Horses

Pigeon Health Programme

The subject of pigeon health is a big one and as with all species of livestock it is multi faceted. The areas that we need to address encompass feed, type of birds and their work rate i.e. are they racing?, if so how far, are they breeding?, number of birds in the loft, the average age of bird within the loft, disease levels present, hygiene standards, stress levels generally, quality of stockmanship and many more. Each flock of birds will be different because of the different combinations of the above factors.

The above picture is of course the same with all livestock units, whether they are herds of cows and pigs or flocks of laying hens or lofts of pigeons. The aim of the stockman or fancier must be to support the level of natural immunity within his stock. Clover Leaf have been involved with all species of livestock for many years and have long experience of doing just that.

Before detailing our approach to this subject we should first of all look at some basic facts about birds and the pigeon in particular.

Birds have developed their wonderful design to master the art of flying in order to be able to travel large distances to take advantage of food supplies wherever they might be. To say that they have been successful is an understatement. They are great world travellers and make Concorde look clumsy and very uneconomical in terms of energy efficiency. The swallow, arriving in South Africa to spend the winter, may be a few grammes lighter than when he took off in Britain but he has covered the vast distance from his own body reserves! From the food eaten, a fuel much more complicated than aviation fuel, has propelled him half way round the world!

The homing pigeon that we have selectively bred has the innate qualities of birds like the swallow and is a strong power pack of a bird. However for all its ability to navigate and fly great distances it must convert basic foodstuffs into super fuel. Unlike the swallow though, it does not have access to exactly the right food it needs for the job. No matter how good we think the food we feed is it is not as good as nature would provide for the wild bird.

We have taken on the role of provider without knowing what it is the bird really needs. It needs different things at different times and, as with farmed animals, there is still much we do not know about basic requirements. It is a fact that because we cannot quantify exactly what an animal needs we often over provide certain nutrients and this overprovision can be as detrimental to the animals health and performance as under provision To achieve the genetic potential of our birds which, to a large degree is under utilised, not only do we need to get closer, nutritionally, to the birds requirements but we must address food utilisation. In simple terms this means digestion and absorption. This process we can improve by up to 10%. This figure may seem an exaggeration but it is far from the case. For most fanciers there is more performance improvement to be gained from getting this right than from buying in better genetics! Clover Leaf take this as the starting point!

The pigeon has a high metabolic rate and is programmed by its genetic make up and the need to get back home, to fly at sustained speed for long periods of time. It needs very high bodily reserves of energy, water and other natural compounds. If we can firstly improve its diet and secondly help it to convert that into the fuel it needs we will remove the biggest stressor that the bird has to deal with. The first three products described below address diet and utilisation.

The chances are that most of the time our feeding is wrong but what about other areas? Well the wild bird for a start doesn’t spend its life in a building shoulder to shoulder with others of its kind. In terms of disease challenge this is an important fact. No matter how good a system of hygiene the fancier has, the bird in a loft will be subject to high disease challenge. Even if the bird overcomes the challenge there is a cost. During the racing or breeding season energy diverted by the immune system to deal with a challenge is then unavailable for production or flight. We are at this point very much into the area of stress and even the novice is very soon aware of the deleterious effect this has on the overall well being of the bird.

Already we can see just how complex all livestock production is, trying as we do to manage a process that is far from being a natural one.

Once we recognise why it takes a lifetime to get the basics right we have to adopt a degree of humility in addressing these issues. The vet doesn’t have all the answers, neither does the nutritionist and even the “experts” in the general field are still learners! We are all learners! That being said both the Principals in Clover Leaf have a lifetime’s experience in all these related areas and have developed a system of livestock health management that puts a safety net under the important areas.

Our Approach
All our recommendations are directed towards helping the bird to acquire high levels of natural immunity. In order to do this we use the products listed and described below. None of these products contains toxic actives because we do not use manmade chemicals or antibiotics.

The importance of the combination of Canidex and Pozigest cannot be over stressed. H.R.Gaskins an American researcher, points out that the small intestine is the first site of intimate contact with the external environment and if we can keep this digestive tract working well we can support the total well being of our birds. Quote; “Given the overall size and density of resident immune cells, the intestine constitutes the largest immune organ for all vertebrate species

Canidex

£30.00 - 5 kg

Contents:

This product provides many micronutrients often short in diets and contains some nutrients absent altogether. Protein is the one nutrient which is almost never undersupplied in diets but which is often over supplied.

Directions:

Should be made available to all birds, both breeders and growing stock, on a free access basis.

More about Canidex:

The digestive organs of the body are under great strain when the bird is fed more protein than is needed. One of the many actions of Canidex is to support the function of liver, kidneys and gut. This product helps the absorption of nutrients by helping support the gut lining and all the immune system sites located there.

Pozigest

£24.50 - 1 Litre

Contents:

This product when used with Canidex ‘cleans’ the birds system by helping to remove waste products and toxins from the bird’s bloodstream. This is done by the way it supports the function of the liver. Blood can be likened to a conveyor belt transporting nutrients, waste products, hormones, oxygen, chemical messengers, immune system cells etc., around the body.

