Tap Dancin

[aye ready]

just been down to close the young bird loft up for the night and watched this young hen for 2/3 minutes and buy the fook her legs were going faster than michael flateleys in riverdance i've seen this before over the years but never paid too much attention to it but this young hen was going hell for leather anyone any theories as to why they doo this,once got told it was to do with the blood heat then someone else said it was worms then someone else said something else so i thought i would ask on here,all replies will be appreciated

[hawked again]

just been down to close the young bird loft up for the night and watched this young hen for 2/3 minutes and buy the fook her legs were going faster than michael flateleys in riverdance i've seen this before over the years but never paid too much attention to it but this young hen was going hell for leather anyone any theories as to why they doo this,once got told it was to do with the blood heat then someone else said it was worms then someone else said something else so i thought i would ask on here,all replies will be appreciated

 

Try slowing the music down!

[OLDYELLOW]

Could be red mites

[aye ready]

Could be red mites

no chance brand new loft and only 1 bird doing it,on that note tho' did use vermin-x to kill lice on the birds and the loft tonight so maybe the dying lice were moving about more than norm when they were dying thus causing the bird irritation just a thought

[billt]

I know exactly what you mean, It's funny to watch, I don't know what causes it but all young birds do it and I think It's quite normal

[aye ready]

I know exactly what you mean, It's funny to watch, I don't know what causes it but all young birds do it and I think It's quite normal

thank god someone else has experienced it,the bird is in perfect health but i thought i would ask for some theories from other fanciers on it thanks billt

[OLDYELLOW]

parasites will find host new loft or old loft , the age of the loft doesn't come in to it , the lice found your new loft

[billt]

thank god someone else has experienced it,the bird is in perfect health but i thought i would ask for some theories from other fanciers on it thanks billt

I Think you've hit the nail on the head there, When you see them doing this they are very healthy

[JohnQuinn]

parasites will find host new loft or old loft , the age of the loft doesn't come in to it , the lice found your new loft

 

Definitely parasites cause this behaviour.

[aye ready]

parasites will find host new loft or old loft , the age of the loft doesn't come in to it , the lice found your new loft

i know red mite when i see it o/y and i've only ever seen it twice both times in the same loft and thats in 35 yrs 2 squabs in the nest totally covered in them this loft was dark inside and kept in a relatively damp condition,lice on the other hand are a completely different matter you can send you birds to a race lice free and they can come home carrying them hence thats why i use the vermin x which i found hard to get now and what i consider to be the best that was ON the market

[OLDYELLOW]

Definitely parasites cause this behaviour.

lice make holes in feathers , red mites don't they bite and take blood , I spray as nowt worse for birds under performing as they don't rest properly at night

[Pego]

no chance brand new loft and only 1 bird doing it,on that note tho' did use vermin-x to kill lice on the birds and the loft tonight so maybe the dying lice were moving about more than norm when they were dying thus causing the bird irritation just a thought

 

Think what you say is spot on Martin. As long as this problem is not long term nothing to worry about. Had this myself.

[OLDYELLOW]

i know red mite when i see it o/y and i've only ever seen it twice both times in the same loft and thats in 35 yrs 2 squabs in the nest totally covered in them this loft was dark inside and kept in a relatively damp condition,lice on the other hand are a completely different matter you can send you birds to a race lice free and they can come home carrying them hence thats why i use the vermin x which i found hard to get now and what i consider to be the best that was ON the market

 

Well if your happy that red mites not a problem then that's fine just saying in most cases birds tapping there feet at night is because of red mites , and as a result of the mites biting they stamp there feet , the birds then don't rest properly and in severe cases become anaemic , red mites are rarely visible during the day they'll hide in cracks and dark places , I'm not saying you have or haven't got them , however i'd place a empty pickstone pot turned upside down where the foot tapper was and check in the morning for red mites . Lofts that are near chickens are at the greatest of risks , as red mite is mainly a poultry pest.

