I raced before PARATYPHOID was ever talked about. The first fancier in my club to ever catch PARATYPHOID was the only fancier to vaccinate against it. I've kept birds for near on 50 years and never had a fertility problem. Clear eggs are rare in my loft. 10 or more birds are over 10 years old and all filled this year. The only pair not to fill is a cock of 21 and his hen of 12. Although they did fill a couple of eggs last year.Devo1956 wrote: Sat Jun 22, 2024 8:22 am Like i have said on topic, we all all have our own ways of how we manage our birds. And as the owner of these birds, it is your duty to care for them. Giving good nutrition and looking after their health day by day.
It is a 365 day sport and can be very testing to the birds. So i feel it is important ,first of all make sure you keep up to date with yearly vaccine for Rota virus, salmonella, Para.
Healthy pigeons in good condition are necessary for successful and good breeding. Prevention is better than cure, so in this article we take a closer look at why vaccinating before the breeding season and when weaning youngsters is so important.
1. VACCINATION AGAINST PARATYPHOID BEFORE BREEDING
Paratyphoid fever or salmonella is a common obstacle that can cause major problems in the breeding season: poor fertilisation, mortality in the egg and then death of nestlings or even the breeding pigeons themselves. That is why it is recommended to treat pigeons with a suitable antibiotic for about ten days every year about six weeks before the breeding period, in consultation with your vet.
If you regularly have problems with paratyphoid, it is also recommended to vaccinate against paratyphoid immediately after treatment. Be careful to leave enough time until the you pair the pigeons (four to five weeks), otherwise you might have a very bad breeding.
Since mid-2016, high levels of mortalities in kept pigeons (racing and fancy) occurred in lofts across most states of Australia. Emergency animal diseases and notifiable diseases, such as avian influenza (AI), Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and pigeon paramyxovirus virus type 1 (PPMV1), were ruled out as the cause. Investigations of these events found they were due to a rotavirus (a member of the reoviridae family).
In March 2017, pigeon rotavirus was detected in sick pigeons in Tasmania.
Clinical signs
Clinical signs in affected birds have included depression and reluctance to go out and fly, vomiting, diarrhoea, regurgitation and hunched postures. Birds that appear sick often die within 12 to 24 hours, with deaths in affected lofts continuing for approximately 7 days (Figure 1).
Mortality rates of up to approximately 30% have been reported in affected lofts. While the history of the pigeon rotavirus outbreak on the mainland indicates there may be a lengthy carrier status for recovered birds of some weeks or months, the full nature of the disease is yet to be elucidated.
This is just my thoughts, i have always said the health of the birds is Paramount. Along the way, other forms of a virus may come along. It is your choice on treatment of your birds.
Poor fertility is common in pigeons today with cocks as young as 6 now not filling. It's not all down to PARATYPHOID. Medication is playing its part also.
