Expiry Dates A common question is whether or not products can be used past their expiry dates. The not so simple answer is “maybe”. In Australia with the strict requirements for registered products there is essentially a guarantee that if the product has been stored as directed on the label then the product will contain what the label says and do what the label claims. After this date no guarantee can be given. Obviously though the active ingredients don’t suddenly lose their potency overnight on the expiry date. After this time there is a gradual decline in the products activity. Some products are more stable than others . For example some vaccines, probiotics and vitamins tend to degrade quite quickly. Some of the wormers , notably moxidectin and ivomectin also degrade quite quickly. Conversely other vaccines and many of the antibiotics are very stable. The manufacturers of registered products, because they are legally obligated that the product be fully potent right through to the expiry date, put in what is called an overage at the time of manufacture. For example at the Australian Pigeon Company , we do this with our pink mineral, Pigeon Vitamin Mineral Powder ( PVM )powder. Because the vitamin A is known to degrade we put extra vitamin A into the blend so that despite the loss of potency the user can be assured that his birds are receiving at least the amount of Vitamin A on the label right up to the expiry date. This means of course that if the product is used soon after manufacture that the birds are receiving a bit more than is on the label. Overages are only done, of course where it is safe . Doxycycline, in particular , is a very stable antibiotic. We have tested Doxyvet, that is a 12% doxycycline preparation ( that has a registered shelf life of 2 years ) a year past the expiry date and found that it had only lost ½% of its potency. Similarly pigeon pox vaccine is remarkably stable. Provided it is kept frozen, it should last for a decade. Unfortunately there is no guarantee of anything with unregistered products. Anyone can put anything it a jar and claim it does certain things. There is no shortage of such products being offered to pigeon fanciers , including in this magazine. If a product is registered this means that it has passed a government review and has met a certain standard. Fanciers can be assured that what is stated on the label is accurate. I remember years ago , someone simply did a cut and paste of our listed ingredients on our Multivite Plus label onto the label of a product thet they were selling. Goodness knows what their non- registered product contained. It really is a matter of “buyer beware”. If you are unsure about a product or have a query about expiry dates your closest avian vet will be able to advise you.
New Staff Member at Australian Pigeon Company Many fanciers will be familiar with the “voice on the end of the phone”, Laura Van Dinther, at the APC factory in Bayswater , Melbourne. Laura is happy to take any orders for pigeon products that fanciers might need and is very familiar with getting these products expediently to fanciers. For the last 13 years she has been very ably assisted by our storeman Ian Osmand. Ian raced pigeons, with success, for many years , and previously worked with Ian McKay ( well known for his pigeon grain mixtures ) before joining us at the APC in 2009. Ian is now retiring and intends to spend more time with another of his passions -- fishing. We wish him all the best and thank him for doing a great job while with us. Our new staff member is Tracy Addams. Tracy was one of my surgical nurses when I was in clinical practice. Tracy will now split her time between working at a busy specialist veterinary eye clinic and the Australian Pigeon Company. Tracy will be assisting Laura and she will no doubt become either a familiar face or voice on the phone to those fanciers visiting our factory or placing phone orders. We are pleased to have her on our team.
Selecting for better pigeons There is no doubt that we are losing more pigeons these days than we did years ago. I have had some fanciers suggest that the answer is to just keep selecting for better pigeons. Is it really that simple? We have been selecting for better pigeons for many decades and yet our losses are higher.
