Could “business as usual” lead to the end of our sport Now is a time for strong leadership within the pigeon racing fraternity. Since 1990 to the present day the membership of the largest federation in Victoria has dropped from over 400 to 140, a reduction of nearly 75%. Members competing in the longest scheduled race from 1000km has dropped from 250 to 35, a reduction of nearly 90% and the number of birds returning from races, particularly from the longer races has dramatically declined. It can no longer be business as usual. If the number of members continue to fall and we can’t get birds home in good numbers from races then essentially we don’t have a sport. Without addressing these issues there is no reason to expect that these trends will change. So far, in most pigeon organisations, talk has essentially been focused on modifying the sport to cope with lower membership and reduced birdage ie smaller transporters , combined releases and altered membership fees etc, rather than instigating changes that might actually reverse these trends. Organisations are simply adapting rather than mitigating. We need to decide where we want to be in 20 years- time and make decisions so that we reach there rather than simply make reactionary decisions and simply end up with us being at a place that we may not want to be. I attend quite a few pigeon meetings not only at a club level but also at centre , federation and state levels. At most meetings it is “business as usual”. Topics discussed focus on the day to day running of the organization. These are important but with a new year starting fanciers need to ask any members standing for management positions what their plans for their organization are in the longer term – how will they address the primary issues of falling membership and reduced returns. The basic model that most clubs and federations run on is keeping the sport as economical as possible. Although admirable, my personal thought is that this model is not serving the pigeon sport very well. Based on the prices paid for birds now and the entrance fees and the number of birds that OLRs attract there is obviously a significant proportion of fanciers who have money to spend on their birds and are keen to pay high fees for the possibility of high prize winnings. Entrance fees of $100 to $600 for one bird to go one race are not unusual. In 1995 I wrote “In Sydney, George Kypreos prepared some interesting figures that help us decide whether pigeon racing is becoming more expensive. He compared the cost of a new Holden car, the prize won by the Melbourne Cup winner, the basic wage, and the cost of sending a single pigeon to a race in 1965 and in 1995. The cost of the new Holden had increased ten times. The basic wage had increased 13 times. The winner of the Melbourne Cup received a prize 11 times higher. Meanwhile, the cost of sending a pigeon to a race in Australia had increased three times. A less quantitative measure, but also of value for comparison, is that the average cost of goods and services had increased ten times.” Presumably similar trends have continued since 1995 . From this, we can only assume that the actual cost of sending pigeons to a race is now relatively much cheaper for fanciers than it was 50 years ago. However at the same time the cost of running these races for clubs and federations has increased, in keeping with goods and services. The overall result is that prize money has reduced, sometimes to the point of being non- existent and the sport has overall become poorer. Yet despite this many many members are demonstrating through their willingness to pay high entrance fees and compete for higher prize pools in OLRs and various nomination races that the model of keeping things as inexpensive and economical as possible is not what they want. Clearly a significant proportion have money to spend and want to spend it.
Many fanciers, myself included, race simply because they enjoy seeing the birds come home and are happy to race for no prize money. The idea of commercializing the sport is abhorrent to some fanciers. However it does seem that if we are to act in the best interests of the sport that the allure of higher prizes even though this will inevitably require higher entrance fees is more likely to retain or hopefully lift interest and along with that membership in the sport. Of course some fanciers will always have more money than others and there will be some fanciers that simply don’t want to spend a lot of money on their birds. All fanciers need to be catered for. Entrance fees and access to various prize pools can be adjusted to cater for everyone. Clubs can always support younger members or members with lower available funds . This is already done in some areas where, for example, a portion of club money raised through a squeaker sale was used to buy several ET clocking systems that were then made available to some fanciers. There are a lot of options when you start to think. Some decisions will not be popular and all decisions will have consequences. Elected club and federation reps do need however to address these issues. “Business as usual” could spell the end of the sport.
International Veterinary News A combined campaign by the IVPA ( International Veterinary Pigeon Veterinarian Association ) and the FCI ( Federation Columbophile International) has led to an educational pamphlet being written and circulated to European fanciers and veterinarians stressing the importance to vaccinate all of their birds (including not only the race birds but also the breeders and other pigeons they may have) against PMV. The pamphlet was written by well- known international vets Dr Pascal Lanneau ( from Belgium ) and Dr Elizabeth Peus ( from Germany ) and reviewed by myself and Professor Piotr Szeleszczuk ( from Poland ). It is hoped that the pamphlet titled “The Messenger” will be the first of several providing information to fanciers about topical issues. Further topics to be covered include animal welfare, doping , Rota, Avian Influenza and other diseases. The introduction of the pamphlet outlines the IVPA objectives “The IVPA wants in a positive and constructive way to co-operate and think together with all different authorities to support pigeons and the pigeon sport and help to progress in the 21 century”. The completed pamphlet will be placed on the VRPB website.
