Mega pinholes

[Guest Hjaltland]

My friend was showing me his pigeons the other day and pointing out the fact that there were pinholes in the flights.... I thought it would be the ordinary pinholes you get if you havnt been keepin an eye on the wildlife .... when he showed me  i couldnt beleive my eyes, these holes appeared on the 3rd, 4th or 5th flights only and were mega pinholes, about maybe three or four times the size of your ordinary ones. Also the holes were in regular lines, maybe 6/8 or 10 holes to a row!? And only appear on the dark flights, less on the reds and mealies and nearly none on the whites!

 

Ive never seen anything like this before. My friend is always keen to show his birds but looks as if the only ones he can enter in the handling class will be white flighted!!

 

I'd be interested in anyone with an explanation.

[Guest]

Wonder if you could get a pic and put it up?

 

Could then bring some of the pigeon vets in, maybe get a more informed opinion that way?

 

Like yourself, never heard anything like this before, may be something new.

[Guest Hjaltland]

Aye Bruno... Chris wouldnt let me haul a couple of flights lolol

 

Think i might do a pencil drawing... watch this space.

 

Its not your common or garden pinholes i assure you!

[Guest Hjaltland]

My attempt to draw attached. The holes should be round/regular.

[Guest Hjaltland]

OOPs , went twice!

[tompadel]

The probelm is down to pigeon flies and the best treatment is moxidectin

[Guest anthony]

On the book by Wim Peters,Fit to win there is more to it than pin holes. the pigeon fly is responsable for Pseudomalaria so the blood has to be tested for the parasite,if left and the parasite is present, it interfere with the pigeon racing success

[steven booth]

The probelm is down to pigeon flies and the best treatment is moxidectin

 

Yes thats what it is one spot is pretty good to

[Guest Hjaltland]

Thanks for your answers!

 

the pigeon fly is responsable for Pseudomalaria

 

Well... i tried typing that into google!!

 

What the heck is 'Pseudomalaria' when its at home ? and should we be worried?

[Guest]

emailed your query and sketch to Gordon Chalmers last night. This is his reply:-

 

"Hello Ian:  My first thought when I read this description was that these

holes are caused by the pigeon fly, Pseudolynchia canariensis.  If you have

Dr Wim Peters's book, 'The New Fit to Win' you can see a photograph on page

199.  Hope this helps a bit.  Regards,  Gordon."

 

 

Next question: anybody got the book and can post up a pic of page 199 so we can make comparisons?  

 

[Guest Hjaltland]

Great stuff brun! Thanks.

[carl]

Very intresting this,maybe not for the fancier but hopefully he can solve this problem as im sure this would effect the birds flying.

[REDCHEQHEN]

Old 'Fit to win' reckons rarely seen in Europe, (page 46)'pseudo' means something that mimics, ie the symptoms are the same as malaria and so is the treatment, Has global warming hit the Shetlands Islands?

 

again old 'Fit to win', photograph of feathers on page 147, but its very poor (thats my excuse, wouldn't know how to put photo on anyway) but the holes run up the length of the feather and not the width and are almost a centimetre apart

[Guest Hjaltland]

Now.... what would pigeons flies being doing this far north? We have had a warmer than usual summer, maybe this is one of the effects of global warming  :-/  Has anyone on the UK mainland ever seen this?

 

As I said earlier the holes just appear to be on flights 3,4,5.  and mostly on dark flights. the outer flights are untouched. Will the the problem still be present? Do the flies have a hibernation period?

 

Questions questions.

 

[Guest]

I'll try and find the other thread and merge them. We are in the pigeon fly zone.

[Guest Hjaltland]

RedCheqHen has just very kindly emailed a copy of two pages of the book in question. I have to say that it does appear to be exactly like the holes in question. I had to smile though as the holes are on a white flight... after me making a thing about only appearing on the darker flights.

[Guest Hjaltland]

Attached file:

[Guest]

The thread was actually 'lice' on the Health Board. Pretty big.

 

Check-out posts 60-71 PIGEON FLY at:-

 

http://www.pigeonbasics.com/forum/blah/m-1128539472/s-71/highlight-pigeon+fly/#num71

[Guest Hjaltland]

Close up:

[Guest anthony]

Old 'Fit to win' reckons rarely seen in Europe, (page 46)'pseudo' means something that mimics, ie the symptoms are the same as malaria and so is the treatment, Has global warming hit the Shetlands Islands?

 

again old 'Fit to win', photograph of feathers on page 147, but its very poor (thats my excuse, wouldn't know how to put photo on anyway) but the holes run up the length of the feather and not the width and are almost a centimetre apart

 

Could be,last year the same question was done on the Canadian forum.For us in Malta it is very common,we dip the birds while they are moulting and put a drop of Ivermectin on each pigeon

[Guest]

Was told in the other thread that there was pigeon fly in the UK.

 

Wondered if anyone else in the UK has had experience of it?

 

Is it a health threat for humans or other animals, e.g. cat, dog, cattle?

 

 

[REDCHEQHEN]

some reading for you Bruno

 

http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/livestock/pigeon_fly.htm