​Malicious handling.
Fanciers tasked with handling pigeons as they are entered into a race owe it to both the fancier and the pigeon to do this as gently and efficiently as possible. Recently a case of malicious handling was reported to me. A similar thing happened about 15 years ago. At that time I was asked to investigate the situation. What happened was that a very successful fancier suddenly had a very poor and uncharacteristic race with high losses and late clocking. A disproportionate number of the  birds that did return were found on examination to have a fractured vent (or pubic) bone.
The pelvis is made up of three bones. One of these is the pubic bone. In most mammals, including humans this is a continuous bone and can be felt as the boney plate just above our genitals. In most birds, the pubic bone is not continuous but is rather two separate prongs that fail to meet in the “middle”. These two prongs are what we call the vents or vent bones. To any experienced fancier they are readily felt one on either side of the abdomen under the tail. Technically it is not difficult to pressure one  of these with a finger while holding the bird so that the vent ( ie pubic bone on one side ) will snap off the rest of the pelvis . The broken segment of pubic bone is held in an approximate normal position by the surrounding muscle but can be felt to move and often no longer matches the position of the opposite vent. Once detached, the broken vent will start to heal. It will form a boney union with the rest of the pelvis in10 days and usually be fully healed in three weeks. The significance of the damage is the pain and racing compromise until healing occurs. With every wing downbeat the abdominal muscles tighten. If the muscles have to tighten around a fractured vent this causes loss of functionality and pain. Initially affected birds in a race basket may crouch , be reluctant to walk and fluff the feathers over the abdomen. The problem can be confirmed on handling or if necessary X ray.  More recently I became aware of another case. It is hoped that such incidents occur simply as a result of inexperience combined with poor handling technique. Intentional malicious breaking of the vent would in my mind be a serious issue which should incur a serious penalty. It is up to basketing supervisors to ensure that handlers have sufficient ability to do this job well.
It may be that with time Australia adopts the “ hands free” handling technique already used in some other parts of the world. Here the owner places the bird into a one bird basket made of Perspex . Opposite walls are sliding panels and the top has ventilation holes . The owner places the bird into the basket. The basket is then placed on a scanner by a race attendant who then holds the basket up to the race pannier and slides a panel so that the bird then runs in . The only person to ever touch each bird is the owner.
Do pigeons race to their perch or their loft?
Should youngsters be weaned into the sections that they will race to, or is it OK just to wean them into the loft generally, or does it not matter? I think the answer in most cases is the perch (or perhaps more accurately the territory ). I know of very successful fanciers who would disagree but in my loft I think this is the case. I have a large racing loft with 17 sections and almost invariably I can find a particular bird on the same perch in the same section each time. When they come from a race they walk down the corridor looking for their section and when they find that section fly straight to their perch or box. A very successful friend of mine will never catch a bird from its perch . When he needs to catch a pigeon, he walks them into a “neutral” section and catches them there. His pigeons learn that once in their “spot” , they are the boss and nothing will disturb them. Another successful flier tells me that he eliminates “grunters”. Some pigeons grunt as a warning to other pigeons even in the presence of their owner. He feels that these grunters put the other birds on edge and disrupt what should be a peaceful environment in the loft. Pigeons that have had a scare outside of the loft don’t nescarily want to get to their loft but rather get to their perch. We have all experienced the frustration of birds hovering over the loft and refusing to land. Eventually they build up the courage to go through the loft entrance to get to their perch.  This bond to the perch is something perhaps for fanciers to keep in mind in the day to day management of their birds to maximise their birds potential.