Pigeons dying after return from races Occasionally pigeons may die after a returning from a long hard race . Why is this so? Death can occur from several causes. They often occur in combination. 1/ Keto –acidosis - with extreme and prolonged flight the pigeon starts to use its body fat as an energy source. As the fat is broken down one of the products produced is a group of substances called ketone bodies. Animals with elevated levels of ketone bodies are said to have ketosis. As the level of ketone bodies rise they lower the pH of the blood , in effect making it more acidic. This leads to a condition called keto- acidosis which essentially means that the birds system is becoming acidic through the production of ketone bodies . Past a certain point keto- acidosis is not compatible with life. 2/ Myoglobinuria – also with prolonged exertion the flight muscles themselves can start to break down. As they break down , a protein , myoglobin, that they contain is released into the bloodstream. As the blood flows through the kidneys the myoglobin is filtered out. If the myoglobin is concentrated in the blood then as it is excreted by the kidneys it damages the kidneys. This can lead to fatal kidney damage. 3/ Dehydration, hypothermia ( low body heat ), hypoglycaemia ( low blood sugar ) –Kidney damage leads to the kidneys losing the ability to concentrate urine and conserve the body’s fluids. This combined with limited access to water leads to dehydration. Limited food intake combined with exertion leads to low blood sugar. Overall low energy reserves as blood sugar, body fat and glycogen reserves are depleted leads to an inability to maintain body temperature. The overall result is a dehydrated, weak cold bird that often just goes into a corner and dies. There is much that avian vets can do to help such birds and fanciers are encouraged to seek veterinary attention. Indeed , under the new Animal Welfare Act in Victoria it is an offence not to seek veterinary assistance for an animal if the owner knows that the animal is suffering. The usual thing that a veterinarian would do is to place the bird onto a drip. The drip would contain a blend of electrolytes and sugars aimed to quickly lift blood sugar levels, counteract the acidosis, correct the dehydration and dilute the myoglobin so that further kidney damage is less likely to occur. Provision of external heat – as in a thermostat controlled brooder is also advantageous. After the initial crisis period these fluids can be given orally provided the crop is still emptying. If the crop is emptying small ( high surface to volume ratio ) high energy seeds should be offered ( hemp, canola, linseed , canary etc )
Second PRV race to again be run from Cobar After a 5 year hiatus due to Covid restrictions I am pleased to see that a second Victoria Cup race will be conducted in 2023. I was, however, surprised and disappointed to read that the race is to be conducted from Cobar. In 2016. GMPF member, Tas Gazis contacted a number of Melbourne fanciers and invited them to join a committee that he was organising to be called Pigeon Racing Victoria. Tas remains the principal decision maker. The aim of the PRV is to popularise pigeon racing. As part of this, the PRV aimed to conduct an annual race called the Victoria Cup . The initial race was from Wilcannia in 2018. The race’s first prize was $100,000. Because of the high prize money the race created a lot of interest. I thought it was a good initiative that amongst other things would provide favourable publicity for the sport. It was hoped that various media outlets might report on the race and that this would not only advertise the sport but provide evidence of its professionalism. Unfortunately this part was not as successful as hoped. Less than 10% of entries were clocked by the end of the second day. Speaking to fanciers immediately after the race the most common complaint was that the race was too long. At this time I spoke to Gaz on the phone. He asked me if I was happy with the way that the race had been conducted. I replied , yes , but said that I thought that the race would have been better if it had been shorter. Amongst other things the poor returns risked bringing bad publicity to the sport – the opposite of the race’s principal aims. Cobar has been raced many time by all Melbourne federations. The difficulty when it is used as a race point for open races is that while it is 440miles ( 707 km ) to the centre of Melbourne , it is 410miles ( 660 km) to the shorter markers and 