This means that either :- 1/ our selection criteria are wrong 2/ our ability to select good pigeons is poor 3/ the statement is incorrect 4/ conditions are changing more quickly than our pigeons can adapt. I mention this only as an example , but in 1990 I won a 600 mile race from Collarenebri to Melbourne with 5,700 birds competing. About half of these birds were from VHA members. The birds had a head wind all the way and I clocked at 10.21 am the morning of the second day to record a velocity less than 900 mpm. I clocked my second bird about an hour later. It did not make the top 30 in the VHA result. In a head wind 600 mile race clocking mid-morning on the second day, all positions were taken in under an hour. These days any bird that home in such a race would probably get a prize. My returns were typical – I had about half my birds home by the end of the second day. If nothing else these results show that it is not the distance , even if the racing is hard, that stops the birds coming home. If anything, our pigeons are less able to complete low velocity, long distance events now despite further decades of selection. Something has changed. I don’t think that anyone really knows why we are losing more pigeons now. Most fanciers have an opinion . Anecdotally there does seem to be more falcons. Peregrines that were listed as endangered are now listed as “least concern” on the CITES list. My personal opinion is that they are at least a contributing factor to the increased losses. Although we should continue to only breed from the best, I believe that the higher losses now cannot simply be solved by simply selecting for better pigeons.
Calcium Supplementation in Race Birds Fanciers should be mindful of the calcium intake of their race birds particularly towards the end of the racing season and particularly in the hens. All of the grains that are fed to pigeons are notoriously low in calcium. As the season progresses some of the hens will start to lay eggs. Most will compensate for the associated loss of calcium by eating grits and preferably also pink minerals that are provided. Some hens don’t eat much of these supplements and most don’t eat enough. Yet calcium is essential for nerve transmission, muscle contraction and strong bones – all things that are essential for optimum performance. In addition, in hens that lay several times , low calcium levels can predispose to difficult egg laying, abnormal ovulations and oviduct infections. Towards the end of the race season if significant numbers of eggs start appearing it can be beneficial to add a sugar free water soluble calcium supplement to the water. I recommend the Australian Pigeon Company’s Calcivite Plus. In addition to calcium in a proteinated form ( which is easier for birds to absorb), this product also contains magnesium ( magnesium levels track calcium levels and birds that are low in calcium are therefore often low in magnesium as well ) and vitamin D ( which helps calcium absorption by the body). Five mls per litre one day per week in the drinker will help pigeons whose levels are getting low to replenish their reserves.
What you need to have to be able to win long distance races I had a conversation recently with one of Australia’s most successful long distance racers. He advised what you need to have to be successful at long distance racing . Its three things -- you need genetics, fitness and form. As always “the devil is in the detail”. Sounds simple when it is stated in such a straightforward way but my goodness these three things together can be hard to achieve.
Finding an Avian Vet I have some fanciers say that they are not happy with the vet that they are using but that they have no choice. This situation is changing. Avian vets have completed an initial 6 year veterinary degree and then after working for several years have then , on average, studied for a further 4 years and then sat further oral and written exams to finally become recognised as a Member of the College of Veterinary Surgeons in Avian Health. It is quite a journey. Twenty years ago there were only about 20 avian vets in the whole country. There are now 3 – 4 times this number. 60 to 80 may seem alot but not when this is compared to the many thousands of vets that treat dogs and cats. All the same ,there is an avian vet within driving distance of most pigeon fanciers. If you are having trouble finding one, then Laura, our APC receptionist can assist you. Laura’s number at the APC is 0450400034. We also have a list of qualified avian vets on our APC website.
Smuggled Pigeons It may come as a surprise to many pigeon fanciers that there is still pigeon genetic material being smuggled into Australia. Pigeons can only legally be imported into Australia from countries that are free of certain diseases ,notably, Newcastle disease and Avian Flu. This requirement precludes importation from the Middle Eastern countries. Countries such as Lebanon, Syria and Turkey have many wonderful breeds of pigeons. For Australian pigeon fanciers who migrated here from these countries, the desire to obtain pigeons from their former homeland is very strong. The genetics typically enter as fertile eggs. Eggs from special pairs in Lebanon can be purchased for as much as AUD $500 each , an amount that would feed a family for a year, and so there is also a willingness to supply material. Some estimates suggest that hundreds even thousands of eggs enter the country covertly each year. In the last month I have personally been shown videos and photos of imported eggs and the resultant chicks and adults. The adults in the photos are of breeds and colours that have never been legally imported into this country. In 2010 Australia and New Zealand were the only pigeon racing countries in the world that did not have pigeon PMV. In 2011 this changed when PPMV was initially detected and very quickly became established in Australia. At the time the thought was that the virus had gained entry with pigeons smuggled in from the Middle East. I personally find it very frustrating that this practice seems to be continuing. As the pigeon material is brought in as eggs the appropriate border authorities need to be particularly vigilant in screening for these when examining parcels and objects from these areas.