Directions:

Given to all birds in the drinking water every day at the rate of 1 ml per bird.

More about Pozigest:

If the waste disposal aspect is supported then this mantains a strong health status and helps make available more energy to the bird. Pozigest also contributes to the support of the gut lining and all the immune system sites located there by helping to maintain the ph balance within the gut. The right ph balance encourages the ‘good’ digestion bugs and discourages the pathogens. The presence of large numbers of pathogens has a detrimental effect on the gut lining by causing it to be thicker than it should be for facilitating optimum nutrient absorption.

Enterite

£16.00 - 250 ml

Contents:

As mentioned above the starting point for Clover Leaf in maximising the natural resistance to disease and the birds flying and breeding performance is centred around nutrient absorption. This is a new product that dovetails in with Canidex and Pozigest.

Directions:

Given on one day per week in the drinking water at the rate of 1ml per bird.

More about Enterite:

The use of these two products as stated help to provide the conditions to avoid damage to the small intestine. Enterite has been developed to positively further enhance the elasticity and permeability of this very important membrane through which all the nutrients pass to get to the blood stream. To do any damage to the bird all enteric pathogens must pass through this same membrane. It is a natural barrier that we can support!

Imustress



£16.00 - 250 ml

Contents:

Imustress is a blend of plant extracts given to support the birds immune system to help to make them less susceptible to stress challenge.

Directions:

Give 1ml per bird to all birds on one day per week. It is very beneficial to give to racers on their return to the loft especially if given in conjunction with Recharge.

Recharge



£30.00 - 1 Litre

Contents:

Recharge is a blend of plant extracts and natural compounds that energises the bird. Recharge acts as a very good tonic and should be used after stress events, i.e., disease problems, antibiotic course etc. It should be given to racers for 4 consecutive days prior to racing. By doing so we minimise the stress of transportation and make available to the bird massive amounts of energy for the flight itself.

Directions:

Give one ml per bird per day for four consecutive days.

More about Recharge:

Another of its properties is to increase water intake. If on return to the loft a 4 day course is given the recovery time is reduced dramatically. This product is useful in preparing birds for breeding and for the hard work of rearing their young.
Where heat stress is a problem in some lofts this is the product to help the birds to deal with it.

Imuworm



£16.00 - 250 ml

Contents:

We recommend that this product be given on a monthly basis to support the immune system in expelling worms in the natural way. If the bird is able to keep internal parasites to a minimum then this will avoid the use of toxic chemicals.

Directions:

Give on a monthly basis at the rate of 1ml per bird. Given in water or top dressed on feed.

Rembu



£16.00 - 250 ml

Contents:

This product is very effective where no specific health problem can be pin pointed. If birds are unthrifty and generally off colour or are performing below par then Rembu supports their immune system, resulting in brighter birds. It is important however to continue looking for specific problems!

Directions:

Week one give l ml per bird for 1 to 3 days. Thereafter 1 ml per month or when necessary.

Nilbit



£16.00 - 250 ml

Contents:

This product is used to support the immune system to help the bird to repel lice.

Directions:

Give 1 ml per bird in water on 1 day per month.

Cloversan-Dry



£20.00 - 5 kg

Contents:

Cloversan-Dry contains Selouron 500 (reg) on an organic, inert base. It is harmless if ingested and a very safe, yet powerful anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial sanitizing agent.

Directions:

For a sweeter smelling, hygienic and healthier environment, sprinkle Cloversan-Dry onto loft floors & cage floors at 100g per square metre.

Enviromist



£8.50 - 1 Litre

Contents:

There are many products on the market sold to sanitize drinking water. Many of these products like chlorine are commonly used, and, like Chlorine, because they are toxic, they have a detrimental effect on good 'bugs'. They may kill the 'bad ones' but they slow down & inhibit digestive bacteria. Enviromist is non toxic and is used firstly to encourage the digestive bacteria in the bird's gut and by this action we can support the gut.

Directions:

For adding to the drinking water 12.5ml per litre is the standard rate of inclusion. This should be for a minimum of 3 days a week.
For fogging and misting use as directed.

More about Enviromist:

It must be stressed that Enviromist is based on natural compounds. Enviromist, as it's name suggests, is an environmental product. In the previous few paragraphs we have described its effect on the very important internal environment - one that is often ignored. Addressing the external environment i.e. the loft & the airspace within it, is of course of paramount importance if we are to reduce the intensity of the challenge the birds have to deal with. When one considers the array of toxic chemical killers on the market sold as hygiene products we might be forgiven for thinking that pathogenic bacteria can be eliminated from our birds environment. This of course is not so. We cannot eliminate them altogether, nor should we try. With the use of our products, Canidex & Pozigest, we in effect reduce the amount of pathogens excreted from the birds. This, combined with the use of two natural non-toxic products, will keep lofts clean and harmful 'bugs' to a minimum.

It should be regularly sprayed inside lofts. It is important that all the air space is misted because if this air could be seen under a microscope it would look like bacterial soup! Another important use for Enviromist is in reducing mite numbers. Mite infestation can be managed if all walls, nest boxes and crevices are regularly sprayed.