Mystery illness ?

[David Swain]

Lost a young bird on a training toss recently and it was reported by another member of our club who lives about ten miles away. When we got it back it looked in perfect health until you handled it. Its body was about twice the size it was when it was basketed with what appeared to be an accumulation of fluid under the skin. There was no sign of it having taken a knock so it definitely wasn't bruising and the extra mass appeared to be uniformily spread down each side of its keel. It is now flying again but still handles a bit like an over-fed show racer. In nearly 50 years of racing birds we have never encountered anything like it before. Any ideas anyone ? :-/  

[Ian Gill]

Hi David,

 

I remember having a a widow cock like that about 14 years ago,he had been in the Yearling National and the birds were held over for 6 days....the day after he was timed, he was as you described with what seemed like fluid between the skin and muscle.

 

I kept him in a nestbox for a few days and the fluid disappeared but unfortunately I cant tell you if he would have been any use for racing after that as my partner at the time decided to go out of pigeons shortly after that.

 

 

[David Swain]

Thanks for that Ian. We'll give this one plenty of time to recover and try him again when we think he's ready because he's a well bred bird. Certainly nothing we have encountered before and perhaps we'll never know what it was all about.

[jimmy white]

cant say its anything ive encountered b4 either ,, would be very interested to see how you got on with it david