Use of Poovac It is getting to the time when some fanciers may consider deliberately exposing their young pigeons to droppings or vomit collected previously from pigeons known to be infected with Rota virus in order for them to develop some immunity to the virus. In some circles infected samples are frozen and stored from year to year for this purpose. Fanciers are reminded that :- 1/ This practice not only exposes the young pigeons to Rota virus but any other pathogens ( such as Herpes, Circo, Salmonella, coccidia etc etc )that the sample may contain. 2/ This technique actually infects the birds with the virus. Although most birds clear the virus within 12 weeks of infection , some do not. In these birds that continue to carry the virus in their system , the virus smoulders away causing ongoing damage , in particular to the liver, in the process permanently compromising the birds racing career. Rota virus has been detected in pigeons 6 months after apparent recovery from the disease. 3/ The use of Poovac is illegal. It is illegal in Australia to expose an animal to material known to be infected and knowing that this will lead to disease in that animal. 4/ The vaccine that is available , Rotavax, has been shown to stimulate immunity to the virus. Although the immunity generated from the vaccine use is not sufficiently high to completely block symptoms in all birds, it is sufficient to significantly reduce the severity of the disease. In this regard it is the same as the Covid vaccine. 5/ I trials done in 2020, where blood profiles were done on both vaccinated and non- vaccinated after Rota virus exposure, it was revealed that changes associated with internal damage due to the virus were severe in the non vaccinated but were mild or non-existent in vaccinated birds.
Rotavax is a sub- unit vaccine and therefore harmless to the birds. The strong recommendation is that birds be vaccinated 2 or 3 times during development rather than deliberately infected with the active disease through the use of Poovac. Full details on vaccination protocols can be found on the VRPB website
VRPB News Not much to report this month. All reps have essentially been too busy flying the long distance races. In fact at the time of writing ( early November), the VHA still has three races to fly. The VRPB will meet in the new year to discuss various issues with the results of that meeting being reported in this magazine.
Victoria’s New Animal Welfare Act Last month’s Update included a summary for pigeon racers of Victoria’s new animal welfare act. This summary generated discussion with some fanciers suggesting that we should not become involved but simply stay “under the radar” and just continue with the business of pigeon racing. Of most concern to some fanciers ,was that we, as a sport did not want to draw attention to the loss of pigeons in some races. I don’t think this is the right approach and to some extent making this suggestion indicates a failure to understand the legislation.
If pigeon racing was a new activity then it may be subject to both “care” and “cruelty” offences in the new Act. Care offences involve things like failing to provide food or water etc while cruelty offences involve acts of cruelty where an animal has suffered due to the actions or inactions of a human or where people have deliberately done something to cause an animal pain or suffering. The Act however acknowledges that pigeon racing is a long established activity. As such , pigeon racing has provisionally been granted an exemption to these offences provided that it is conducted in a particular way. This is consistent with exemptions that apply to similar activities that also involve animals such as fishing , hunting and rodeos, that can potentially cause harm or distress to animals. And so what does it mean to be conducted in a particular way. This means that the activity should be conducted in a way that would be considered reasonable and acceptable by the majority of members within the industry and by an average member of the public.
If an animal industry , such as pigeon racing can be conducted in this particular way then the government is keen for that animal industry to be self- regulating . It is the animal industries themselves, after all, that are the experts in the care of their particular animals. However to be self- regulating the industry must show that it is able to adopt standards that , as stated above ,would be regarded as acceptable by the majority of members within the industry and average members of the public.
