Race Unit Spread of Disease The control of infectious disease in race baskets can be a real challenge not only for competing fanciers but also basketing supervisors . If you had an aviary of healthy budgies you would never consider going and buying some budgies of unknown health status from a market and then taking them home and putting them straight into the same aviary as your healthy birds. And yet , each week, we send about a third of our race team off to mix intimately in race baskets, where the environment is ideal for the spread of disease, with birds of variable health from many different lofts. The difficulty in control was highlighted recently by the experiences of a friend of mine. He had an outbreak of Fat Eye in his birds. He informed his centre supervisor and advised that although he would ensure that he sent only visibly healthy birds he would be quite happy for his birds to be placed into separate race baskets by themselves. The advice he received was consistent with that received by many other fanciers in this situation. He was thanked for his honesty but advised that rather than make an exception , as long as the birds he brought to the club appeared well, they would be basketed normally with the birds of other members . The difficulty, of course, is that although all his birds looked well there could be no guarantee that they were not carrying the disease and therefore be infectious to the other birds in the race. An alternative would have been not letting the fancier enter any of his birds. This would however penalise him for his honesty. It would also encourage secrecy amongst fanciers who had disease in their own birds. However putting his birds in separate baskets may well just not have been practical. And so, ensuring that entered birds are themselves showing no signs of disease but basketing them normally is probably the only realistic option. This explains why there can be sudden outbreaks of problems such as Fat Eye and also other diseases such as Pox and Rota etc , apparently from nowhere – because a normal looking but infectious bird has been basketed with non- infected birds. With no straightforward way of preventing this situation this highlights why disease in a race team should be monitored – so that any introduced problem can be identified and hopefully treated before it can impact on results and returns.
Losses during racing I recently received an email from a well-respected and very successful fancier, John Share of the VRPU in Melbourne, who is also a long-time friend. It was one of the most interesting emails that I have read for some time. His email states :- “The losses this year by Melbourne and interstate Federations is of great concern to our sport. The continual downturn of members and the subsequent effect on the bird numbers being sent to our races is unfortunately ongoing, however we now face huge losses that at times are unexplainable. Is it a number of reasons combined (too many untried birds being bred out of; birds placed in the stock loft for their speed only; loss of experienced flyers making the competition weaker; loss of hard day pigeons that have consistently in the past handled headwind/hard conditions; race day or races being moved to facilitate easier races.) The number of birds being sold daily on auction sites is definitely concerning. You and I remember that in years gone by, the only birds available were at disposal sales, majority having flown and the youngsters in the sale were off their best flown birds. The flyers attended and handled the sale pigeons, now a photo suffices (and probably doctored). The overall heath, loft and management of today’s pigeons is definitely of a higher standard than in the past, however I believe the animal husbandry skills of our past top flyers with their acute eye to detail and recognizing the little things that make a champion has certainly declined. Or do we have an ongoing problem with the Rota Virus that is compromising our birds, without showing any visible signs to the fancier. Do we need to arrange a bird from many lofts and have an autopsy on each to see if there is a common factor. I would suggest that the balance of monies held by the Melbourne convention (after paying for the recent court case) could be used for such exercise.” I think John summarises very well some of the factors that are likely to be contributing to the current losses. I think all of the points he raises are very valid. Another long-term friend and mega-champion flier, Jim Marafiote, expressed a similar sentiment. Earlier this year I was considering buying some birds that were based on old, hard-day South Australian bloodlines. I did not know the seller but coincidentally a few days later I happened to be speaking to Jim. Jim said the seller was a well-known reputable flier who had good birds. He said, however, that the potential problem was that the fancier no longer raced. This meant that, although the birds had impressive pedigrees, they had not actually raced. We all know that only some birds, even those from the very best pairs, are good racers. Once you have one, two or more generations that have not shown their ability to perform on a harder day, let alone seen the inside of a race basket, the chances are that a significant percentage of the birds will not have the characteristics that we want but cannot see – the ability to orientate and keep coming, particularly when the conditions are challenging. I have always thought that one of the shortest routes to failure in pigeon racing is to be distracted by a bird’s appearance. Another potential route to failure is to be overly dependent on a pedigree in birds that for one, two or more generations have not actually raced. Quite apart from the make-up of the birds in the race cohort, falcons are obviously also “in the mix” when considering losses. As race numbers fall, the percentage taken by falcons increases as does the disruption to the other race competitors. How we see our birds behave at the loft when attacked by a falcon can to some extent be extrapolated to what happens in a race. Pigeons in large mobs give each other security and are more likely to pull together and try and outfly the falcon; smaller mobs are more likely to scatter and go to ground.