Most fanciers wean all of their youngsters into the loft together. Then, later in the year, before racing , separate the cocks and hens into the sections that they will be racing to. I know of at least one very successful fancier, however, who separates his young cocks and hens at weaning into their race sections. One would think that if pigeons race to the perch that this is a better system. If they are all weaned together and subsequently raced separately this would mean that at some time some youngsters have to be moved away from the perches that they initially bonded to in the loft when weaned. Another very successful fancier I know has ensured that all of his 10 race sections are identical so there is less concern in changing birds from one section to another. For most of us the answer , as to what is best, lies somewhere in between. Many fanciers wean all of their youngsters together and then several months, later as puberty approaches ,separate the sexes into the sections that they will race to. Provided this is done at least several months before racing this seems to be fine in most lofts .It is interesting to note however that there are always some birds who if given the opportunity or sometimes arrive late or in a very tired state revert back to going to their original first “baby perch” that they chose for themselves when weaned.
At the pigeon convention in Melbourne in November well known and successful Brisbane fancier Len Vanderlinden was part of the expert panel. Part of one of his answers was a comment that I thought was very insightful . He said that cocks want a territory and hens want a cock that has a territory. I think this is very true and is why the system of having the cocks and hens only running together for a period of time and being allowed into nest-boxes only after returning from tosses or races works so well in many Australian lofts. This system is not that dissimilar to the double widowhood system practiced in many European lofts where the pairs rendezvous, on return from a race, in the  box in which they bred  during the non- racing period before racing started .Len stated that when his birds returned from a race he did not have trouble getting them in because his birds wanted to get into the loft. It is easy to understand why—if they have not seen their mate all week but know that he or she will be there.
Taking Pigeons off line
Does taking pigeons off line adversely affect results and overall returns. Some fanciers say that this is definetaly the case while others argue that it makes no difference. The difficulty in evaluating this is that often the entire race cohort has been moved off line and then when a poor race occurs this is attributed to being shifted off line when in fact a number of other factors may be involved. Really , in order to make a more statistically reliable assessment you need a group of “control “ pigeons so that some in a race have been shifted off line and others haven’t. This opportunity was uniquely provided this year in the Victorian National race from Cobar , 450 miles north of Melbourne. The “national’ is open to members of all Melbourne federations plus a range of other fanciers from southern Victoria. In 2023 the VHA had been racing the NW line up through Ouyen, Mildura and onto Morgan and Carrieton. All other organisations had been on the north line up through Hillston. Mt Hope and Cobar. In the combined national release at Cobar therefore the VHA birds were off line while all other birds were kept on the north line. It is important to remember that the number of members and birds is quite high so it becomes more likely that any comparisons are statistically significant. The end result was that the members of the non VHA federations performed better overall but the real difference could be seen when the returns were compared. Incredibly 3 of the top 4 in the VHA aggregate never clocked and by mid- morning on the second day had a return of just 20% . This can be compared to the better fanciers in the other federations who had 50% on the day. It does therefore appear that the decision to swing birds off line is likely to negatively impact the results of that race.
In addition to showing the probable effects of moving birds “offline”,  the race was a fantastic example of multiple feds working together. This willingness to combine showed a cooperation that can only be of benefit to the sport. Credit must go the fanciers making up the National committee headed by VPU president ,Tony Price. Birds, we’re up at 7:15am into beautiful blue skies with no wind at the race point. The birds left in three minutes heading straight for home in one big line.
Most generously, and very much appreciated, the race was sponsored by the Yarraville Racing Pigeon Club Inc. Also the ANRPB awarded $250 in prize money to the  winners in each of the WPF, VRPU, GMPF & VHA . This was  presented at the Victorian Racing Pigeon Convention Saturday night dinner on the 25 November 2023. The number of fanciers and birds entered from each federation were :--WPF – 43 flyers with 375 birds,  VPRU – 39 flyers with 338 birds, VHA – 55 flyers with 451, GMPF – 48 flyers with 403, & VPO – 5 flyers with 28 birds,  totalling 190 flyers with 1595 birds.
