Managing Pigeon Health
Dr. Paul G. Miller
Pigeon Vaccine Lab
Young Bird Losses
• Diseases – Possibly subtle; understand the young bird immune system
• Condition – Degree of Muscle development
• Form – The desire and attitude to perform well; love of flying; hawks
• Health is NOT lack of Disease; also includes Condition & Form
• Training: Basket vs Routing/Travelling; gain familiarity with territory
• Methods of Orientation
• Earth’s Magnetic Field: Proliferation of radio waves(cell phones, sun spots,..)
• Clock – Sun
• Sub-sonic Sound Waves
The Traditional Approach
In Pigeons (as well as the Poultry Industry)
• Management
• Biosecurity: Design Management so as to prevent disease
• Environmental conditions (Light, Ventilation, Litter management, et al)
• Stress Management (Crowding, Training/Racing Schedule, et al)
• Nutrition (Feed quality, method of feeding, supplements, et al)
• Vaccination (Viral diseases, Bacterial diseases, Toxins)
• Disease Control
• Traditionally done by medications: Antibiotics, Wormers, Coccidiostats,…
• Were freely available through dealers, feed stores,...
Current Situation
• Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) issued by FDA (Food & Drug Admin)
• In place the beginning of ‘17; promoted to veterinarians during ‘16 through a
series of mandatory meetings for all licensed vets.
• Originally described as a required Veterinary ‘Management’ Program for dairy
and hog producers. Requirements are quite onerous for vets, requiring a
separate ‘management plan’ for each producer.
• Once in effect, the requirements extended to all species, and all medications
and all routes of administration (especially feed and water).
• Effects not only agricultural antibiotic use, but all animal owners, as well as
feed manufacturers/dealers and many others.
• Turning out to be extremely burdensome for everybody involved; obviously
just another bureaucratic ploy to build FDA (have no idea of what a ‘farm’ is).
Response: Be PROactive
Review approach to pigeon health
(happening also in Poultry Industry)
• Manage the Immune System more intensely: vaccination, reduce stress
• Probiotics = Beneficial bacteria and other organisms; work with host
• Assist host with normal physiological functions
• Crowd out pathogens (competitive exclusion)
• Seed down the environment (inoculate later birds from the environment)
Be PROactive (continued)
• Include Monitoring for disease in your management program: test before
treating
• Fecal Floats for enteric parasites: Worms, Coccidia
• Throat swab direct wet mounts: Flagellates (Canker, et al), Yeasts
(Candida,.)
• Bacterial cultures ONLY when necessary (no need to recover probiotics)
• Complete Necropsy on all unexpected dead and moribund birds.
• State Labs (http://www.aavld.org/accredited-laboratories), Private Labs,
Veterinary Practices.
• Select for a strong immune system: cull immune incompetent birds
• See Dave Shewmaker: www.shewmaker.com for pigeon genetics.
Typical Young Bird Race
Managing the Young Bird Immune System
• Why do young birds get infectious disease ?????
A weak immune system: Inadequate immunity
• The key to young bird health is to manage the young bird’s immune
system.
•Note that the young bird’s immune capacity is
very low the few (3 to 10) weeks after weaning.
• The young bird’s immune system has two components:
Passive and On-Board.
Managing the Young Bird Immune System
Passive (from Parents)
• Highest at weaning
• Declines/depletes as bird
ages (in weeks)
• Received from Parents…
Depends on parents
immune status
• Consists of Antibodies from
mother (through yolk) and
both (through crop milk)
• Note: No Cellular component
On-Board
• At weaning: very
primitive and ineffective
(lowest)
• Develops and
strengthens as the bird
ages
• Development is
dependent on immune
system stimulation
(vaccination)
• Is not fully developed
until the bird is mature
Managing the Young Bird Immune System
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Passive Immunity from
Parents only lasts a few weeks
Passive Immunity Effective Immunity
Weaning Age (Weeks)
The Young Bird Immune System
Young Bird’s On Board Immune System
3
Effective Immunity
On-Board Immunity
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Weaning Age (Weeks)
The Young Bird Immune System
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Total Immunity is LOW
Passive Immunity
Effective Immunity
On-Board Immunity
Total Immunity
Weaning Age (Weeks)
Vaccination
• Definition of Vaccine: A biological substance given to a bird to
promote and establish immunity to a specific disease or toxin.