Failure to reach an acceptable standard would mean that we would risk losing the governments confidence in allowing us to self- regulate. This in turn would mean that we may have an independent body advising us on how pigeons should be raced. This body may have no direct experience with pigeon racing. I cannot see that this would be popular. It is therefore imperative that organizations and individual fanciers familiarize themselves with their requirements under the new regulations ( as set out in last month’s Journal ) and meet these requirements. The requirements for individual fanciers are quite clear however the requirements for federations and clubs are less so . One difficulty is that at times it can a little bit “blurry” as to what would be regarded as acceptable to most fanciers. For example most fanciers would not think it reasonable to release 100 birds in a race of 300 miles ( 500 km ) into a headwind on a 39C day. However most would think it reasonable to release such birds on a still day of less than 30C. However, the acceptable limit between these extremes is ill defined. Another example is the number of birds in race baskets. Most federations adopt similar basket density standards to those in Europe ( ie 0-1 night ,44 square inches per bird, 2 nights 52 square inches, over 2 nights 60 square inches all with 10 inches headroom ). So most fanciers would think that the number of birds in a race basket based on these figures would be fine where most would think that more than this is not reasonable . It would be ideal if we had similar guidelines to cover all aspects of pigeon racing.
Some fanciers worry about the ability to comply with the new regulations and conduct long distance races. There is no problem with conducting long distance races provided that they don’t start ( or in some cases continue ) to normalize the loss of pigeons . Do we need long distance races? Absolutely, but they need to be conducted in such a way that birds are given a reasonable chance of return. Long distance races identify the birds with the constitution, orientation capability and mental ability to stay on the wing for many hours to reach home. They are also a good indication of a fanciers ability to condition and prepare his birds to do this. For many fanciers the long distance races are the sports principal attraction. Under the new act these races can be conducted but provided they are run in a way that would be regarded as acceptable to most members of the sport and to some extent the average member of the public. My personal opinion is that these events should be races and not homing matches. If this is not likely to occur then the birds should not be released. We want to be able to breed from the early birds and not the only birds that get home. For some fanciers their whole lives are so intricately involved with pigeon racing that they can end up living in a bit of a bubble, with their views being out of step with societal expectations regarding animal care. The only change that I can see under the new act is that the outdated attitude of some fanciers of “let them up and the good birds will get back’ will need to change.
Of course, the vast majority of individual fanciers and federations far exceed the standards of care and management that would be regarded as satisfactory by most members of the public. Racing pigeons are probably the best cared for and healthiest group of domestic birds. The level of hygiene and disease management practiced in most lofts is the envy of many chicken, finch and parrot breeders.
Rather than “stay under the radar” we need to continue what we are doing and maintain the standards that are essentially already in place . We need to be our own self- regulating voice with pigeon welfare becoming an increasingly major driver of any future decisions that are made within the sport.
OLR Health Management The management of disease in OLRs is always a challenge. This is because large numbers of young pigeons from many different lofts mix intimately following a period of stress associated with transport to the loft and settling into that loft. Protocols to help minimise health issues in OLRs can be found on the VRPB website at www.vrpb.org.au. The main diseases to control are PMV and Rota. After last year where there were catastrophic health outcomes in some OLRs there are a number of additional measures where fanciers and OLR managers can work together to help decrease problems. These are ;- 1/ Fanciers can vaccinate birds against PMV and preferably Rota at 3 weeks of age and delay sending squeakers until 5 weeks of age . OLR managers can request that this be done. 2/ OLR managers can randomly select youngsters as they arrive and test them to confirm that they have, in fact, been vaccinated. This involves sending a drop of blood to a lab for a HI/HA test. Cost per test is about $20. Fanciers who have not complied with a OLR managers request and testing shows that they have sent non- vaccinated birds can elect to have all of their youngsters either returned or euthanised. 3/ OLR managers can booster squeakers with PMV and Rota vaccs 2 weeks after arrival 4/ Rapid Antigen tests ( RAT ) for PMV are available but are still being validated . Once this validation process is complete , any bird that appears unwell or has watery droppings on arrival can be tested by the OLR manager for PMV at the loft with the results being available in 3 minutes. Cost per test is about $20 . All birds from a fancier where a bird returns a positive result are either returned or euthanised.