Charles Hider
Many fanciers will not have heard of Charles Hider but he is one of the tireless workers of our sport with most fanciers in the entire country having benefited from his expertise. . Charles is a pigeon racing solicitor who has made himself available to advise both individual fanciers and federations on legal matters. I got to know Charles in the 1980’s, forty years ago and I cannot remember an instance where he has not been available and I cannot remember an instance where he has charged for his time. This has enabled fanciers , often on budgets to receive top advice on matters concerning councils etc that has enabled their ongoing participation in the sport. Charles has been honorary solicitor to the VHA for over 40 years and more recently to the VRPB. His advice is always much valued and his talks at various meetings display his knowledge and authority and are presented with a clarity that shows his real understanding of the issues at hand . Charles Hider joined  the VHA when still at school in 1949, but began racing pigeons seriously in 1972. His legal expertise and understanding of pigeon racing have placed him in an ideal situation to offer expert advice to the pigeon organisations and fanciers of Victoria, particularly in planning disputes, something which he has done willingly for many years. Charles is a former State MP, representing Monash in the Legislative Council. The highlight of his pigeon racing career came in the mid 1990s when he won 5 Feds. He still works part time as an executive director of a medical research company.
Oil and probiotics onto retail grain.
I note that some of the larger companies that supply pigeon fanciers with grain are now advertising that oil and probiotics have been added to the grain. This is seen as a good thing and is done to promote sales. I am not sure if this is a good thing. All oil has a shelf life and can go ransid. The oil inside a fatty grain is largely protected from oxidation ( going ransid ) by the outer sheath of the grain. Oil applied to the outside of the grain does not have this protection . Probiotics are living bacteria . They are fragile. When I am advising people on how to use the APC registered probiotic “Probac” I suggest adding it to the water or the feed ( following oil application to act as a sticking agent) immediately prior to feeding so that it is fresh. Usually a seed oil is applied  ( 1 to 2 mls/kg ) , the Probac ( from the jar stored at less than 30C ) is sprinkled over the grain ( at the dose on the label ) and then the freshly prepared mix is fed. The birds have enjoyed a meal, don’t know that they have been medicated and one can virtually guarantee that the birds are getting the benefit of the probiotics. I think that if grain that had had probiotics added to it weeks or months earlier was tested it would be likely that all of the probiotics were dead.
Is grain that is covered with potentially rancid oil and dead bacteria  harmful ? I don’t know but maybe. I think that this is something that needs to be investigated in the future.
Buying stockbirds – calculating the percentage of shared genes
It is easy to get distracted by the excitement of bringing new birds into the loft to breed from . I remember several years ago  I went to a presentation by well- known successful fancier Greg Hamilton. He explained that when he went to introduce a bird he wanted it to be a winner. He looked at the parents. If they too were winners then he was more interested. If he then looked and found that the bird itself had already bred winners then it was then that he became really interested in introducing the bird. Obviously winners bred from winners that have themselves already bred winners are ideal but they are not always available and even if they were, their cost may put them beyond the reach of some. So , what to do?
A good way of evaluating the breeding potential of a proposed stock bird is to calculate the amount of shared genes the bird that you are thinking of purchasing has with a key winner in the family. This might sound tricky but essentially a sibling or youngster of a bird shares on average about half its genes with that bird. So for example if you are buying a daughter of a brother of a champion that daughter will have 25% of its genes the same as the champion. The brother will share half (50%) of its genes with the winner and he will in turn pass half of those genes to his daughter which means the daughter will have 25% the same genes as the champion. If she is brought into the loft as a breeder and it is her youngsters that are actually raced they will share 12.5% of their genes with the champion. This would suggest that although she would breed some good ones , she is likely to breed  a significant number that did not have the champions ability. The introduced daughter of the brother to the winner could be a “hidden champion” but with no direct race results from her or her children this would not be known.
The price of a potential breeding bird should be based on its anticipated ability to breed winners. Calculating the amount of shared genes with the key winning birds in a family is a good prognostic indicator and should be considered in this process.
The Great Australian Streptococcus Scam
This is the way the scam goes. Fanciers send in droppings for testing . The droppings are examined and a diagnosis of Streptococcus is made. The problem is that it is  impossible to diagnose a Streptococcal infection from testing droppings. Here is the “rub” – often the “ diagnostic tests “ are quite cheap but the fancier is then advised that he needs to buy expensive antibiotics to treat the “ infection” that his birds have .