472 miles (759 km ) to the longer lofts. This means that unless the weather conditions are favourable it becomes challenging for even the best longest lofts to clock on the day. Conversely it would take exceptionally difficult conditions for the shortest lofts not to clock. This means that no matter what the weather, the shortest lofts will almost invariably clock on the day while on a significant proportion of race days the longest lofts will not. No matter what velocity calculation system is used, birds clocked on the day have an advantage. With so many things beyond our control that may give certain lofts an advantage on the day such as the wind direction for example, to me it is a shame not correct one of the things over which we do have control to make the race fairer, namely the distance of the race . This situation was dramatically highlighted in a story in this Journal in the most recent December edition on the Vella and Grech family. One of their results reported was getting 12th in the Cobar National ( which is open to all members of Melbourne federations ) clocking at 7.34 pm in the dark. Taking nothing away from this performance as their bird was obviously with the leaders, but there were birds in that race going to lofts 42 miles (68 km ) further. If they were in the same group as the Vella and Grech’ clock bird they would be unlikely to reach their loft let alone maintain the same velocity in the darkness. These birds were therefore strongly disadvantaged by their loft location. I know that this augument can be made about any race distance but with competitors lofts ranging from 410 miles ( 660km ) to 472 miles ( 780 km ) , Cobar is an “awkward” distance , broadly straddling the distance that is the range of a potential one day race. Of course there will always be exceptional birds that reach the longer lofts and do well but I am talking about the average competitor getting his birds real position in the race recognized and not a position modified by his lofts location. I appreciate that shorter fliers can potentially be disadvantaged on very quick days with some birds overshooting and then having to come back against the wind but as the principal aim of the race is to promote pigeon racing I feel it is imperative to do as much as possible to not only conduct as fair a race as possible but also get good returns. My thought is that the race should be shortened to a distance where it becomes likely that, given an average day, most competitors have a chance to clock. I can understand Tas’ aims and think that the Victoria Cup has potential merit. I feel, however, that if the race distance is not addressed then longer fanciers will become progressively disenchanted with the race and also the race runs the further risk of bringing disrepute to the sport.
VRPB Update With most clubs and federations having their AGMs in the new year, they are reminded that the election of VRPB reps occurs annually. The VRPB will act in the interests of and on behalf of all Victorian fanciers however not having a representative means that your voice may not be heard and you may not be ware of all that is happening at a state level. Having a position on the VRPB carries the responsibility of representing the fanciers that belong to your organization and also reporting back to them on state issues. VRPB reps should be keen to do what they can to advance the sport in Victoria and have some ideas on how this can be done.
Weaning. The racing life of most of our birds starts when they are weaned into the racing loft at around 28 days of age. Each youngster carries with it its own genetic code, which determines its potential. It is racing that realises this genetic potential. It is important that we, as fanciers, give those youngsters with the genetic make-up to win, the chance to do so. Weaning and the following months are critical in this regard as it is during this time that many basic behaviours and ‘the love of home’ are established. A 28-day-old youngster can be viewed as the raw material that good fanciers convert into the end product of a competitive race bird. The process can occur in as short a period of time as three months. This illustrates how quickly a pigeon can learn and shows that there is little room for error. There is a big difference between simply breeding 100 youngsters, putting them into the race loft and ending up with an unruly mob of pigeons that do not know a routine and are afraid of you, and a bonded kit of young racers that are ready to start winning.