I would love to see the spare money from the convention being used for diagnostic work to see if underlying health problems such as persistent internal damage in Rota virus recovered birds are a contributing factor to the losses. Indeed I have been advocating this for years. The ANRPB also has $60,000 of fancier money sitting there being kept for an obscure purpose that is unlikely to ever occur, which I feel could be much better used. In addition, Tas Gazis of the PRV apparently holds $40,000 of fancier funds. To what purpose he chooses to use this money remains unclear.
Dire Situation in Melbourne – a possible solution. As mentioned earlier, race losses in Melbourne this year, like most of the country, have been very high – perhaps the highest of all time. As a result, bird numbers and the number of competing fanciers are way down – probably lower than ever before. On 4th October, the four Melbourne federations basketed for a Sunday Race on 6th October. In the VHA, 55 fanciers basketed 491 birds for a race from Parkes (370 miles or 600 km into Melbourne) while 24 fanciers from the VPU sent 266 birds, 30 fanciers from the WPF sent 379 birds and 34 fanciers from the GMPF sent 432 birds for a combined release from Narromine (430 miles or 700 km to Melbourne ). Many fanciers didn’t fly due to the strong NW and west winds forecast (northern VPU flyers, western WPF flyers) but also absent were flyers that have nearly run out of birds. These numbers of fanciers and pigeons are incredibly low and represent about half the number of fanciers that flew the early races with less than a quarter of the birds entered. For example, in their early races the WPF had about 80 fliers and 3000 birds compete in each race.
Well-known fancier John Share has proposed a possible solution that I think has significant merit. He has suggested that “maybe we need to again push for all the Melbourne Federations to race under the one umbrella (Long Distance Combine) for the 400, 500 and 600 mile races. It is so frustrating, that the vast majority of members from all our Federations are in agreement that this should occur, however, some persons in position seem to be reluctant to even give it a trial. I have written 2 articles in the past (published in the ARPJ) that received positive comments, however, now with the huge decline in membership/birds experienced in all Melbourne Federations, common sense should prevail. I think the dire situation all Federation are experiencing has come a lot quicker that many envisaged. An example would have to be the AFL. They were smart enough to realise that only retaining the 12 Victorian sides in the competition was not going to be viable and grow the sport in the future, so although they met with reluctance from many members and clubs, they nationalised. Now look at the record crowds, financial turnovers etc. Even 2 interstate teams playing off in this year’s Grand Final had over 100,000 crowd at the MCG.
I suggest the following :-
Retain the 4 Federations within the Combine by making them sections, members affiliated with those Federations are therefore in that section, and thus although there is an open result, members are still competing against their own. The emphasis should be on the sections as winds influence the overall result. (like overseas eg BICC). Existing Federation honour boards would be retained. More flyers equals more birds equals more competition (declining each year at present) Reduced transport costs (increasing each year) Stand-alone costing for those competing. Option for flyers to cease racing after the 350 mile races if they so choose (various reasons). Should keep Long Distance Races viable. Encourage flyers to become Long Distance specialists (like overseas) LDC to be organised by a management board (similar to Sth Aust) 5-7 persons, not necessary President or Secretary of the Federations but rather persons who have the necessary skills and expertise in distance racing, conducting races, transport, flexible with their ideas.
All races be flown each year from the North (Cobar, Bourke, Barrigun) to lessen the impact of side winds effecting the overall result.
Individual Federations could still conduct their races up to 350 mile and fly whichever route they wished.”