Streptococcus are found in the droppings of many clinically normal pigeons including pigeons that are currently winning. It is not difficult to identify their presence. Looking down a light microscope at 400xs magnification one can see lots of dot shaped bacteria. A lot of these will be Streptococcal bacteria.  To confirm this, the bacteria in the droppings can be grown ( ie cultured) over a few days . The big problem is that just because Streptococcus have been identified in the droppings does not mean , in any way, that they are causing an infection. This requires microscopic examination of tissues and cultures which directly associate the bacteria  with infectious changes in the bowel wall or identify the bacteria outside the bowel. This is impossible by simply testing droppings. Each year thousands of pigeons in Australia have unnecessary antibiotics to treat their Streptococcal “infections” and fanciers pay thousands of dollars for these unnecessary antibiotics.
Most fanciers are receptive to health advice , and why shouldn’t they be when that advice is coming from a pigeon health professional . Often they are keen to find an answer and their ears are burning to find the cause of a recent down- turn in performance . Could it be a health problem that is compromising their birds race performance? Naturally fanciers feel it is great when someone gives them an answer to this problem. It is a shame if this advice and diagnosis is not based on science. Meanwhile the real cause of the racing problem goes undiagnosed and with that the real answer to the problem. I am aware of fanciers who have been told that Streptococcus is a recurring or persistent problem in their loft and there is a need to treat to medicate their birds again and again – all based on bogus testing. Looking at the tea leaves in the bottom of a morning cup of tea  gives as much diagnostic information as diagnosing a Streptococcus infection simply by looking down the microscope.  My advice -- if someone tells you that your birds have a Streptococcal infection after examining the droppings – get a second opinion
Gaby Vandenabeele and feeding
I was fortunate enough to meet and share several meals with internationally renowned fancier Gaby Vandenabeele several years . At the time I asked what he put his fantastic success down to. He simply replied “good pigeons”. We talked briefly about his feeding methods at the time .It was with interest that I noted in a recent online interview that he again summarized his thoughts and methods. Basically he believes that most fanciers not only feed too much food but also too much of the wrong type of food. He noted that cyclists eat large amounts of “light” high carbohydrate foods such as yoghurt and pasta. He thinks most fanciers feed too many legumes. His feed blend contains high levels of hemp, peeled oats and peeled sunflower. A far cry from the almost exclusive pea diets of many Australian fanciers years ago. His advice was that if you are unsure whether to feed your birds more or less then feed them less. He explained that it did not overly bother him if the birds that did not go to the race on Thursday ,in fact had nothing to eat on Friday. One can never argue with success but from a veterinary point of view, where it is known, that a certain level of protein in the diet is necessary to maintain muscle mass, it can be a fine line between providing enough carbohydrate and fat to be available as energy sources during competition and also just enough protein so that muscle bulk is not lost while at the same time not providing too much thus making the birds “leady”. Time on the wing around the loft—only ½ an hour each day for Gaby’s birds and the birds genetics ( which dramatically affects their muscle to body weight ratio) as so clearly demonstrated by todays modern sprint birds, are very relevant. Famous fancier Graham Davison was one of the first to achieve great success with the new imports when they started  arriving in the late 1980s and early 1990. He soon began calling peas, “sinkers” indicating the reluctance of the new European birds to exercise willingly on the Australian high pea diet. As new strains , most notably the Van den Bulks recently, continue to appear with their phenomenal appetite for repeat racing compared to the older Australian birds ,Australian fanciers will need to heed the advice of European fanciers who have already learnt how best to race these birds and be prepared to modify existing methods to meet these changing genetics
Ongoing Veterinary Investigations
I am still trying to conduct the following veterinary investigations on behalf of the VRPB. We have been trying to raise funds for about 2 years and have had several thousand dollars donated. I am trying to spend the money as wisely as I can to get as much of the work done as possible. To do number 2 below is going to cost less than $1000 and I started work on this in mid December. I should be able to report some results by February .At the recent convention in Melbourne  I handed out free PMV RATs to fanciers and explained during the presentation of which I was part what we were after as far as results. Hopefully this will assist in validating these tests. The Melbourne convention was good in that enough money was raised to cover the VCAT hearing which Charles Hider and myself have prepared professional submissions and will be appearing on behalf of the VRPB. This was discussed at length in the December ARPJ.