During weaning, the youngster: • must establish itself within the loft and develop a bond with the loft and to some extent its owner, and • be given the best of care and correct health management so that it has the best chance to develop physically. The bonding with a youngster, I believe, should start in the nest. If you only put your hand in the nest box at seven days of age to ring the youngster, then by 28 days when you go to remove them they will throw themselves around the nest box. The first chance to develop a quiet, settled race bird has been wasted. Youngsters as young as seven days can sense the owner’s presence. It is good to touch each youngster every day from ringing onwards. Touch it on its head, near its eyes to ensure that it sees you, and under its beak just for a moment. Speak with the same tone that, months later, you will use to call it quickly into the loft from a race. By weaning, your hand, something that would otherwise be frightening, will have become commonplace and familiar. By 28 days, the youngster will already be developing confidence in you. Young pigeons are creatures of habit and find security in being able to predict the pattern of their day. Once the youngsters are weaned, feed them at approximately the same time each day and talk to the birds in the same tone and using the same words that were used in the nest box. Before puberty, one of the big attractions of the loft to the youngsters is that they are fed there. You should also aim to have the food associated with you, but not through keeping the pigeons hungry. Fill the feed tray by hand. Squat by the hopper and, while calling the birds in the now familiar tone, fill the tray one handful at a time. Initially some youngsters may be a bit shy, but they quickly learn to associate your hand with food. Within days they will learn to pick the grain as it drops from your hand into the tray and then from your hand. They don’t have to be hungry to do this. By simply putting the food down and leaving, you have wasted the second opportunity to bond with the birds. It is important that, as mature race birds, they are not frightened by your hand. Race birds later in the season will need to be caught one to four times per week. Rather than scattering away from your hand, they will just as likely peck it as it approaches, viewing it as a non-frightening intruder on to their perch. The weaned youngster must also bond to the loft. Preferably they should be weaned by 28 days (as a guide, the skin between the feathers should still just be visible under the wing). If this is not possible, one should be suspicious of an underlying health, dietary or management problem. If they can feed themselves earlier, then wean them earlier. At weaning they should be walking and feeding, but not flying. Always wean in batches, as pigeons are a flock bird and feel vulnerable when not with others. This is accentuated in the youngster. Never wean into sections containing older birds, as these will dominate and possibly injure the youngsters. More importantly, they will severely interfere with the bond that the youngster needs to develop with the loft. Try to wean into the section to which they will race as young birds. Often pigeons will train and race for the first six months of their life to the perch that they first hopped on to when weaned. Their ability to recognise, and how observant they are, is demonstrated by the way that nest mates will sometimes identify and find each other, choosing adjacent perches. Youngsters must never be overcrowded as, ideally, each individual youngster should not have to continually defend its perch. It should be confident that it has its own place or mini-territory. It is best to wean in the morning to give the youngsters a longer time to sort themselves out before the first night. The daily loft routine must now begin. This is one of those times when the fancier needs to be a bit cruel to be kind. The youngster must exit the loft from the first day after weaning onwards. By five to six weeks of age, a healthy youngster will be strong on the wing. If it is not familiar with the outside of the loft or the appearance of the loft from the sky, it is much more likely to get lost. It will find new things more frightening the older it is when first exposed to them. Youngsters should be allowed out of the loft at least once a day and, ideally, at the same time each day so they can develop confidence in a routine. Those who will not waddle out should be gently placed on to the loft roof, landing board or ‘fly-in’. Some may scurry straight back in, but do not place them out a second time in that training session. Most youngsters will recognise a daily routine within two weeks of weaning and readily exit the loft and begin to form a loose flock. They only need to go out of the loft once a day, but they need to be fed at least twice daily. Youngsters will often eat hesitantly and yet need to eat quite a large amount each day because of the high nutritional requirement associated with growth. Unlike adult race birds, which can do well with a single daily feed, the developing youngster will do better with several smaller meals. The actively growing youngster should never be kept hungry and I know of no successful flier at the distance who treats his youngsters in this way. However, even though they should be given as much as they want at each meal, food should never be left lying in a tray ‘in case they get hungry later’ or for the slower ones. This encourages bad habits, particularly in certain headstrong birds, which eventually break the routine of an otherwise manageable group. Through familiarity, they need to become accustomed to cleaning procedures, the use of scrapers and other necessary loft procedures. By six to eight weeks, most youngsters will have a good understanding of ‘the way of the loft’. They will be keen to go out for an anticipated fly and will come in to be fed when called, even if not hungry, simply because they associate your voice and that particular time of day with going into the loft. Once in the loft, they will sleep because they know they are not going to be fed or allowed out of the loft at any other time. In this way, the growing youngster eats and exercises regularly and rests well within the loft on a perch that it is increasingly regarding as its own. All of these things are conducive to good physical development and minimise stress on the youngster, which, in turn, decreases the chance of health problems. Already the better youngsters will be showing a desire to get back to their perch when removed, a natural desire that is developed during racing. By 18 weeks, the youngster has dropped four flights and can safely start its training tosses. Always try to get them returning to