The potential demise of pigeon racing, as we know it, in Melbourne has been slowly coming for years but seems to have accelerated more recently. This situation has arisen much sooner than most could have imagined. Everyone knew that membership was declining. With no reversal plan in place, the process would continue until a ‘tipping point” where there were no longer sufficient competitors to make the sport viable. We have perhaps now reached that point. This is something that has caught officials and fanciers “off guard”. The Melbourne federations have infrastructure that is reminiscent of a bygone time and is now far in excess of that required. It caters for a membership that no longer exists. The huge race losses are a significant contributing factor to the sport’s declining membership. In the VHA’s 370 mile race from Parkes on 6th October mentioned above, only 35 of the 55 competitors clocked on the day. Of those that did, most had only the bird that they clocked with only a few having a second or if they were lucky a third bird. Maybe there were 50 birds of the 491 entered home on the day. Returns the next morning were initially promising with more birds arriving but, as is often the case these days, most of the birds that were not home within a few hours did not come. Comments among members such as “I am over it” and “I have had enough” and also “no one has got any birds left” are heard increasingly commonly. If no (or very few) people are taking up the sport, it becomes increasingly important to hold on to the members that we have. Unless there is some miraculous turn-around, there is no reason to suspect that the overall downward spiral of the sport is going to stop. Without changes, this downward trend will predictably continue. One wonders at what point does it just become impossible for the sport to continue. If you had asked me that question 10 years ago, I would have answered – once there are less than 50 fanciers in a federation race. This means that we are already way past this point. Bear in mind that in the 1980’s the VHA alone had over 600 members and a combined 600 mile in 1990 had 5,700 entries. Obviously those days are gone and those of us that were around then were lucky to have experienced them. I feel that it is now up to officials and members to respond. Business as usual will very predictably be the sports end. I strongly suggest that John’s suggestion, or something similar, be given positive consideration. Time is of the essence. Now is the time -- before schedules are developed for next year
The Way Forward The VRPB and ANRPB have big jobs in front of them. Potential issues for state and National representatives to address that immediately come to mind include amongst other matters :- 1/ The adoption of active measures to popularise pigeon racing and attract new members. You can make 2 types of decisions--- ones that are planned and those that are reactionary. Planned decisions are made, as the name suggests, when you are making a plan. You make a plan about what you want to do or where you want to be and make decisions so you reach that point. You decide where you want to end up. A reactionary decision is made in response to matters not necessarily under your control. You become a bit like a “cork on the ocean” making decisions that are simply reactions to changes around you and you almost certainly end up somewhere that is not where you want to be. If we were working to a plan then the over-riding aim should be to increase the popularity of pigeon racing. Everything else becomes irrelevant if the current trend of declining membership continues because the sport will no longer be able to operate in its current form. Quite apart from ensuring the persistence of the sport in Australia, a rise in fancier numbers would mean that racing would be better with more cover and winning would be more rewarding with more competitors. Racing would be cheaper and yet pay higher prize money. A good aim would be that a metropolitan federation like the VHA would have 1000 members, each sending at least 30 birds a week in 10 years’ time. Something like this can never happen without a plan. This would involve planned decisions being made so that aims can be achieved. Without a plan, the sport becomes like that cork in the ocean bobbing about here and there with reactionary decisions being made to modify the hobby and accommodate declining membership so that, in the short term, the sport persists but in the longer term it risks disappearing. Over the last 30 years, as membership has declined, clubs have combined, others have disappeared, races, particularly long races, have been dropped from schedules due to them no longer being affordable. Prize money, after race costs have been covered, has dwindled to a pittance or is non-existent. I read the minutes of pigeon meetings from 30 or more years ago and the issues discussed have changed little from those discussed today. The sport seems unable to move on. So how does the sport at least maintain its position or hopefully increase its standing in society? The answer is to make it attractive to the young people that in previous generations would have become fanciers. I feel that a big help would be increasing the sport’s level of professionalism. But I certainly don’t have all the answers to achieve this. It is up to our state and federal reps to work on this. 2/ The reclassification of pigeon racing into a special and unique animal husbandry category, making it exempt from many of the planning restrictions currently in place, in the process removing the drudgery of each fancier needing to address his own council permit issues when there is a complaint. This process has already been started following the appearance of myself and solicitor Charles Hider at a VCAT hearing earlier this year that successfully addressed this issue. It is now up to state and federal reps to proceed with this 3/ Developing universal standard liberation protocols. Modelling these on best-practice protocols released by large world-standard organisations such as the KBDB (in Belgium) seems logical 4/ Developing a Standard Code of Practice endorsed nationally. Why? So that providing management and care consistent with that recognised nationally as a Standard Code of Practice subverts many of the issues fanciers face with neighbours and local councils. 5/ Investigating the benefits of OLRs to the sport and addressing the health issues and often huge losses associated with these events, which risk bringing the sport into disrepute. Also introducing a form of accreditation for the operators of OLR. Results of an investigation into this and potential mitigating solutions already in place and used by some of the largest OLRs in the world such as the AfricaPro OLR were provided in the February and March editions of the ARPJ. It is now up to the VRPB and ANRPB to continue with this. 6/ Provide inputs to future state and national animal welfare acts, standards and guidelines and ensuring that fanciers understand and implement these. Recently the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines and the new Victorian Animal Welfare Acts how been developed. Many fanciers remain unaware that practices, common within some areas of the sport – for example ,the culling of young healthy birds by lay people, fanciers operating on their own conscious birds, failing to seek veterinary care during disease outbreaks, etc, etc, are unlawful with the fancier facing prosecution and the sport being publicly brought into disrepute over such issues. 