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| Question about Pets:I have a racing pigeon who is trembling constantly....? |
He's fine, don't worry. Not only does heavy moutling cause stress, but being stressed makes moulting harder for the bird. So really, either way, the moutling season causes stress - there's just no getting around it. Since the bird is probably going through a tough time right now, it does make it hard for them to fly. Many things can cause stress:
Disease, overcrowding, disturbing, high humidity/extreme temperatures, incorrect ammounts of poor food given to thouroughbred birds, overtossing before and right after races, and of course moulting and raising squabs with irregular ammounts of feed and water. I suggest you make sure they have food twice a day, for twenty minutes each, and water constantly. Also, try not to disturb him much during the heaviest parts of the moulting. One of the best ways to relieve stress is to let them take a bath. Let them out a few times to freely bathe in a shallow pan of water and lay out in the sun for a while. Bathing is a pigeons natural way of aiding itself in getting rid of the feathers it moults, making the process go a little smoother and faster. Also, make sure the day after the race you let them out without forcing them to fly. This way, they can work out any soreness or stiffness in their muscles without being forced to fly and being stressed and overworked. As long as you let the birds rest for a while, they should be alright.
And as for the trembling, this is good. A nice healthy, fit racing homer will tremble, whereas a sick one will sit motionless and fluffed up.
Another thing you could do, is if the pigeons seem recovered from a race or you finish giving them medicine of any kind, give them probiotics. This will replinish the birds gut and internal bacteria essential for good health. That along with a steady supply of PVM powdered grit, will definitely put your birds in top condition.
Keep up the good work, and take my advice into consideration, and I'm sure you'll have yourself some champion birds! :]
Oh and one more thing, I like to introduce all pigeon fanciers to this website. Foy's Pigeon Supplies is where I get all my medication, books, and more for my birds. I have a book called 'The Flying Vet's Pigeon Health & Management'. It covers everything from disease, medicines, and symptoms in both young and old birds to racing tips, tricks, and methods. It also talks about the important health factors and things you should be aware of in racing pigeons - like stress. This book is where I got most of my information on things like this, and I think every pigeon fancier should have a copy of it. It may seem a little expensive for a book, but I promise it's worth every penny (especially if you race your pigeons or just have racing homers for fun). http://www.foyspigeonsupplies....
I know that was a little more than you asked for, but I wanted to make sure you got enough info on the subject :]
Hope it helps!
- Becky
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