the loft in these initial tosses at the normal time they would be fed. From the point of view of the youngster’s health, weaning is a challenging time. It presents a dilemma in that the youngster, simply through weaning, comes in contact with many environmental organisms that have the potential to cause disease and yet, because of its age, it has not been alive long enough to develop a natural immunity that is sufficiently strong to protect it from disease. What we should aim for is a controlled, gradual exposure to these organisms so that the youngster’s natural immunity becomes progressively more and more solid. In the adult race bird, it is this natural immunity that protects it from most diseases. It is therefore vital, for racing success, that this immunity is allowed to form. The way we can assist this is two-fold: 1. First, by keeping the number of organisms down to a level that the youngster can cope with. This involves regular cleaning and maintenance of a hygienic loft environment and the provision of good quality food and clean water. In the loft, disinfection is best avoided at this time so as to maintain a constant but low exposure to organisms. In the same way, it is important not to overuse medication. 2. Second, by avoiding stress. A healthy bird can cope with a significant number of disease organisms before it succumbs. On the other hand, a stressed or weak bird will succumb to a much lower number of organisms because its immune system is weakened. Disease prevention at this time is really a combination of ongoing hygiene so that the number of disease organisms is kept to a level that the birds can cope with, and avoiding stress so that the growing youngster’s immune system can fight disease and form a strong natural immunity. This is common sense. The main stress for young birds is overcrowding. No more than 25 youngsters should be kept in a 2m x 2m x 2m (that is, 8 cubic metre) section. Correct feeding is important. Problems with the quantity, frequency and quality of food can all cause stress. The food must also be nutritionally balanced. Growth and moulting require mixes with higher protein levels than are needed during racing. The mix needs a protein level of at least 15%. This can be achieved by feeding a mix containing at least 40% peas or beans (which are 20–25%) protein, or other high protein grains such as vetches (approximately 35% protein). Problems with loft design can also cause stress. The loft must make the youngsters feel secure and, at the same time, provide a healthy environment. It must be dry without being dusty and provide adequate ventilation without exposing the youngsters to extremes of temperature or humidity. The youngsters should be allowed adequate rest. Ensure that when weaned, they all learn quickly where the water is. My own youngsters have grit, a pick stone and pink mineral powder in front of them all the time. A number of substances that stimulate the immune system can be given during this time and are used regularly by some fanciers. These include Levamisole (which at a higher dose also worms the birds). If used at a lower dose, it acts as a mild immune stimulant. It does, however, make some of the birds look a bit queasy and can cause some youngsters to vomit. I do not recommend its use. However, the herbs garlic and echinacea are natural immune stimulants that are safe and palatable and can be used to advantage during this time. These, however, never replace the basic need for a good management system and environment. If disease does appear at this time, it is important that only sick birds are medicated, so as not to interfere with the ongoing exposure to organisms and the development of natural immunity in the team as a whole. Unwell youngsters should be separated, and the nature of their problem identified accurately and treated. The fact that certain individuals become unwell while the team as a whole remains well does, to some extent, reflect their decreased vigour. Youngsters that fail to respond to medication quickly or relapse are unlikely to go on to make competitive race birds, and some fanciers choose to eliminate them. However, with correct management during weaning, fanciers will find themselves at the start of racing with a team of both psychologically and physically sound youngsters which will be able to realise their full genetic potential, and be more likely to enjoy successful racing.
Vet Questions
1/ I regularly have my birds droppings checked by a veterinary clinic to see if my birds have worms. A fellow fancier has told me that this is a waste of time. He had his birds droppings checked. The result was negative . However, when he treated his birds with Avitrol worm tablets they passed a lot of worms. Should I keep have my birds droppings checked?
It is important that the droppings that a fancier takes to the vet are a representative sample from the loft. If for example 10% of the birds have worms and he only sends 2 or 3 droppings for testing it is very likely that droppings from the birds with worms would not be included. I suggest going through the sections and collecting several droppings from each section until at least 20 droppings have been collected. If any look green or watery or in other ways unusual make sure that they are included. Once at the veterinary clinic 2 common tests are done. Initially the droppings are homogenized ie mixed thoroughly, so that the sample to be tested is more likely to be representative of the entire sample , and then a sample smeared onto a microscope slide and examined microscopically. Worm eggs can be seen quite easily when magnified 40 times. If worm eggs are visible, no further testing is required and the birds should be wormed. The difficulty is that if worms are present in low numbers they can be overlooked with this method. Most veterinary clinics do a more thorough test called a faecal flotation. In this test an homogenized dropping sample is stirred into a container filled with a concentrated “faecal flotation fluid”. Thist is a fluid with a high specific gravity. Because of the concentrated nature of the fluid , any worm eggs present float to the top where they are concentrated. This top layer of fluid is siphoned off and examined microscopically. Because any eggs present are concentrated in the test sample this second test is much more reliable and is much more likely to detect even very mild infections where the number of worm eggs present might be very low. So , in summary, testing is most definitely worthwhile but it is up to the fancier to submit a sample that is truly representative of his loft. Reputable veterinary clinics will not only do a microscopic examination of the dropping sample but also a faecal flotation test that will detect an infection if present.