7/ Promote measures that improve the health of our birds by preventing disease. Specifically, actively promote the use of vaccines and provide information on the correct way to use them. 8/ Actively investigate veterinary issues as they arise and report the results to fanciers. A recent example is the appearance of “Fat Eye”. 9/ Actively support subscription to our national magazine, The Australian Racing Pigeon Journal. 10/ Educate fanciers about the benefits and legal requirements of obtaining a PIC (Property Identification Code ), explain how to obtain one and encourage them to do so. 11/ Provide recommendations for fanciers when they have an outbreak of disease, advice for the organisers of shows and sales, together with accreditation schemes. 12/ Consider the establishment of a levy on fanciers to develop a cash pool that can be effectively used to promote the sport and educate the public about pigeon racing. 13/ Establish a contact list of all fanciers to:- a/ improve the dissemination of information and b/ be used to guide decisions about the sport based on the demographic information provided by the list. It is fairly basic for an organisation to have a list of participating members and yet in the sport of pigeon racing in Australia we don’t have one. After all, an organisation is really just its members. If you don’t have a good idea of who your members are, you don’t have an organisation, you just have an executive. Having a list has many advantages – spreading information, demographics etc. It has been suggested that submitting state and federal correspondence through the Secretaries of each Racing Pigeon organisation would work well. However, information does not reach many fanciers particularly through the “off” season when there are no meetings. One only has to look at the “Vet questions” that are received by the ARPJ each month for me to answer, to see that information that has been available on the VRPB site literally for years is not reaching many fanciers. Having a membership list of fanciers makes for a much more efficient spread of information A simple example of the need for a list was demonstrated by this year’s outbreak of Avian Flu in Victoria. It was disturbing to read the huge amount of misinformation on social media. Fanciers would have appreciated updates on the situation and accurate information. When I spoke last year to the Minister for Agriculture’s assistant about the new Victorian Animal Welfare Act, I could not even tell her how many fanciers were in Victoria, let alone where they were located. I had to guess. It is pretty normal and standard for all organisations to have a contact/membership list. A list can be tiered with the primary source of contact being the president or secretary. In certain situations, however, such as an outbreak of exotic disease like avian flu, where notification is time-critical, fanciers could be contacted directly. Routine information such as the VRPB minutes could be sent directly to fanciers, promoting a feeling of involvement and cohesion. A very recent example of the benefit to fanciers could be making them aware of the recent egg smuggling incident at Melbourne airport discussed several months ago in the ARPJ. In addition to the spread of information, be it through secretaries or direct to fanciers, developing a list has many demographic imperatives. I can just imagine a VRPB or ANRPB representative at the next government meeting being asked, “Who are you representing?”. The reply could be as silly as – we don’t know exactly how many or where they are but we know they are out there. 14/ Provide information and guidelines to fanciers at a state and federal level when issues that affect the sport at these levels arise. As mentioned above, a good example is the recent outbreak of Avian Influenza that occurred in Victoria. There was a large amount of (mis)information that appeared on social media. From the VRPB and ANRPB – nothing. 15/ To estimate the value of pigeon racing to the economy, both at a state and national level. A superficial survey conducted several years ago in Victoria estimated pigeon racing to be worth $20 million to the Victorian economy. This figure is higher than many would realise. Quantifying the sport’s financial value helps give it legitimacy. 16/ Provide education and guidelines to fanciers about the risks of smuggling avian material into Australia. Fanciers will recall an incident that occurred at Melbourne airport earlier this year Text courtesy of Australian Border ForceAn Australian man arriving into Melbourne International Airport has been fined more than $6,000 for carrying pigeon eggs and tobacco. Australian Border Force (ABF) officers targeting travellers attempting to bring prohibited goods into Australia, questioned the traveller as he arrived on Tuesday (1 May 2024) and performed a baggage examination. During the examination, ABF officers located 23 pigeon eggs in a metal box wrapped in cotton and aluminium foil. Officers also located 9,750 grams of undeclared Nakhla – a popular type of Shisha tobacco – concealed within various vacuum sealed sunflower seeds in the traveller's baggage. The traveller opted to abandon the undeclared tobacco The pigeon eggs were referred to Biosecurity officers and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) fined the man $6,260. ABF Superintendent Kelly-anne Parish said ABF officers are highly trained and employ sophisticated detection technology at the border to ensure prohibited goods do not make it into the community. “Our message to individuals attempting to bring illicit goods into Australia is simple – do not engage in this activity because we will hold you to account and it will result in significant financial penalties, Superintendent Parish said.” It has been suggested that this Australian Border Force release be forwarded by the ANRPB and VRPB to fanciers, advising that they do not condone this behaviour and warn fanciers of the consequences of smuggling eggs. A number of diseases can be passed through the egg but the most important is Newcastle disease. Newcastle disease affects chickens and is caused by a Paramyxovirus that is very similar to the Paramyxovirus that infects our pigeons. The vaccine that we give our pigeons for PMV will protect them from becoming unwell or dying from Newcastle disease but it does not give them enough immunity to prevent them from becoming infected with the virus. In this way, once in the country, pigeons could spread the disease. Because of this, the introduction of Newcastle disease into the country has the potential to curtail all racing activity. In my opinion, a fine of $6,000 is paltry considering that this act, quite apart from its effect on the poultry industry, could shut racing down. Indeed, this has happened in earlier Newcastle disease outbreaks. My thought is that, as the offence occurred in Victoria, the VRPB should meet with the appropriate authority, make its presence known, express its concern, and develop an understanding of the wider issues and also the likely impact on racing if Newcastle disease did gain entry into Australia. The ANRPB could consider a similar federal approach.