[aye ready]

Think what you say is spot on Martin. As long as this problem is not long term nothing to worry about. Had this myself.

thanks for your reply gary it just shows you different folk have different theories on things,where is it written in stone that it's parasites which i'm not discounting cos i did treat for lice tonight but billt also had a theory which i'm also not discounting o/y's theory about the red mite is one that i am discounting tho as anyone who knows me and how i keep my lofts will verify, but he had a theory and that is what i asked for

 

Well if your happy that red mites not a problem then that's fine just saying in most cases birds tapping there feet at night is because of red mites , and as a result of the mites biting they stamp there feet , the birds then don't rest properly and in severe cases become anaemic , red mites are rarely visible during the day they'll hide in cracks and dark places , I'm not saying you have or haven't got them , however i'd place a empty pickstone pot turned upside down where the foot tapper was and check in the morning for red mites . Lofts that are near chickens are at the greatest of risks , as red mite is mainly a poultry pest.

seen them do it during the day aswell

[OLDYELLOW]

red mites get hungry during day as well , but they more active at night or in dark places

[aye ready]

red mites get hungry during day as well , but they more active at night or in dark places

you seem to have plenty experience in the activities of red mite mark something you have seen in your own loft perhaps

[OLDYELLOW]

you seem to have plenty experience in the activities of red mite mark something you have seen in your own loft perhaps

I've had them in the past yes , I would say I'm more proactive and choose to spray , they can live for 8 months without a host i spray every 4 days from start of breeding until end of yb season , I believe I'm red mite free , but the mild warm spring this year made them more prolific , even the R.P.R.A sent warning notices with the transfers

[THE FIFER]

sure is a sign oh red mite, unless they are rehearsing for Britain has talent or knocking down to the perch below to keep quiet

[aye ready]

sure is a sign oh red mite, unless they are rehearsing for Britain has talent or knocking down to the perch below to keep quiet

oh well a mere novice like myself will agree to disagree with MOST of the theories on here and bid you all a good night i'm off to my kip to dream of being a top notch fancier like some on here

[Guest IB]

Well this is one reason I willingly paid a vet £50 to tell me what I didn't have.

 

Stopped a couple of years ago, but for a few years I was getting just the one YB with this, and I had been told a very long time ago it was caused by something biting the bird. I had tried all the usual insecticides, without change, and the behaviour didn't normally carry forward into the old bird. The last young bird (2009) was particularly bad so I took it to the vet and described what it was doing. (It is a repetitive sequence of actions, as if the bird is trying to preen 'something' out that's bothering it, but doesn't quite know where that 'something' is, including the bird appearing to see 'something' invisible fall to the floor in front of it, and attempt to eat it, the 'dance' is only one bit of it). I asked for a full lab work-up - short of culling the bird - to see if they could find any parasites on the bird, internal or external.

 

I picked the bird up next day, and as I suspected it was clean, inside and out, no evidence of any parasite. So that can definitely be discounted as the cause.

 

My own thoughts are that it is down to a case of over-sensitive skin, worsened by the bird's moult - I was watching a wildlife programme - a bird was over-preening itself, and David Attenborough's comment on its weird behaviour was 'it's apparently a very itchy business'.

 

One thing I was doing at that time was sprinkling Stalosan F in the nest bowls, and I wondered if that was causing skin problems for some of the youngsters. I stopped that and have had no problem in last 2 years.

[Rooster J. Cogburn]

Occasionally seen a perfectly healthy doo do this-old or young.Usually after a long fly/not using their legs for a lengthy period of time.

 

Always thought it was bit like a person sitting for a few hours,maybe on a long flight etc. when they go to stand up they'll give their legs a shake.

 

Or you could just face the facts Martin and accept that yer doos are riddled wi mites

[dal2]

Never noticed this before Martin!!!

Red mites?????

Surely that would be obvious and thru most of the loft???

 

Best o luck mate with yer prob, But I dont think it is a prob

[geordie1234]

Take its ipod aff it and it will stop dancing

[aye ready]

good to see many of you don't see this as a problem including the numerous pm's ive received that don't want to go on open debate,incidentally watched the wee hen tonight and not a peep out of her thanks to ian brown(who flies in my club)actually spent money investigating the same symptoms(not problem)and other fanciers as to the cause of this good on you for a creditable theory(ian)this will be the last time i ask anything on an open forum because i've now realised that after 40 years in the sport with my father (still going strong) and my grand father before me to read some half baked theories with no foundation(i,e never heard so much P*** in my life RED MITE)so goodnight to you all i will look in from time to time and follow races as they unfold in 2012

 

MARTIN CONLIN (aye ready)