Young doves on their way to the flights
Last month, most of the questions people asked had something to do with the the way to prepare the young optimally for the flights and what food supplements that can help them with that.
I’ve always had the opinion that we have to leave joung doves in peace
as much as we can. These animals are building up their resistance and should
not be burdoned with too many medicaments. Antibiotics for example, do not
only kill the bad bacteria, but also the good ones, which are very important
for the development of an immunity in the intestines, but also in the rest
of the body.
Especially for young doves, I advise a natural approach.
After the weaning of the young, it is adviseable to controll if they are infected
with Trichomoniasis. Mostly, pigeon fanciers fail at this, and give blind
cures (or not even) against Trichomoniasis. It is better to detect if this
cure is really necessary. From the weaning of the pigeons on, I advise the
administration of Bony-SGR. Directly after the weaning it should be given
during one week up to 10 days to help them cope with the stress the weaning
generates. After that, it should only be given 2 times a week. One can also
consider to administer a good Omega 3 oil to the young doves 2 times a week.
This combination will ensure a good growth, without the many diseases that
a lot of youngsters get.
Still, if there are pigeons that are showing symptoms of sickness, then I
advise to write down their identification and to treat them individually.
If the same young pigeons get sick again a few weeks later, than we know that
these are weak specimens, and that we have to consider removing them from
the pigeon hive. It is only when the training flights approach that I advise
preventive cures.
A part of the young have hidden (latent) infections typically for young pigeons,
that in normal, stressless situations, cause no problems in the pigeon house.
But as soon as these pigeons are put in the hives, in contact with other pigeons,
it is possible that they start showing symptoms.
So, I would give the pigeons a capsule against Trichomoniasis 2 days in a
row to be sure that this infection is eliminated.
Lately, instead of speaking of the “Adenocoli-syndrome, I prefer to
call it the “Young pigeon syndrome”, because we no longer only
see the vomiting and the diarrhea, as we see it in the pure Adenocoli Syndrome.
Sometimes, we mainly notice the symptoms of the Herpesvirus or symptoms of
Streptococcosis. And in some cases we see all the symptoms converging. This
makes a clear diagnosis difficult.
To lower the chances of infection in the period the training flights approach,
I advise a preventive cure with Bony-Jodi (= poeder 29) of 6 days. That way,
we prevent that they become sick after being put in the hives.
The administration of a preventive cure during one day after the flights when
these infections are not yet eliminated from the doves previously, is pointless.
During a cure with Bony-Jodi on the food, I advise also the administration
of Bony-SGR in the drinking water. Many pigeon fanciers notice a distinct
raise of the condition after 3 days of this cure.
There was also the question of food supplements in younger doves. It is the
question wether it is appropriate or not to give these extras when they are
prepared as described above. In the practice we see good results with this
approach. However, if the pigeon fancier wants to do more, then he can give
10 drops of Bony-mineral the day they are put in the hives and if needed,
the day before also. Besides that, the Omega 3 oil is also recommended, as
in the period between the weaning and the training.
Further it depends on the weather conditions weather other supplements can
provide support or not.
In case of severe respiratory problems, specific medication is needed.
Other supplements for the support of the pigeon’s condition:
Bonisol: Potion based on electrolytes, to give as the first potion when coming
home.
Flight support: A preparation of Vitamins B12 with amino acids and raisin
sugar. To administer the last day(s) before the flight. Make sure however,
that the last drink they get is pure drinking water.
Bony-MR-supplement: This is a food supplement based on herbs with vitalizing
properties like Spirulina, Ginseng, Eleuteroccoccus plus amino acids and vitamins.
To give on the food during the last days before the flight. It is also possible
to combine this with the Bony- flight oil, based on Omega 3 oil, lecithine
and wheat germ oil. If a heavy flight is expected, a combination between the
Bony-MR supplement and the Bony- flight support can be used. The first one
on the food and the last one in the drinking water.
As you can see, we have a large choice of food supplements for the pigeon
fanciers. But as always, I want to make clear that it is not justified to
use them to hide diseases. We can only expect a gain or a raise in condition
by providing food supplements when the doves are healthy.
The most important problems at this moment (may, june)
Most visits to our clinic are because of bad performances due to respiratory
problems. We have to differentiate between the swollen heads and problems
in the deeper respiratory system. It also can be a mix of both.
Often, the doves are presented without swollen heads, with no feathers standing
up on the back of the head and even the noses are mostly white. The only problem
is that they have bad performances. During a control of the deeper respiratory
system, we see that the problem resides there. These doves are troubled by
the irritation in this area. During the flights, their irritation is such,
that they become calmer, and come home later, often in groups. Mostly, these
doves are not exhausted when they arrive.
A good cure for the respiratory system often does not solve the problem. A
part of the pigeon fanciers have already used many medicines before coming
to the clinic. But as long as the irritation is not taken away, the probability
of good performances is very little.
When diseases of the deeper and upper respiratory airways are differentiated,
they can be treated differently. The irritation has to be treated with a softening
potion, and the infection has te be eliminated also of course.
The doves that have swollen heads, show the feathers standing up and grey
noses. One must not forget to look at the color of the mucous membranes in
the beak and throat. When an infection with Trichomoniasis and inflammation
cells can be excluded from our diagnosis, we can start a specific therapy
for the swollen heads. In other cases, we may have to focus the treatment
more on the inflammation of the goitre.
The mucus in the heads is treated well with the nose drops with essential
oils. Resumed, there is a great variation in possible causes, which all need
a specific approach. A good clinical exam is needed to obtain this.
Blind cures often don’t have the wanted effect.
Sometimes, it even happens that a specific approach does not give the results
we wished for. It is a possibility that a viral compound is playing a role
in this and therefore does not react on the medicines. The best thing you
can do is give them some rest, to prevent the loss of many doves.
In young doves, an infection with the Herpes virus can threaten the flight season seriously. It even happens that they are put in the hives in perfect condition, but many come home too late or don’t even get home. In case of such infection, it is better to let them rest and only let them play again when the youngs that were born later start the competitions. That way, the loss of many doves and deceptions are prevented. In case of mild infections, it is possible to control the secundary bacterial infections with a product such as Boni Jodi. It is in these cases very important to maintain the resistance as high as possible. Sometimes, I prescribe the Bony-Sambucca-plus instead of the Bony-SGR to help you achieve that goal.
If you think that there is an outbreak of Adenocoli, don’t forget to
make a smear of the cloaque, because an infection with Hexamitiasis resembles
a lot to an infection with the Adenovirus, concerning the feaces.
In case of an infection with Hexamitiasis, a good cure against Trichomoniasis
will do.
Is there a doubt, then we use the SL-mix, who has supportive properties in
both cases.
Good luck.