1: Moxidectin wormer The easy way to administer is to go to a feed store with horse products and buy a product called ‘Quest’. Quest comes in a syringe tube and will make eight gallons of water.
Quest is a gel that must be mixed in a blender or shaken very long before being poured into the water and given to the pigeons for 24 hours. It lasts in the pigeons system for 30 days. Not only does it eliminate all internal intestinal worms, it eliminates gape worms and all external parasites.
1 tube makes 8 gallon, 1/2 tube makes 4 gallon & 1/4 tube makes 2 gallon. Just caught the clicks on the plunger and divide by the appropriate number to come up with the amount desired.
If you see worms you can repeat every three weeks for up to six months. Round worm eggs only live in the enviroment for six months so the life cycle can be broken.
Once per year you can treat with Quest Plus which contains the Tapeworm medicine. Same amounts apply with it.
2: Aquarium Chlorine Removers: Aquarium chlorine removers often remove other harmful heavy metals, amonia or otherwise prepare your tap water for pigeon use. Purchase the one drop to the gallon dose and stop wasting money by killing or interfering with anything you give your pigeons in the drinking water. Just fill the bucket or container, drop in chlorine remover stir and add your products immediately.
3: Apple Cider Vinegar is one of the best natural additives that can be given daily to the pigeons. Apple Cider Vinegar makes the gut acidic. Bad bacteria does not thrive well in an acid environment. Use the vinegar that has the MOTHER in it. 1 ounce per gallon of water.
4: Never mix Apple Cider Vinegar with medications.
5: Acid Pak 4 Way 2X: Instead of Apple Cider Vinegar I have also been using this. A water soluble containing organic acidifiers, electrolytes, enzymes, and a supplemental source of live, naturally occuring micro-organisims. It is mixed at a rate of 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of water. ACID-PAK™ 4-WAY is a unique technology designed to help “feed the gut” and equip animals with the best foundation for healthy growth and natural defenses. It provides acidifiers, lactic acid-producing bacteria, enzymes and electrolytes to maintain optimum conditions for digestion in the stomach and small intestine. Many of the large commercial producers are using it.
6: Vikron S: For a good disinfectant for your loft, feeders, waters, etc. Most of the big poultry houses use this for their buildings. A type is also sold that can be added directly to the birds water.
7:Sage & Oregano :Like oregano, sage is another herb that has strong antibacterial properties, and is one of the best herbs for poultry to eat. Sage, like oregano, is proven to lower the pathogen load in your poultry, and studies have shown that it can decrease the salmonella in your poultry system when they eat it.
8: Wood pellets: Try using the hardwood wood pellets for wood pellet stoves for floor covering in your lofts. The pellets take longer to break down then the soft wood pellets made for bedding and are cheaper.
9: Shipping pigeons through the express mail in the post office or even by airline, you should hydrate the babies as you place them in the box. An infant bulb syringe made of rubber in a tear drop shape will make this easy. About a half a bulb of water in each youngster as you place them in the shipping box will fight dehydration during the trip.
10: Nutrena Feather Fixer: A small pelleted poultry feed that has Chelated trace minerals to support feather regrowth and eggshell strength, added prebiotics and probiotics support proper digestion and nutrient absorption & source of greens for periods when grass is limited. It also helps rid the birds of mites. I feed to year round to my breeders and my young birds.
11: Permethrin & Pyrethrin ( Pro-Force® Fly Spray) made by Manna : I use this equine horse spray on my birds. I spray the vent and under each wing. rapid rnockdown, kill and repellency for up to 14 days, kills and repels more than 70 listed species & kills fleas and ticks on dogs. Can also be sprayed in lofts and kit boxes to ward off flys and mosquitoes.
12: If a Coopers hawk attacks and kills a pigeon and is scared off the kill, the hawk will always come back to the kill. It may take up to two hours but the hawk is coming back to feed. I have witnessed this over and over. By removing the dead pigeon the hawk is going to come back looking for a live one.
13: Pigeons that are being bothered by some type of illness will increase water intake. If the pigeons look healthy but water intake increases drastically give ½ teaspoon of Virkon S to the gallon of water for five days. After the Virkon S treatment add one ounce of Apple Cider Vinegar to the gallon along with probiotics in the water every day for three weeks or use the Acid pak 4 way 2X which already has the probiotics. You can alternate Apple Cider vinegar one week and oregano the middle week and then back to apple cider vinegar. Mix all with probiotics.
14: If your waters freeze and crack try taping the crack with duct tape.
15: Do not have an extra pair of shoes? Keep a can of spray disinfectant (Vikron S) outside the door of your loft and spray your shoes before entering the loft anytime your shoes may be contaminated. This is also a quick fix for the bottom of all visitors shoes.