Essentially the role of our state and federal representative bodies- the VRPB and ANRPB - is to set the gold standard by which the sport should operate. It needs to represent the sport professionally and guide the sport professionally into the future. This cannot be achieved without pulling the sport together. Without state and federal issues being addressed, without the accurate spread of information and without the establishment of guidelines, there is no reason to suggest that the factors that have led to the sport’s decline will not continue. Small groups operating independently, each doing their own thing, does not work. We are looking to our elected state and federal representatives to provide direction to our sport. Significantly, this becomes the responsibility of the people who take on management positions in clubs, federations and importantly in state bodies like the VRPB and our national body, the ANRPB. Too often , I feel, that the representatives in these organisations simply do what pigeon fanciers know how to do, to promote the sport. For example they run a race, they have a pigeon sale or perhaps even organise a local convention. Any local club or federation can do this. Although these activities may interest fanciers they don’t address the necessary issues that will enable the sport to continue and develop including “the elephant in the room” – the issue of declining membership. It should go without saying that state and national bodies need to address state and national issues. If they don’t do it, no one else will and indeed it must be them that does it. Without this planned, rather than reactionary, approach, the sport is always going to lack cohesion, not have a planned direction for the future and fail to develop a professionalism that may attract a new generation of fanciers. Without the right people, initiatives tend to become confused, stall and disappear. We need representatives that have initiative, imagination and skills to offer beyond that of simply being someone who races pigeons. We don’t just want “bums on seats”. Reps who come unprepared or don’t want to do the work get in the way of others that do. Organisations exist but tend to become, in effect, lifeless. The above list of 16 issues that I feel that state bodies and the ANRPB need to address are just the ones that I can think off. I am sure that there are others .
Possible retail product induced chalky eggs Had an interesting case recently. Using a product advertised in the ARPJ according to the manufacturer’s instructions has possibly been the cause of reproductive failure in a fancier’s birds. A very conscientious and informed pigeon fancier had problems with his stock hens producing eggs with a rough surface. The birds were cared for extremely well and looked and behaved like very well birds around the loft . Apart from a grain mix, the birds had a range of mineral supplements including grit and pink minerals in front of them all the time . When paired, however, most of the hens laid eggs with a rough shell. This condition occurs when either the pigeons are not being provided with enough calcium in their diet to produce a normal shell or alternatively where there is disease in the oviduct so that the shell gland in the oviduct has lost the ability to use calcium to produce a normal shell . Disease of the oviduct tends to be an individual problem. It might affect one or possibly two hens in a group. The fact that most of the hens were affected made this unlikely . This meant that the birds did not have enough calcium in their system. But, they had free access to a range of calcium supplements so how could this be ? The fancier had been using an organic acid blend in the water almost continually, as the manufacturer recommended to “control unwanted bacteria” and promote a “balanced gut microbiota”. Acids interfere with the absorption of calcium by the bowel. It seemed likely that with most birds affected and also with the birds having free access to multiple calcium sources that calcium absorption was being prevented by the frequent use of the acid preparation. This in turn led to a calcium deficiency and the chalky eggs. The fancier has withdrawn use of the commercial acid preparation and has separated the birds. The plan is to re mate them after several weeks. The hope is that by this time sufficient calcium will have been absorbed into the system for normal eggs to be produced.