Proposed veterinary investigations :-
1/ to investigate the high mortality rate and catastrophic losses associated with OLRs.
OLRs operate in most states and are supported by many fanciers across state borders. Failing to solve this problem tarnishes the reputation of the loft operators, damages the sport generally and runs the risk of the sport being exposed to Animal Welfare concerns. 
The principle causes of these mortalities will be investigated through a logical and thorough veterinary diagnostic process. This would involve live bird testing, autopsy, microscopic examination of tissues and various specific tests such as PCRs and bacterial cultures to find out exactly why birds are becoming unwell and dying.
2/ to conduct a mini vaccination trial to develop an effective vaccination protocol to protect young pigeons before and soon after weaning from PMV.
With the increased transfer of young pigeons between states due to One Loft Racing, squeaker sales and the sale of race teams, a review of the current PMV vaccination protocols has been suggested to find proven ways of protecting young pigeons before being placed in these high risk situations. Anecdotally it appears that vaccinating birds at 3 and 5 weeks of age , if not offering complete immunity, does stimulate sufficient immunity to significantly reduce the severity of the disease. In the proposed trial, blood would be drawn from ten , three week old squeakers to ensure they have no immunity. They would then be vaccinated and blood drawn every 2 weeks to track their developing immunity levels. If the youngsters became immune then altered vaccination protocols could then be recommended with confidence. As it appears that PMV is a significant cause of disease and death in young birds associated with OLRs, squeaker sales and the sale of race teams, offering fanciers a way of protecting their birds that had been shown to effective would benefit us all.  
 3/ to investigate emerging diseases that have the impact to affect bird health and racing nationally. Herpes virus ( causing Inclusion Body Hepatitis) is the concern of the moment. The starting point would be to find out just how prevalent the problem is. This can be done by running some pan Herpes PCRs at the University of Melbourne. The University has offered the VRPB a discounted price of $80/ test and  about 60 would need to be done.
 4/ PMV rapid antigen tests ( RATs) are now available . These tests are quick, easy and cheap. This test will enable fanciers to test their own birds for PMV, at the loft , for less than $20. The tests needs to be validated in pigeons. This involves using them to test birds that have been confirmed as having PMV for accuracy.
 5/ To investigate the cause of “fat eye “ and its relationship to Rota virus , if any.”
Beware claims made during advertising.
Remember that product retailers want you to buy their products. I saw an interesting phrase in some product promotional material recently . It stated “ See increased activity and breeding activity after use”. The advertised product was a multivitamin supplement. This advertised change in behavior would only be seen if the birds were on a deficient diet. A more accurate promotional line might be “ See increased activity and breeding activity after use if the birds are on a  vitamin deficient diet”. Somehow, however, this detracts from the need to buy the product. Fanciers also need to be aware of drawing the wrong conclusions about various products. This is particularly seen with products making breeding claims. For example , during winter, the testis of cocks get smaller and sperm counts decline. After stimulation – longer, warmer days , being provided with a nestbox and the presence of a hen, -- the testis are stimulated. The testis  increase in size and the sperm count climbs. With these changes fertility increases. These changes can take up to 6 weeks. This is why there are more likely to be clear eggs in the first round. After seeing clear eggs in the first round despairing fanciers can buy a fertility product and when they see less clear eggs in the second round attribute this to the product. In fact , what they are seeing is just happening naturally.  
Vet Questions
1/I am a fancier from India, I have some concerns about a possible respiratory infection  in my birds. If you could help it would be great.