Once again this year I am providing veterinary assistance to Stevan Gazzola of Meadows OLR. Stevan is very committed to do all that he can to keep the birds healthy. Together we are aiming to set the “gold standard” for health management in OLRs. As mentioned in earlier articles the VRPB has taken on the national responsibility of evaluating young bird vaccination protocols and investigating disease and its control in OLRs. A “war chest” has been developed to fund this work . Further donations can be made to VRPB treasurer Eddie Szatkowski
Vet Questions
1/ I have mated the best hen in my loft to 3 cocks over the last 3 years. With 2 cocks all 3 rounds were clear. Last year with the third cock only one of 3 rounds were fertile. Is there a problem with this hen’s fertility? It has been suggested to me that trimming the feathers around the vent in both the hen and her mate may help. Is this something that you recommend? The way that a hen’s fertility is accessed is whether or not she can lay eggs. If she can ovulate and produce eggs then she is fertile. If the eggs are clear then either there will be problem with the cock or the mating act is not being completed . The feathers around the vent are often called ‘feeler feathers’. The thought is that because birds cannot actually see where their vent is located relative to the bird that they are mating with, that these feathers allow the birds to “feel” where they are relative to the other bird. I don’t know whether this is the case or not but if it is then trimming these feathers may , in fact, decrease the chance of a successful mating. Some fanciers , however, do swear by this practice but with so many other factors affecting fertility and no control studies it is quite likely that any fertile eggs produced after feeler feather trimming would have been fertile anyway. Having said that it may be something to try towards the end of a breeding season if the first 2 rounds are clear. Doing it then means that you are not risking much and the feathers will be moulted anyway soon after the pairs are split up . Choosing a mature, placid, proven cock that does not drive the hen hard and then using an individual run all mean that the hen is more likely to crouch well and for a sufficient time for insemination to occur. This hen would also be a good candidate for artificial insemination. Place her with a cock and then have an avian vet collect semen and inseminate her on day 6 ,8 and 10. If the semen is only being used on this hen then the semen can simply be collected and inserted into the terminal oviduct immediately by an avian vet.
2/ I have a 4 year old stock hen which is currently breeding. I have just weaned her first round youngsters and she has become very thin and weak. She was in beautiful condition when I paired her up. What is likely to be the problem? This situation is a common one. She is too old for one of the “baby” diseases to be likely and at the same time too young for age related conditions such as cancer and age related organ issues to be likely. The most likely problem is that she has an internal canker abscess. Canker organisms increase in numbers in stock birds with youngsters in the nest. This is an adaption by the parasite to increase it’s chances of being passed to the next generation. With high numbers of trichomonads present, all that needs to happen is that there is a small breach in the lining of the crop or stomach and the canker organisms will invade and cause an abscess. The difficulty with these cases is that often by the time the affected bird starts to look unwell it has already passed the stage where it is capable of responding to medical treatment. They are however always worth treating. Usually antibiotics and a medication for canker is given eg Sulpha AVS in the drinker and a Spartrix tablet each day. Fanciers will be familiar with canker abscesses in the wall of the crop. Here canker medication is given to kill the active infection and then a small cut can be made in the crop ( ie the abscess can be lanced) and the ball of dried pus material released. The difficulty is that when the abscess is in the stomach wall (which is in the chest cavity ) removal of the abscess after the canker medication has been given is not easy. The hope is that the abscess will drain into crop or stomach and the bird will then be able to recover. In birds of particular value an avian vet can, in a high risk surgical procedure done under anaesthetic, drain a canker abscess in the stomach wall. An important thing to focus on when a bird is affected by this condition is to prevent further cases. Giving all birds a 5 day course of Turbosole ( quite safe to use during breeding) will dramatically decrease the level of trichs that the breeders are carrying and therefore decrease the chance of further cases. Reviewing the grit being used is also important. Grits with large pieces and irregular surfaces should be avoided. Providing good quality , complete and registered pink minerals such as the Australian Pigeon Company’s PVM powder will mean that the birds don’t eat as much grit as all of the required nutrients are there in a safe form