More problems of the breeding Season Each month during the breeding season I have been discussing problems that potentially the fancier might face. This month I will discuss post egg laying paralysis and problems with nest felts Post-egg-laying paralysis Sometimes, a hen will have difficulty walking after laying an egg. This difficulty can range from a simple inability to straighten her toes, so that she walks on her knuckles, through to a total flaccid paralysis of both legs, forcing her to get about by lifting herself by her wing butts. The main nerve that supplies each leg is called the sciatic nerve. After each sciatic nerve exits the spine, it passes through the kidney on that side before tracking its way around the inside of the pelvis and down into the leg. During laying, this nerve can sometimes be compressed or involved in an inflammatory process that occurs between the inside of the pelvis and the egg shell. This causes the nerve to become inflamed and means that any nerve impulse passed along the nerve’s length becomes ‘garbled’. This inflammation is reversible, and most hens will start to regain function in three days to three weeks, depending on the severity of the inflammation. It is usually best if the bird can be separated so that loft mates do not peck and harass her. Placing her in a spare nest box or basket lined with straw (to prevent any pressure sores forming) with food, water and a calcium source within easy reach, until she has recovered sufficiently to look after herself in the loft, works well. Anything that makes eggs more difficult to lay can predispose the hen to this problem. For example, calcium deficiency can both decrease the strength of oviduct contraction and interfere with shell formation, both of which lead to prolonged egg laying. Hens that are overweight, unwell, old, on generally poor diets or laying large eggs are also vulnerable.
Nest felts Fanciers need to ensure that they if they are using nest felts that they are from reputable suppliers. Mortality rates of over 90% in one-to-three-day-old nestlings have been associated with the use of inappropriate nest felts. Affected chicks are usually in good condition, with crops full of milk, but are found dead in the nest. Autopsy and pathology done on these chicks reveals inflamed air sacs and lungs. Nest felts supplied by veterinary companies and made specifically for this purpose pose no problem. However, some ‘enterprising’ fanciers cut nest felts from carpet underlay. This underlay is treated with chemicals to inhibit bacterial and fungal growth. These chemicals evaporate on exposure to air. The combination of the chicks’ immaturity, intimate exposure to these toxic chemicals, and resultant high intake by inhalation, lead to the deaths. In some instances deaths continue, although at a reduced level, after the removal of the felts until the breeders have bathed several times and washed persistent residues from their feathers.
Tear Drop Eye I saw an interesting example of misinformation on facebook recently. There were several photos of pigeons eyes where the pupil was shaped like a tear drop. The post said that such birds were very rare and to be much valued. In embryonic life the iris is a complete membrane through the centre of the eye. As the embryo continues to develop, the central part of the iris degenerates and disappears to create the pupil. If this process does not occur normally, the pupil will not be round and sometimes is tear shaped. This developmental deformity is described as an iris coloboma. Interestingly also occasionally during the process, tags of iris will be left scattered across the pupil. This developmental abnormality is called a persistent pupillary membrane. Some fanciers describe this as a “cluster eye” and believe it indicates a good bird. In fact, both conditions are developmental abnormalities that interfere with vision and are harmful conditions that can be inherited.
Avian Flu Update Victorian vets are being advised on how they can prepare for the potential arrival of H5N1 avian influenza in Victoria this Spring by the office of the state Chief Veterinary Officer. High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) is a highly infectious disease that can cause severe illness and death in poultry. The global strain of HPAI called H5N1 differs from previous strains in that it not only causes substantial mortality in poultry but can also cause the deaths of large numbers of wild birds and some affected mammals. There is no effective treatment for HPAI H5N1 and the prognosis for many birds or mammals affected with the disease is poor. As explained in earlier ARPJ articles, pigeons are naturally resistant to the disease but can spread it. Because of this the disease can impact our sport with restrictions on pigeon movement being put in place. To date, HPAI H5N1 has not been detected in Australia. However, the global situation means there is an increased risk of this disease arriving in Australia and outbreaks in local wild birds and other native wildlife. The spread of avian influenza to people is rare but may occur with some strains of the virus if there is close contact with infected animals or their droppings, or with heavily contaminated environments. Good occupational health and safety practices when working with animals will minimise the risk of transmission. Avian Influenza is a nationally notifiable disease . If a vet suspects a bird or other animal is showing signs of avian influenza he is obligated to report it. Hopefully the pigeon sport will be able to respond appropriatelly
Pigeon Diptheria Recently while running some birds into a commercial training unit for a combined toss a fancier mentioned that some of his birds had a yellow plaque in their mouth . He wondered if the birds had “diphtheria”. Diptheria is commonly mentioned when discussing disease in older pigeon books. It is a term that I had not heard for a while. It comes from a time when we did not have the knowledge and understanding of pigeon disease that we have now. Before the diagnostic ability was available that we have now , diseases were often named for the symptoms that they cause. This is so in other species as well as pigeons. For example there are diseases in sheep called Scours, Lumpy Wool and Joint ill while in pigeons we have One Eye Cold, Sour Crop and Going Light. The word diphtheria actually means, in a medical sense, a second membrane called a diptheritic membrane on top of a normal surface, a bit like a blister . These days we know such membranes when in the mouth are typically associated with mucosal pigeon pox although other viruses and sometimes bacteria and trichomonads can cause similar lesions.
