Regards Canker And No Effects

Roland · January 28, 2011

Often one hear tales of the disastrous dreaded canker.

Unseen Killer! ? :emoticon-0138-thinking:

Well my mate related what happen not so long ago. When - the very rare time and about 12 year back now â€“ When an National was won here about he was 2nd Section, 24th Open National Banff. This was with a dark Chequer cock bird. It was real fit and acted like it had St vitas dance. - Spelling.

So about 2 - 3 weeks later he put it into a Lerwick race. It was bouncing and twitch great and clear eyed with white beak and crisp clean wattle etc. A prime specimen of health and he had quietly great hope for he was driving his hen back to nest sitting a big youngster to boot.

Any way it was reported and brought back to him dead. It had died in the crate. Shocked, and disappointed he sent it away for an autopsy.

Results came back that it was riddled with cancer and that what was killed it!

So yes, this Canker in all reality never affected it's ability, not only to race, but to obtain a very high degree of health and fitness.- Of course one can say, argue that without the canker i would have done even better . Who knows?

Trouble is that there are 30 just over of Cankers and they very quickly become immune to a treatment, hence why one should / must change the treatment at least after 2 - 3 times tops when curing it.

Now this should throw some light onto what exactly are the effects - outside of the very rare case of killing a bird -of canker.

It is, and has been well documented that a 'Mild' form of canker is actually very good for a bird, as it stops any other strain from attacking and formulating on the bird. Plus it has no real detrimental effects only good in a mild form.

Likewise Gut bacteria. Just who, and how are we, able to deter which are good and which are bad. Seems that they all have a part to play, and the bird are very much dependant up on them all. Yes just via use tap water we clean them out regularly.

January 28, 2011

The link is an article by Gordon Chalmers which explains in pigeon mens' language the work Stabler carried out from 1939? on canker infections in pigeons and doves. I first read about them in Leon Whitney's book 'Keep your pigeons flying' in the 1960's, but I just didn't understand back then what was being said as we didn't vaccinate pigeons for anything in those days.

Today Stabler's work sounds just same as vaccination using a live harmless strain which gives immunity against the deadlier ones.

http://www.ifpigeon.com/IF/articles/if_article_canker_gorden_chelmers.html

Gordon has also produced a similar work on cocci, link to Article:-

http://www3.telus.net/npaw/gchf05.html