Larry Lucas

Gents, thanks for the good wishes. I don't bounce back like I once did when younger, but day by day I am feeling much better. Thanks.

This works very well. Keep the legs about 1" apart with the elastic band.

Alan, sorry, I am a little out of it today. On dosage, let me quote Dr. Gord Chalmers:

Alan, sorry, I haven't checked this thread in a while -- been out of pocket with a little heart surgery. The avian vets here who also race pigeons recommend a minimum of 10 days, and most prefer 14 days with Baytril when it is used.

The problem with this particular study is that it does not take into account the endemic nature of Salmonella in pigeon flocks. A better study would include stressing the birds and subsequently testing them for shedding. Even better, one group would have a 14 day "cure" with something like Parastop or Baytril, followed by vaccination. I strongly suspect these kinds of test subjects would give a different result. Not all research is good research because the preconceptions of the study may be faulty.

Jimmy, may the Lord's blessing and peace rest upon your sister and family. Nothing on earth more painful than losing children.

A blessed Christmas to everyone on Pigeon Basics, and a very happy New Year.

A straw man, actually. Is it an ethical lapse to go into business to sell pigeons? No, unless one is not honest about their birds. The best pigeon studs do more than anyone to make good blood lines available to the average fancier at a reasonable cost. Who else would go out and spend thousands on proven birds only to offer children and grandchildren at a fraction of their original investment. If they make money I say, "Good for them" because it is good for the sport. There is no virtue in not charging for our pigeons and there is no virtue in selling them either. In my opinion it was a black day for pigeon sport in the USA when Campbell Strange sold out. Honest and a straight talker. He said that only 10% of the pigeons he bred would prove to be excellent and there was no way in advance to know which ones those would be. He was up-front about everything and you paid your money and took your chances. More were happy than were not. A better question would be, "Which pigeon studs in the UK have you had success with and gave you good value for the money?"

David, unfortunately once a bird has developed the habit of going off and staying out overnight it is almost impossible to correct. If he is going to a clock tower or bridge he will bill with a feral hen and eventually bring some nasty illness back to your loft. If I recall when you initially acquired him he was ill. Even if he was visiting another loft, the fact that he was once quite ill supports the overall problem. I know you would like to see him free and flying with the others, but being locked permanently in the loft will not harm him at all and will protect the biosecurity of your loft. For what it is worth.

The Cumulet and Smerle were primarily sprinters, as I recall. I have one family of birds that are good sprinters and when they are inbred a little too closely they produce feathered stockings and feet. I have never had one race well, but others have.

Jimmy, I think the feathered legs (and sometimes feet) is a throwback to the Antwerp Cumulet or the Liege Smerle that were used in developing the modern racing pigeon. I can't remember which one had feathered legs.

Gents, you may want to read this article from a medical journal before drinking a lot of nettle tea: http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/120-1265/2803/ Imagine the ribbing you would get at your club -- not to mention the pinches at the pub!

They would have to be imported, but Roger Mortvedt in Devore, California, USA has a fantastic family of whites that he has bred for years. I met him when I picked up one of my strays from a race. While there he let me handle some of his famous birds. They are picture perfect, thick luxurious feathering, perfect muscle, light "corky" bodies like inflated balloons. He was won California State Champion more than any other; has many 500 mile winners; national champions, etc. Very smart pigeons -- very intelligent. Yes, he has many hawks where he lives in Devore.

Well done, Vic. Well done indeed.

Apparently the active ingredient in Koudijs droogontsmetter is a formaldahyde derivative. Both Dutch and Belgian discussions indicate it is now difficult to obtain. The firm that offered it in the USA is no longer selling it. Pity, seemed to do the job very well.

From Gabby Vandenabeele: "‘By the way, I think ornithosis is 'wandering around' in a loft. Therefor I am convinced of the good influence of the Koudijs dry-disinfector; it kills everything. . . Once a month I disinfect my loft with Koudijs Dry-disinfector. Those are tablets that must be lighted and after that the gas formaldehyde is produced, which fills the whole space, and penetrates in every hole and chink. The birds can stay in the lofts that need to be disinfected throughout the whole process of disinfecting. The fume kills all the moulds, bacteria's and a great deal of viruses. . . "

Hmmm, lights on, feed good, in apparent good health. Apart from his age there are a number of other possibilities. As in hens dormant paratyphoid can cause sterility in cocks. Take samples of droppings from him over five days and have them cultured. If salmonella raises its head there is the remote possibility that treatment could restore fertility. However, I had a nine year old cock once that would only fertile eggs in late spring and early summer. He was on lights with the other stock birds but did not respond until later. Keep him with his hen and you may be rewarded later even if you do nothing proactive. Good luck. I just thought of another thing -- injectable gonadatropins. You can get it from your veterinarian.

Is he on at least 14 hours a day of electric lights?

Older cocks sometimes don't fill eggs until the days are warmer and the hours of daylight increased. Is he on lights now? If not, put him on 14 hours of light a day and put him back with his hen after two weeks. Gonads in birds are affected by the length of days (light).

If you have a problem with Paratyphoid, an observation by Dr. Chalmers gives some food for thought: For what it is worth. Something to think about.

I remember that bird -- another good un.

Thanks, ohiogsp -- good information for everyone. I have quite a few of the older OHF catalogs. Campbell got my sons and I into racing pigeons and we were club mates in the old WWC. The year he sold Oak Haven Farms he sent me some fantastic birds and put me in touch with those who had the best Super 73 breeders. It is now my main family of pigeons. Fantastic pigeons breeding generations of winners for those fortunate enough to get the good ones. Campbell sent some into Ireland and I think to Gary of Planet Bros, but I never heard anything about how they performed.

Have any of you raced the Super 73 line (81 NL 8115173) in the UK? Super 73 was bred and raced by Gijs Peters, Budel, NL and was the Dutch national ace pigeon in 1985. He was purchased by Campbell Strange, brought to the USA and founded a dynasty of superb pigeons.

I spoke with a gentleman at PrimaLac about the issue of chlorine gas used in public drinking water. He said the company compensates for chlorine and it should not affect the needed potency of the PrimaLac. I can't speak for other medicine manufacturers. Letting the house water stand for 24 hours vents off the chlorine. On the other hand, some fanciers put a teaspoon of chlorine bleach in the water to help prevent the spread of bacteria -- also a good practice for shipping and convoyers to help keep the birds healthy. This practices does reduce the effectiveness of medications.