Facebook There has recently been much discussion about apparent heavy race losses on some pigeon sites on Facebook. Everyone seems to have the answer. Two things that are frequently mentioned are that the problem is poor quality food and “all the drugs we have to give them now”. I think some fanciers fall into the trap of believing that there is a problem with the food even when subsequent more accurate testing shows that the food is fine. It is certainly not necessary to give birds lots of medicine to enable them to win or indeed simply come home. I know of rogue suppliers who invent conditions and then convince fanciers that they need to treat their birds for those conditions with medicine that is only available through them! Other posts state that vaccine use contributes to losses. This seems particularly ironic as one would expect the exact opposite as vaccine use helps to prevent disease and keep the birds healthy. Thorough veterinary testing has shown that the vaccines do the birds no harm while at the same time thorough testing has shown that the birds developing disease, thorough not being vaccinated, can damage them permanently. The trend in recent years is to, in fact, give them less medication than we did ten or twenty years ago. In the very vast majority of lofts if the birds are vaccinated, treated for external and internal parasites before the start of racing and regularly treated for wet canker during racing then that is all that needs to be done. I personally find it hard to imagine that this is contributing to losses.
Memorable Quotes Over the years I have heard some quotes from experienced successful fanciers that have stuck in my mind. They are the result of accurate observation and ring true to this day. Quote One. –“If you have got form then 20 race entries is too many. If you haven’t then 50 is not enough.” Quote Two – “We are all only one toss from disaster” Quote Three – “The less cocks I race then the better they do.” This fancier went on to explain that under the system where most Australian lofts race their birds, too many cocks in the loft means that there is squabbling and noise, they alter the tempo of the loft and can put the hens off. Be very selective , the cocks have to keep up with the hens
Gary Mountjoy I recently attended a seminar where one of the speakers was Gary Mountjoy. For those , who have not heard of Gary, he races in the VHA and is one of the VHA’s most successful long distance fanciers. With the VHA being one of the largest and most competitive federations in Australia it is likely that his results would compare favourably anywhere in Australia. Gary is a small team fancier who consistently performs well in the longer races. Two races that readily come to mind include a 10 hour race from Dubbo into Melbourne ( 700km ) two years ago. In the whole fed there were only 64 birds clocked on the day. A quarter of competing fanciers never clocked and many of those that did, had just one or two home. Gary got 15 of his 24 home on the day. So surprised were some fanciers at this that they asked to see a photo of his clock face, confirming the returns. On another occasion in an all- day 800 km race Gary clocked his first two arrivals at 8.10 pm to gain second and third . In the whole VHA there were 17 day birds . Gary got 4 of his 18 on the day with his third and fourth birds arriving at approximately 9pm and 10 pm! Gary’s comments at the seminar made sense to me. I found his comments very insightful and ones that could only be made as a result of 45 years of experience . His main points were:- 1/ Sourcing pigeons – don’t get pigeons from someone that flies 300 pigeons, similarly don’t get pigeons from someone who tosses every day, or from someone that medicates on a weekly basis. Also don’t get pigeons from someone that flies only three quarters of the program. Source pigeons that suit you. It should not be a matter of you suiting the pigeons. 2/ The three deadly sins in sourcing pigeons – inbreeding, strain names and eye sign . Gary was brought up on these when he started racing in the late 1970s . They were the prevailing knowledge of the time . All invented by the English to sell pigeons. 3/ Devote 1 ½ hours per day, 365 days of the year. What you do with the pigeons every day makes a difference. 4/ Keep it simple. 5/ Fly and feed the pigeons once per day 6/ Get friendly with local fanciers so that you can go away 7/ No “hokey” theories -- source the best possible pigeons, have a management system that works to the clock and keep the lofts immaculately clean 8/ The 4 seasons :- a/ the breeding season—beginning of October to the middle of February, one of the most enjoyable times of the year. Birds are fed peas, pellets and pink minerals b/the moulting season – middle of February to the middle of April, an underrated time of the year, this is when the pigeons build their immune system, vaccinations, supplements vitamins, probiotics, may need to give strategic medications, under overlapping stresses c/ pre- season – middle of April to the first week of July, winter feed mix, flying the roof 1 to 1 ½ hours for at least 4 weeks before the start of tossing, initial training 10 tosses not exceeding 25 miles then into unit tossing d/ racing season – first week of July to early November, 3 teams of cocks, 4 teams of hens , send maximum of 30 per week, toss Saturday and Sunday, race to the perch with cocks and hens separated after they come in from their loft fly or from tossing 9/ There is an element of luck to pigeon racing. There are things you can control and other things that you can’t. Napoleon Bonaparte said “Luck is a characteristic of genius”. The harder you work, the more you plan in detail, the more preparations you make then the luckier you get. Do everything right during the 4 seasons and you reduce your luck to virtually nothing 10/ Like the pigeons, you have to evolve if you want success. You have to be open to learn and if necessary modify your thinking and even change your ideas. 11/ Find a discipline of racing that you most enjoy and try to get good at it. Apply your resources to that section of the race program. For Gary this is 700 to 1000 km racing on the day.