2/ With the current floods in norther Victoria the number of mosquitoes is unbelievable. They are particularly bothering the breeding stock birds. What can I use that is safe? Apart from the nuisance for the birds, mosquitoes can carry pigeon pox and pigeon malaria amongst other diseases. There are a number of insecticide preparations that are available but the usual one I recommend is permethrin. The APC stocks this as a concentrate. A 250 ml bottle costs about $27 .Dilute this down 10 mls into a litre of water in a spray bottle. The nest boxes and even the stock birds can be sprayed with this . I have had fanciers report that they have also sprayed the nests and nestlings with this without any noticeable ill effects.
3/ Some of my nestlings have wet droppings. The chicks and parents all look well. What should I do ? There are a number of problems that cause wet droppings to accumulate around a nestbowl. Many of these cases however are due to elevated levels of trichs and altered bowel bacterial populations. It is important not to do anything that might compromise the growing babies. I usually recommend putting the section onto Turbosole in the water for 3 to 4 days and some Probac on the food ( as per the label instructions). Ensure continuous access to a quality grit and quality pink minerals. Most cases respond in several days. If the problem persists or progresses to the stage where the chicks growth is being compromised then veterinary testing is indicated. For a full list of causes and treatments for “wet nest” please refer to the “Problems of the Breeding Section” on the APC website and also in my book “The Pigeon”.
4/ One of my good race cocks has broken about 4 mms off the tip of his top beak. Will this grow back? Both the top and lower beaks have a central bone that is covered by several layers of soft tissue and then an outer fingernail-like covering that is the beak that we see. If part of the beak is broken off so that a part of the central bone is removed then because this cannot grow back the beak will be permanently shortened. The outer fingernail like covering ( in the top beak called the rhinotheca ) however is totally replaced every 3 to 6 months. This means that if only this is lost, then , given time, it will regrow. The central bone , in pigeons, extends to within 4 mm of the beak tip. Loss of more than this will lead to permanent deformity. Birds however that have lost considerably more seem able to cope provided they are fed in a hopper filled with grains
5/ What is the best feeding preparation for a bird on basketing day ? Some fanciers in our club present their birds with bulging crops while others feed several small amounts during the day. After basketing our club takes our birds to a bigger club for transport to the Fed hall. I have noticed on arriving at the bigger club that some birds have vomited which may then be eaten by other birds. Could this lead to canker or other ailments being transferred to healthy birds ?
It is hard to say just what is the best feeding method as basketing approaches. Fanciers win using different methods. Fanciers persist with methods that have worked for them in the past and in their hands continue to work . There is not one universal method that will be the most successful method in all lofts as there are too many other loft variables in place. All I can say is that when handling the race birds of successful fanciers in Melbourne, I have noticed that most contain just moderate amounts of food. They have food in their crops but are not overly full. To me birds with “gorged” crops must have been hungry when fed and I don’t think having a period of hunger as the time of basketing approaches is a good thing. I don’t think having more feed “on board” is an advantage. Many diseases have the potential to spread through the race basket – canker, PMV, Rota, Salmonella, Mycoplasma, Chlamydia etc etc can all be spread by eating vomited food or sharing hoppers and drinkers.
6/ I bred this baby and just after ringing it, the bird developed a 'bubble' of inflated skin that would not go away. I am curious to know the cause and remedy for this to happen. Unfortunately, the baby died a week later, I think the parents rejected it Pigeons, like all birds have balloon like extensions from their lungs called air sacs. Air sacs dramatically increase the breathing efficiency of birds and by decreasing their body weight make it easier for them to fly. Air sacs extend into the abdomen, chest and even the bones. If an air sac is perforated either through injury or disease then air will bubble through this hole and form an “air blister” under the skin. It is possible that an air sac in this chick was ruptured through injury, perhaps through a parent standing on it but it is more likely that a disease process in an organ adjacent to an air sac caused a perforating ulcer to form. Bacterial infections that enter through the healing navel have been identified as a cause of this problem. Essentially the bubble you saw is a symptom rather than something associated with a specific disease and just tells us that something has perforated an air sac. I don’t think parents choose to reject their babies but if the youngster is unwell and cannot elicit a normal feeding response from the parents it will not be fed and become weak and die.