3/ I race in Sydney. Some fanciers in my club have suggested that I vaccinate my birds against PMV using the PMV vaccine that can be put in the water. They have said that it is easier, less upsetting for the birds and there is no risk of a vaccine reaction or infection at an injection site. I am surprised to get this question. It seems to repeatedly come up. When we did the vaccine trials in 2012 we found that the water based NDV4 PMV vaccine that can be placed in the drinker or given orally did not stimulate levels of immunity as high as the killed LaSota oil based vaccine that is injected . It also failed to provide protective immunity in all birds . The other big concern using the NDV4 vaccine is that it is a live vaccine. This means that if a pigeon has been recently vaccinated with the NDV4 vaccine and is in a situation where PMV is common then the bird may become simultaneously infected with both the vaccine strain of the virus and the “wild PMV virus” that actually causes the disease. When this occurs and both viruses are replicating in the same cells in the pigeon there is strong likelihood that the DNA of the 2 viruses will mix and a new viral strain emerge. This is a process called virus recombination . PMV is very common at certain times in some parts of Australia eg Melbourne’s western suburbs from December through to March. This is the time , of course when most young pigeons are being vaccinated. Using a live vaccine in this situation when there is a reasonable chance of exposure to the disease itself makes no sense particularly if that vaccine does not enable the same level of protection to develop. Best to use the killed La Sota vaccines ( Poulvac or Newcavac ) that have been proven to work and are registered for that purpose
4/In chickens there is vaccine for coccidia. Should we be using this on our pigeons? Coccidia are very species specific. This means that the coccidia that affect pigeons only affect pigeons, the coccidia that affect chickens only affect chickens and for that matter the coccidia that affect emus, penguins and canaries only affect emus , penguins and canaries etc. Having said that , even though there can be no transfer of coccidia infection from chickens to pigeons and visa versa, these coccidia types do belong to the same genus. It is therefore likely that there would be some antigenic overlap. This would mean that if you gave a chicken coccidia vaccine to a pigeon that some cross immunity may occur. Only testing would tell. Vaccine testing is expensive . Fanciers may recall that when we did the PMV vaccine trial in 2012 that just the lab fees were nearly $40K and these represented about a sixth of the anticipated full cost. Even if someone decided that they were prepared to accept this cost I have reservations whether testing would be worthwhile. Coccidiosis in racing pigeons when compared to that in chickens is a different disease. Meat chickens have very short lives and are usually run on deep litter. The immaturity of the birds and potential high exposure to the parasite can lead to explosive outbreaks of the disease with significant loss of profitability. The decision to vaccinate is primarily a loss of production versus cost issue . Racing pigeons live well past puberty and with the level of hygiene maintained in most lofts means that exposure to coccidia is usually low. This low grade ongoing exposure to the parasite usually enables the young pigeons to form their own immunity quite naturally. The immunity formed during development is usually enough to protect them from disease as adults. There are however occasional situations where this is not the case. I remember several years ago a very successful fancier had an unusually poor start to the season. Testing revealed his birds to have persistently high coccidia counts. His lofts had suspended floors. Once a week her hosed out below the floors onto the grass in front of the loft. The birds then scratched around in this grass when out. The build -up of droppings that were then wet ( which enabled the coccidia eggs to become infective ) followed by the birds getting access to them led to levels of coccidia developing that prevented the birds being able to obtain race form. A results of any vaccine trial would be interesting. If shown to be protective the coccidia vaccination would be another management option. In the majority of cases however its use would not be indicated.
5/ I am a veterinary avian specialist and was wondering if it is possible to test to see if a pigeon is infected with PMV on a blood sample. PMV is usually diagnosed with a PCR test. This test detects the DNA of the virus. Provided the viral DNA is in a sample the test will be positive. Normally the sample tested is droppings. This is because it is known that pigeons infected with PMV consistently shed the virus in the droppings. At various stages of infection the PMV is also in the blood. The problem is that no one accurately knows what are these stages. If you run a PCR test on blood at the stage the PMV is in the blood then the test will be positive. It also means that if the bird has PMV, but at that particular stage of the disease the virus is not in the blood, then even though the bird is infected with the virus, the test will be negative. A positive PMV PCR done on blood therefore confirms the disease but a negative test does not rule it out . For the time being at least, droppings are a much more reliable sample to test if PMV is suspected .