Only on very rare occasions does Gary sell a pigeon. He is however very generous and has given birds away to other fanciers, myself included, over the years. These birds , in turn, are now establishing a reputation as successful birds in other lofts. Under the decades of valid rigorous selection in telling longer races under a straightforward system they have developed into birds that are valued by anyone who is fortunate enough to obtain them.
Vet Questions 1/ I had Rota in my racing loft. I was told to only race the 2 or 3 year olds until after the disease had passed. Is that correct ? Essentially yes. Formal testing has not been done but anecdotally it seems that the immunity formed to Rota in response to actually having the disease appears much higher than that formed after vaccination. This immunity in recovered birds seems sufficient to protect them from clinical disease for at least one year and possibly longer. What ideally should be done is that blood profiles should be run on old birds in a loft with Rota to check if the virus is effecting these birds internally. Typically though what seems to happen during a Rota outbreak is that only the current young birds , which have not had the disease previously , become unwell while the old birds which have had the disease before remain well.
2/ At the club had some fanciers tell me that Rota is spread through the air. Is this true ? Rota virus is spread by droppings. The usual method of infection is inadvertent ingestion of food or water contaminated with infected droppings. In theory powdered droppings in a dust aerosol could spread the virus but this is not the principal way that the virus is spread
3/ Last year , unknown to me, my birds had PMV when I vaccinated them against pigeon pox. Can I use the same pox vaccine this year on my new youngsters? PMV can be found in the bloodstream of infected birds at various times during the disease. It is very likely that the virus will have contaminated the vaccination needle which in turn will have contaminated the pox vaccine. Freezing is a very good way of preserving a virus and so it is also very likely that if there is PMV in the pox vaccine vial that it is still alive and infectious a year later. This would mean that when you vaccinated this year’s new youngsters with pox you would also give them PMV. It is best to discard the pox vaccine from last year and purchase a new bottle. This is a good question and highlights the risk of fanciers sharing pigeon pox vaccine. When a fancier shares a pox vaccine vial he is in effect also inoculating his birds with all the blood born diseases found in all of the lofts that had used the vial before him.
4/ I have a 2014 stock cock that has me perplexed. He was in with all the other stock cocks and body moulted perfectly , however his last 3 blood flights all have severe quill damage. I removed him in April to an individual flight. Hopper peas, daily small seed mix and cleaned daily. He continually drops his 8th flight when half grown. The new flight is always quill damaged. I have checked all my health books, one suggested it is a virus?
The BBC probably has a feather folliculitis ie an infection in the feather follicle. Because only a small number of follicles are involved this is unlikely to be due to a virus but rather a bacteria or yeast/fungus. Often these infections are transient but permanently damage the delicate lining and growth area of the feather follicle so that it permanently loses the ability to grow a normal feather. If caught early these infections sometimes respond to medication ( antibiotics and anti- fungal drugs). If the problem has been going for several weeks or longer response to treatment is usually poor. The infectious agents are often opportunists from the environment and so he is unlikely to spread the problem to other birds. If he is a good cock, I would just breed from him normally but it is likely that this deformed feather will be a persistent feature of him.
5/I am an avian vet . We occasionally get raptors brought to the clinic for treatment. If a raptor eats a pigeon that is carrying PMV, can they catch it? I am wondering if it is worth vaccinating the raptor. It may be worth vaccinating the raptor. Pigeon PMV has been identified as a cause of death in Australian Brown Goshawks after eating PMV infected feral pigeons.