Canker

[Murray]

As most will know, I have not treated my pigeons for diseases for years and years. Because I live in an area which is generally warm and dry, I have never had a case of canker in my pigeons in over 10 years.

This year is different. It has been cold and wet, with rain week after week. A week or so I saw a youngster hunched up and looking sick. I looked down it's throat. Canker.

I got a small amount of powder off my mate David and put it down it's throat for a few days. It seemed to recover a little bit Then a couple of days ago I found another one. The first one was not recovering. I was seeing a few wet splashes on the floor.

I am not so pig headed that I will let it go through the whole lot, so I have put everything on a course of Ronidizole. After two days all the droppings are great again and I hope I have arrested it.

It's not what I wanted to do, but It had to be done. Nearly all of them never showed any sign of it at all. Tearing around like mad things, looking fantastic. But clearly it's in the shed.

In 17 years in Bendigo I have never seen a year like this.

[Buster121]

Hope you caught it before more got infected, weather here been very wet have been drying my loft out daily

[Andy]

Hope you’ve sorted it Murray. I don’t treat for canker. I have only had a couple of cases over the 40/50 years I’ve had pigeons. These were disposed of as so as I noticed them. I have had a couple of youngsters that seem to have had it either while still in the nest or shortly after weaning. These were also disposed of.
Welcome to the good old British weather

[Murray]

Hope you’ve sorted it Murray. I don’t treat for canker. I have only had a couple of cases over the 40/50 years I’ve had pigeons. These were disposed of as so as I noticed them. I have had a couple of youngsters that seem to have had it either while still in the nest or shortly after weaning. These were also disposed of.
Welcome to the good old British weather

I hope I have it sorted too, Andy.

I had to put the first one that I found in the bin in the finish. The second one seems to be on the mend.

I am like you, i have not treated pigeons for years, and was reluctant to do so now, until......

When I phoned Davey Cox and asked if he had some powder as I had one with canker in it's throat, he told me everyone around here has it in their lofts. Some have lost a few youngsters.

When I got another one, and I started getting wet splashes on the floor, and another one or two just not as bright as usual, I decided that was enough. I have said before, I don't use medications on my pigeons as a matter of course. I haven't needed to for years.

But I have also said if there was an outbreak of an illness, I would treat them for it. To not do so would be wrong, I think.

[killer]

My understanding of Canker is there are about 30 differant strains of it ,the most deadliest being a strain detected in the 30s in America called Jones Barn canker which will kill all birds ,the 80s & 90s produced what is called wet canker ,which come about in racing pigeons caused by stress ,as a Boy all I used to worry about was naval or bum canker easy to detect ,now your got to be a vet to find it ,through crop samples etc , ,all birds carrier it but can be kept to a small % hence no problems ,the other reason for it ,is too much medication used on race day ,or at wrong strength ,being that the birds build up resistance to the medication used ,treat individuals & not the flock cheers

[killer]

Do as our forefathers did subpress the weak & breed from the strong ,it may seem hard ,why do some survive & not others ,of all the champion pigeons everyone Races ,have you ever heard of them getting sick ,not too many ,go back to Lemon juice ,apple cider ,old bluestone or copper sulphate all can work in a more natural way ,if you need stronger stuff ,think about it first & only treat the the birds with it ,

[Andy]

I might be wrong but I believe that canker is present in all pigeons at a very low level, a bit like cancer cells are present in all humans and harmless at low levels. It just takes something to kick it off and for levels to increase to a point where it causes a problem. I would argue that if a bird showed actual symptoms of canker it is a weakness in that bird. I would never treat for it and remove the culprit from the loft. If this bird was treated and got back to a level where it didn’t show it would still be a carrier and if bred from would pass this weakness onto it’s offspring. Just my opinion.

[Andy]

Do as our forefathers did subpress the weak & breed from the strong ,it may seem hard ,why do some survive & not others ,of all the champion pigeons everyone Races ,have you ever heard of them getting sick ,not too many ,go back to Lemon juice ,apple cider ,old bluestone or copper sulphate all can work in a more natural way ,if you need stronger stuff ,think about it first & only treat the the birds with it ,

I agree with that killer.

[Murray]

Fully agree with that. I have used garlic and Apple cider vinegar for years and never had a sick pigeon. They all carry it at low levels all the time, but for it to suddenly become severe and start making them sick surprised me.

I still think it's the continued cold wet weather which has caused it to break out. Nothing else has changed.

[Andy]

Fully agree with that. I have used garlic and Apple cider vinegar for years and never had a sick pigeon. They all carry it at low levels all the time, but for it to suddenly become severe and start making them sick surprised me.

I still think it's the continued cold wet weather which has caused it to break out. Nothing else has changed.

Is it one of your own bred pigeons or one out of some more recently brought in ones?