6/ Is there any benefit in giving probiotics to stock birds while they are breeding ? Using probiotics regularly in the stock loft as part of routine management all year round has advantages but is particularly useful when the birds are breeding. Two to three times weekly when the stock birds are feeding youngsters often works well. This helps the birds resist E. coli (often associated with wet nests) and ensures that the birds get the maximum nutrition possible out of their seed at a time that often puts real demands on them. Probiotic use will help the parents produce vigorous robust young. .One study done on cockateils showed that the chicks of probiotic supplemented parents grew more rapidly, weaned at an earlier age and at a heavier weight and were less prone to disease. There is no reason to think that this would not also apply to pigeons. More information can be found in my book “The Pigeon” from page 486 onwards in a chapter titled “The Use of Probiotics in Racing Pigeons “
7/ Ihave a few questions regarding the Australian Pigeon Company’s PVM (Pigeon Vitamin Mineral ) powder :- a. The Iodine content 1.0g per Kg seems a lot higher than other similar products. Is there a reason for this. b. Does the Iron Oxide provide a nutritional source of Iron or is it used solely as the colouring c. The Vitamin D3 is listed on the label as 30.000iu . Should this be 30,000iu as seems very low Thank you for your support and interest in our products. I am pleased that you are taking an active interest in the nutrients that PMV contains. I have addressed your questions in numerical order. 1/ The Iodine content 1.0g per Kg seems a lot higher than other similar products. Is there a reason for this. This level is higher than other similar products. The APC engaged the services of a nutritionist to formulate PMV powder based on a typical grain blend fed to race birds of 40% dun peas and 15% each of safflower, maize, red sorghum and wheat. This was the level that he recommended 2. Does the Iron Oxide provide a nutritional source of Iron or is it used solely as the colouring The iron oxide is there to provide iron as a nutritional source. We are not concerned about the colour of the product but rather that it delivers on nutrition 3. The Vitamin D3 is listed on the label as 30.000iu . Should this be 30,000iu as seems very low The level is 30.000iu as listed on the label. Pigeons make Vit D3 from sunlight. Testing has shown that “if you can read a newspaper then that is enough light for a pigeon to produce Vit D3”. Experimentally it is hard to produce Vit D3 deficiency in pigeons –they have to be locked in dark cupboards etc . Vit D3 toxicity can occur. Based on the info available to him ,this is the level that our nutritionist recommended.
8/ I have a query about the Iodine level in PVM powder With my first round of eggs from my breeders this year I took a record of how much PVM they consumed. There were 12 pair of breeders and they had 22 squeakers. They consumed 2kg of PVM over 54 days (from the day of mating to the day of weaning) 54 days the amount of iodine consumed would be 2000mg, I divided this by the 54 days, and then divided this by 46 birds ( not quite right as on eggs for 19 days). This came out to 805mcg per bird per day. The reference book I have says the daily dose of Iodine to be 10mcg per bird. Maybe there is something not right with my calculations or the reference book is not correct
The level of nutrients recommended by the nutritionist engaged by the APC is based on the anticipated intake through an entire year . During breeding the nutritional demand for key nutrients, such as calcium and iodine, is high. This applies not only to the feeding parents but particularly also for their rapidly growing chicks. The intake of supplements like PVM powder can be expected to be high during this time. At other times it will be lower.
9/ I have just bought some stock birds. I want to pair them up now. They have not been vaccinated against PMV. When can I do them ? The recommended PMV vaccine is a killed vaccine and can do the birds no harm. I would vaccinate them straight away and then again in 4 weeks . It does not matter at what stage they are during breeding but it is very important that they are protected against PMV