So my pigeons were healthy before the racing season started. As I began to train them they were showing increased performance ,but suddenly their performance is gradually decreasing, I don't know why. They don't have any visible symptoms. So I did some research and happened to read one of your article on respiratory infection. I have done pcr for chlamydia  as you suggested but the result came negative. I was giving doxycyline for 10 days before the test. I wanted to know is  there any chance that chlamydia go undetected in pcr. I think the swab was collected from mouth.They are showing panting, and landing on roof with their beaks open. These are all about symptoms. They get okay after a rest but when I train them again they again shows these signs. I have done many test such as culture,blood smear etc but everything came negative. Thats when I read about respiratory infection which is mostly asymptotic and thought thats what my birds got. And I got pcr done which came negative for chlamydia psittaci. I am searching whats wrong with my birds for months now. So is it possible for them to have respiratory infection, a mycoplasmial infection may be. Is respiratory infection common among racing pigeons?? Here the veterinary sector is not that much developed, so it is not easy to get solutions.
It must be difficult not having an avian vet to guide you. Frustratingly the test results so far are not helpful. Doing a Chlamydia PCR after a course of doxycycline is not appropriate . Treating with a drug that decreases Chlamydia levels , such as doxycycline, will decrease the chance of getting a positive Chlamydia PCR result. To some extent the result also depends  on where the PCR sample was collected. As Chlamydial PCRs detect Chlamydial DNA, detecting the organisms presence is dependent on the organism actually being in the site where the swab is taken. Usually a more reliable place to detect Chlamydia is to place a swab deep into the “slot ‘ in the roof of the mouth, around the entrance to the windpipe and then on the inside of the eyelid. Finding E.coli from a mouth swab has no diagnostic significance as the bacteria is a normal inhabitant there.. If possible it would be good to follow the diagnostic plan that is available on the VRPB website under “ For Veterinarians” I am happy to interpret any results for you.
 
 
2/ This year’s youngsters, each nest has had one youngster grow much faster than its nestmate to the point where the nestmates die. There doesn’t appear to be any other health issues, is there a possible cause for this?
This is most likely to be an incubation problem. For chicks to develop to the point of hatching at the same rate, hatch simultaneously and then grow at the same rate the parents need to be able to incubate both eggs at a consistent temperature and humidity. Once a difference in size starts to develop this is quickly exacerbated by the larger chick being preferentially fed . I have autopsied and tested many smaller chicks over the years looking for an underlying primary health problem but have not found this to be the case. It makes sense really because if there was a health problem it would reasonable to think that both chicks would be likely to be affected. As the smaller chick becomes weak they do become vulnerable to developing opportunistic infections (such as canker) that a robust chick would resist. Death is usually a result of a developing weakness through not being adequately fed by the parents and sometimes secondary disease. If noticed early it is worthwhile fostering these chicks onto other pairs with similar aged single nestlings. The ability of the parents to incubate well can be enhanced by ensuring the provision of suitable nesting material.
 
3/ I have an old stock hen which for the past two seasons only lays one egg per round. Is this likely to be something that can be fixed, or is it just old age?
Abnormal ovulations where only one egg is produced can be due to aging or underlying disease in the ovary. Hen’s with ovarian disease such as an infection, a tumour or a cyst usually ( but not always ) after a period of time, start to become unwell in themselves. If this hen has been doing this for 2 seasons and still looks well it is likely to be the result of aging. An avian vet in a routine procedure can examine the hen’s ovary with an endoscope which usually will identify the cause.
 
4/ For a stock cock to fill both of its eggs, do they need to mate twice or are they both fertilised in the one mating?
Fertilisation of both eggs is enhanced by multiple matings but only one mating is required, in a normal pair, for both eggs to be fertilised. In birds generally, it is thought that semen can live for several weeks in the hens reproductive tract . As long as the semen is alive it is capable of fertilisation. In pigeons, eggs are laid on average 44 hours apart and so one mating can fertilise both eggs.
