any pigeon keepers around here. Is this something that is commonly done? Just seems a shame to throw it all out. I've tried emailing DPI but the contact on their old info document has since retired. It seems like now that it is a registered pigeon product this information (off label scripting etc) may not be relevant anymore. Yes, Poulvac is registered for use in pigeons . It is not a prescription medicine and can be purchased through produce stores. In 2013- 2014 Peter Scott , Tim Wilson and myself conducted a Poulvac vaccine trial . The results were published in the AVJ and subsequently used by Zoetis to extend the Poulvac registration to include pigeons. I tend to discourage the sharing of vaccine bottles between lofts because of the risk of disease transfer where the same needle is used to both inject birds and then draw vaccine from the bottle by lay people. However this is obviously not a concern here. The time to vaccinate race birds against PPMV for this year has now passed with racing having already started or about to start in all states. It may , however be worth contacting the local club to see if there is a fancier who may be able to use the vaccine after next breeding season.
7/ Just wondering if there is anything that I could buy for pigeon pain relief, although we can’t see it but birds come home with smashed keels and legs that may not be broken but they are unable to stand on them, must be in some pain. I would appreciate any advice Yes, there are pain medications available . The most common one is called meloxicam. This drug is used in dogs and cats as well as birds so is available from most vets. It is however a prescription drug and so only available after veterinary consultation