• This requires a competent, available immune system
• Vaccine = Antigen + Adjuvant + Preservatives + Buffers + others
• Antigen: Specific disease causing agent protected against
• Can be live agent, modified-live agent, killed agent, or (modified) toxin
• Adjuvant: A non-specific immune system stimulant
• Preservative: Prevents contamination with unwanted disease agents
• Buffer: Adjusts pH and other chemistry to maintain effectiveness
Vaccination Components
• Antigen is usually the disease organism protected against.
• It can be live, killed or modified-live; other forms of antigen can be used.
• Adjuvant is usually a chemical specifically designed to generally
stimulate the immune system, and is NOT specific to any disease.
Adjuvants can be very harsh, and can cause ‘vaccine reactions’.
• Do not mix live and killed vaccines in the same syringe.
• Preservative (antibiotic or formaldehyde) from killed will kill live agents
• Adjuvants (and other components) must be compatible
Response to Vaccination
9
Acquired Immunity with Vaccination & Boost
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
First Boost
Vaccination
0 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Vaccination Programs
• Vaccinate when birds are not undergoing a lot of stress
• Not when racing, breeding or moulting
• Vaccinate only immune-competent birds
• Vaccinate old birds twice and young birds three times
• Before breeding season: to stimulate production of parental antibodies in both
parents (recall passive immunity)
• Between old bird racing season and young bird racing season: to protect young
birds on the road, before road work and wide travelling/routing
• (young birds only): Additional booster shortly before racing season.
• Other times: in the face of an outbreak, vaccinate only healthy birds
• Many diseases suppress the immune system: vaccination is ineffective
Vaccination Programs
Before Breeding Season
Late Fall: November
through February,
depending on when you
put your birds together.
To build up antibody in
hens to pass through egg to
young birds (to boost
passive immunity).
Booster for all birds prior
to racing.
Between Old Bird
Racing and Young
Bird Racing
First vaccination for
young birds; booster
for old birds prior to
moult.
June or July
(Young Birds
only)
Booster for young
birds prior to
young bird racing
season.
July or August
Young Bird Diseases Adeno Virus
• Primarily affects digestive system (intestines)
• Can also affect other systems (chronic in Liver)
• Immune suppressive (other diseases likely)
• Birds regurgitate whole grain; also diarrhea
• Treatment: Fight dehydration - provide plenty of water
with electrolytes; reduce stress
• Freeze regurgitated grain, and feed to next year’s
young birds
• Mix with other young birds before racing
• Often accompanied by a bacterial enteritis: E.coli,
Salmonella… Treat as appropriate.
Controlled exposure: Adenovirus in Young Birds
• Adenovirus: Primarily affects digestive system (intestines)
• Can also affect other systems (chronic in Liver)
• Birds regurgitate whole grain; also diarrhea
• Treatment: Fight dehydration - provide plenty of water with
electrolytes; reduce stress
• Freeze regurgitated grain, and feed to next year’s young birds
• Mix with other young birds before racing
• Often accompanied by a bacterial enteritis: E.coli, Salmonella…
Treat as appropriate.
Biosecurity
• Definition: A component of the management system designed to
detect, avoid and eliminate biological hazards to birds.
• Late/slow returning birds are one aspect often over looked
• Often will mix with ferals or other flying pigeons, forage for food and water
• Can be carrying diseases with long incubation period, also parasites
• Observe these birds carefully, and segregate if they show any signs of disease
• Plan training/racing program to minimize nights away from loft
• Cull late returning birds. See Dave Shewmaker for Breeding Programs
Dr. Paul G. Miller
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