 
5/ I am a pigeon racer from Malta . I have a question regarding my pigeons, I vaccinated my pigeons against PMV with Columbovac PMV . After a week the pigeons lost weight and the condition of the pigeons did not remain the same. 
What can I do since in a week time we will be starting the pigeon races? 
This is a live PMV vaccine but it has been modified so that it does not make the pigeons unwell. It is possible that you have introduced an infection while injecting the birds if the needle became contaminated with bacteria. If this is the case you will find that the area  where you vaccinated may become redder than normal and appear a bit thicker ( due to inflammatory fluid forming within the skin). With time pigeon pus ,(which looks cheesy and yellow like canker,) may form at the site in an abscess. If a bacterial infection associated with the injection is caught early ie within 1 week of vaccination there may be benefit in treating the birds with antibiotics. Sulpha AVS  ( sulphadiazine and trimethoprim ) or Amoxycillin would be good choices . If the birds fail to respond it would be best to take the birds to an avian vet for the routine checks for disease.
6/Just a quick question. If a pigeon has developed a lump in the wing joint caused through paratyphoid/ Salmonella will the lump normally decrease/disappear after treatment ? 
No, the lump will not usually disappear even if the antibiotics are successful in clearing the bacterial infection. The damage to the joint done by the infection will usually improve slightly after a successful treatment but many of the changes caused by the infection are permanent
 
7/ If the humidity is under 50 in the loft is it a problem? If it is how can I solve it?
In the units that are used a humidity less that 25 is regarded as very dry, 25 to 50 is dry , 50 to 75 is humid, above 75 is very humid. If the air in the loft is too humid options are fairly limited –you can use dehumidifiers but in open lofts this is not really practical. Anything that cools the loft will also decrease humidity as the cooler the air , the less moisture it can carry. If the loft is too dry then one way of increasing humidity it to have open containers of water, such as a bath, present so that slow evaporation can occur. In a loft a humidity of 40 is perfect. So unless the humidity is persistently less than 25, this should be OK.
 
8/Can moxidectin be used during breeding ?
Moxidectin can be used during moulting and racing but not during breeding when there are youngsters less than 3 weeks of age in the nest. This applies to all wormers in this group. It is unusual to worm birds while they are breeding . The usual advice is to worm the birds twice three weeks apart with the loft being particularly thoroughly cleaned after each treatment. This is because any droppings passed before worming can contain worm eggs that can reinfect the birds. With babies of different ages in the nest it is very hard to thoroughly clean. If the birds had worms and you did need to worm them during breeding , it is possible to give each breeder ¼ ml moxidectin direct down the throat and keep them in a basket for 2 hours before returning them to the loft. This is a lot of work and only feasible where smaller numbers are involved. Otherwise I would wait until the last babies are over 4 weeks of age , weaned and drinking for themselves and then worm all the birds as usual through the drinker at the rate of 5ml/L of moxidectin.
 
9/ I don’t have 2 year olds this season so am working only with young birds. I have been advised to pluck the 9th and 10th flights and either a week before or after also the entire tail. Supposedly plucking the tail gives a boost in vitality and immunity. By plucking the end flights I should have the young birds ready for the season in full flights . Wondering though, isn’t it more important to keep the young birds training especially the younger birds so they can build their endurance and homing instinct versus forcing them to moult earlier. Is a natural approach better and the youngsters will naturally moult in time for racing
Pulling the tail is a very old idea. It was an old idea 50 years ago. It serves no purpose , can do the birds harm and has no place in modern pigeon racing. I remember speaking to Graham Davison perhaps 15 years ago about the practice of pulling the last two flights . His comment was “that it wrecks the pigeon”. I did it once on a small group of my own young birds about 20 years ago when the VHA still had a series specifically for young birds.. Some birds damaged the feather follicles and the flights did not grow back normally. Most were reluctant to fly properly for a significant time. Any potential benefit was far outweighed by the damage to their development as potential long term race birds. I would never do it again