16: When flying your birds for competitions remember that Pigeons Recognize Faces: Studies have shown that pigeons recognize faces. They know you from your neighbors. Pigeons certainly know strangers in the loft and also combine this with an incredible memory of traumatic events. Keep this pigeon memory in mind whenever you decide to do something very upsetting to the birds. Also keep in mind the pigeons know you. So when there are several strangers watching your birds fly on fly day no wonder they may act differently.
17: Nesting bowls: The Dollar store dog dishes make good nesting bowls. Those of us that live in colder climates can also get a can of spray foam (some even have repellents for mice and insects) and on the under side of the dishes spray the foam around the dishes. This insulates the bowls for colder weather.
18: Waters and feeders: I save my old gallon tea jugs and use a 3″ hole saw and cut a hole in them to use for waters and feeders. The feeders get a hole on each side cut and then wired to a stud. These are easy to use and clean. I used a 4″ hole saw for years but found that the birds occasionally would get inside the waters and or feeders.
19: Before shipping birds I use the Pro Force equine spray on each bird so as to assure I am not shipping any critters along with my birds.
20: To line your nesting bowls try using Griprite Non-Slip Shelf Liner. It is washable, cushions , protects, non slip surface and gives the squabs something to grip on to eliminate splayed legs. Just cut the liner into 12″ squares and duct tape to sides of the bowls. After using can be washed and reused.
21: 6″ pvc pipe can be cut into 6″ length and split in half to make perches. They will need to be screwed to wood L perches. But waste doesn’t stick to the perches as bad as plastic or wood nor does bacteria soak into them. You will need to put a strip of duct tape or the non slip strips for steps , otherwise they are to slick for the birds to stay on. Remember to hold the perches high enough off of the floor so as it makes it easier to scrape underneath the perches when cleaning.
22: When giving baths be sure to add a couple of tablespoons of Vikron S to the birds water. Helps in cleaning and disinfecting their bath water which reduces the risk of spreading bacteria between the birds.
23: Always where a mask that is rated for use around pigeons. This will help reduce the possibility of pigeon lung disease. If you wear glasses and your glasses fog up while wearing the mask you do not have an adequate seal. If you have a beard then you will not get a seal on your mask.
24: Winsmore is a good and cheap vitamin supplement .
25: A very good grit for your birds is sold by Vita King pigeon products.Ingredients: seaweed grits, silex, calcium, oyster shells, stomach grits, loam, minerals, trace elements, breeding seeds, carrots, CU, FE, Zn, Mn, Do, L, Sc, Vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, D3 and E. Contact # 1-877-848-5464
26: Buy the large Iodized cattle mineral blocks ( 50lb) then break up with hammer for your birds to use as pick stones. Entire block cost less then $10 and the birds love them plus they are getting the iodine they need.
27:Egg bound Hens
The cause of egg binding id the lack of fluid in the egg canal and the hardening of the shell prior to the delivery. Removing the egg can be donein several ways; whatever way you choose will save the hens life.
A. Sweating the egg out- this process takes longer than the other methods, but I prefer to do this because it will make the other methods easier.
B. First apply wheat germ oil or cod liver oil into the vent with a syringe. Keep in mind the oil must be warm. Also, give the bird wheat germ oil (10 drops) orally about an hour before attempting to remove the egg. Then, you boil tea in a pan till it steams, holding the bird’s vent over the steam for short periods. This will open the vent and relax the muscles that contain the egg. You are hoping the bird will pass the egg naturally. If this does not work, rest the bird an hour or two, and try the process again. This will give further time for the wheat germ oil to work further. Probing the vent with the syringe, without the needle, you want to locate the egg and try to get the oil around the egg. Then, with your thumb, try to push the egg out gently.
C. Taking drastic measures to save your hen’s life, if the steaming process does not remove the egg naturally, then time is short for the hen to survive. You must have someone help you with these procedures. You need someone to hold the bird. Take the syringe, this time with the needle attached, locate the egg and with the needle puncture the egg and extract the egg. Once all of the yoke has been extracted, take your thumb and press where you can feel the egg. You want to collapse the eggshell. The wheat germ oil would have softened the shell. If the hen does not pass the shell within a reasonable amount of time, you can find the shell in the vent, and with tweezers extract the shell yourself. Always remember there may be two eggs in the canal. Don’t be afraid to use more warm wheat germ oil to flush out small fragments of the egg shell if need be.
D. Prevention- Seven days prior to the egg laying, add wheat germ or cod liver oil to the grain. A few drops will make the difference. Not only will it soften and moisturize the egg canal, but it will also put a nice sheen on the bird’s feathers.