Stamping Feet

[travis]

Hi All

 

Can anyone help or offer advice please?

 

I had noticed a few of my YBs were stamping their feet and preening fairly franticly, as if they were irritated i would say? I could not see any lice etc when I checked them over. I decided to treat with Moxedectine, believing this would deal with any internal / external parasite, and did this 10 days ago. I would say 4 /5 of them are still stamping their feet and seeming irritated, they are especially preening around the rump area about the base of the tail.

 

They are on darkness and are in the body moult. They seem fine apart from this and have a healthy appetite and droppings are all good. I hate seeing them obviously being bothered by this, I have not dipped them?

 

Any advice would be great, many thanks

[dal2]

Hi All

 

Can anyone help or offer advice please?

 

I had noticed a few of my YBs were stamping their feet and preening fairly franticly, as if they were irritated i would say? I could not see any lice etc when I checked them over. I decided to treat with Moxedectine, believing this would deal with any internal / external parasite, and did this 10 days ago. I would say 4 /5 of them are still stamping their feet and seeming irritated, they are especially preening around the rump area about the base of the tail.

 

They are on darkness and are in the body moult. They seem fine apart from this and have a healthy appetite and droppings are all good. I hate seeing them obviously being bothered by this, I have not dipped them?

 

Any advice would be great, many thanks

Red mite

[Guest IB]

There's been a thread on this before, and opinions differed. I'd done exactly the same as you using different 'cures' but the behaviour didn't stop. I submitted one of the birds for a full laboratory work-up (short of euthanising the bird) looking for any sign of internal or external parasites. The bird was clear.

 

If you watch the bird closely it goes through a very ritualised routine in a specific order - exactly like the others - as if it is being irritated by 'something' but the bird doesn't quite know where the itch is, under the tail, under one wing, under the other, at the preen gland, both feet? It's a behaviour thing, and IMO its normal.

[billt]

There's been a thread on this before, and opinions differed. I'd done exactly the same as you using different 'cures' but the behaviour didn't stop. I submitted one of the birds for a full laboratory work-up (short of euthanising the bird) looking for any sign of internal or external parasites. The bird was clear.

 

If you watch the bird closely it goes through a very ritualised routine in a specific order - exactly like the others - as if it is being irritated by 'something' but the bird doesn't quite know where the itch is, under the tail, under one wing, under the other, at the preen gland, both feet? It's a behaviour thing, and IMO its normal.

 

As you say we have had this topic previously and I agree there is nothing wrong with them, I get a spell of this every year with my youngsters and they seem particularly well and fit at this time

[Wiley]

Are they still tap dancing when darkened?

[shugf2003]

Hi All

 

Can anyone help or offer advice please?

 

I had noticed a few of my YBs were stamping their feet and preening fairly franticly, as if they were irritated i would say? I could not see any lice etc when I checked them over. I decided to treat with Moxedectine, believing this would deal with any internal / external parasite, and did this 10 days ago. I would say 4 /5 of them are still stamping their feet and seeming irritated, they are especially preening around the rump area about the base of the tail.

 

They are on darkness and are in the body moult. They seem fine apart from this and have a healthy appetite and droppings are all good. I hate seeing them obviously being bothered by this, I have not dipped them?

 

Any advice would be great, many thanks

Try this

http://forum.pigeonbasics.org/topic/50363-red-mite/

[Dooheed 5]

have been curious about this for a while ! i know stamping of the feet in old birds is a sign of worms but have treated young birds in the past and it made no difference !!

[peter66]

My kids do it all the time

[travis]

Thanks for the replys, all input helps!

[Guest stb-]

do do you have any hedges or trees at your lofts , midges land on the birds legs and bite them making them stamp there feet but they dont give the birds peace ,, red mite in the woodwork do the same normally only comming out after dark but if heavily infested will feed during day .

 

have seen the midges making my own birds stamp from time to time

[dwh]

think all answers give you good advice

but if its anything like this i would'nt worry he's a film star

:emoticon-0136-giggle: :emoticon-0136-giggle:

 

think all answers give you good advice

but if its anything like this i would'nt worry he's a film star

:emoticon-0136-giggle: :emoticon-0136-giggle:

[travis]

do do you have any hedges or trees at your lofts , midges land on the birds legs and bite them making them stamp there feet but they dont give the birds peace ,, red mite in the woodwork do the same normally only comming out after dark but if heavily infested will feed during day .

 

have seen the midges making my own birds stamp from time to time

 

My lofts are all in one, 3 sections, YBs are directly next door to OB cocks & they are fine? Hedges & trees are near, but nearer to the OBs?

 

If i go down the dipping route what product would you recommend?

[aye ready]

There's been a thread on this before, and opinions differed. I'd done exactly the same as you using different 'cures' but the behaviour didn't stop. I submitted one of the birds for a full laboratory work-up (short of euthanising the bird) looking for any sign of internal or external parasites. The bird was clear.

 

If you watch the bird closely it goes through a very ritualised routine in a specific order - exactly like the others - as if it is being irritated by 'something' but the bird doesn't quite know where the itch is, under the tail, under one wing, under the other, at the preen gland, both feet? It's a behaviour thing, and IMO its normal.

 

 

As you say we have had this topic previously and I agree there is nothing wrong with them, I get a spell of this every year with my youngsters and they seem particularly well and fit at this time

agree with ian and bill on this leave them alone nothing wrong with them

[jake12]

I would agree with STB that red mite would normally attack at night. I also think that the clue to the problem is the fact that they are darkies. It appears that three or four weeks into the darkness process when the fall of small feathers increase, the young birds spend a lot of time picking the loose feathers out and stamping as if they were being annoyed by something. This happens with mine every year about this time, and I can guarantee there are no beasties on my young birds. I always use pigeon bath salts each time the bathe, and I believe that this helps to keep them clean.I would also say that a good product on sale is the one drop stuff for the back of the neck.

[Fly_caster]

Following the discovery of feather lice on many of our birds last summer, we dipped them in Chlorocarb. Upto then they were not exhibiting any signs of irritation.

 

After dipping, for approx. 2 nights, it was like Riverdance in the loft. When I asked an experienced fancier what was going on, he explained that the parasites were leaving the birds and they naturally stamp on them as the drop off.

 

Incidentally, the birds are still clear of lice....super stuff and took no time at all to treat my entire flock of 100+ birds.

 

 

Hope this helps in some way,

 

 

ATB,

 

 

Steve