De-worming pigeons

[sreeshs]

Hi,

1) How often should be grown up pigeons de-wormed ?

2) At what age should be medicines for de-worming FIRST provided for the young pigeons

Currently I de-worm my pigeons once in 6 months. Baby pigeons are de-wormed when they are 1 month old.

My vet suggestd that the de-worming schedule should be made 4 months and babies of fancy pigeons like Lahore and Fantails be de-wormed when they are 20 days old.

I would like to hear from the experienced breeders here about their experience and suggestions for the same.

Cheers !!!
Sreesh

[spirit wings]

you can go about it two ways, put them on a schedule and switch the deworming meds around to cover more types of parasites. if you live in a dryer climate I would say every 6 months is what alot of folks do, in a wetter climate perhaps every 4 months. now that said, you can save some overmedicating if you take random fecal samples and have checked at the vet every three or 4 months, and if something shows up treat for that type of parasite, that way you are not giving meds when not needed, or you are treating for that specific parasite which is always better. If you use a schedule I would say summer and then again in the fall, go by the directions exactly on the label as sometimes you need to treat for one day and then again 21 days later. I would say at about 6 weeks of age a bird can be treated for maintenance deworming. unless there is a problem and you have younger birds consult the vet for a dewormer that can be used on younger birds.

[jmaxpsi]

Is there a certain brand that works best? Just wanted to explore my options. feedbacks will be appreciated.

[spirit wings]

Originally Posted by jmaxpsi

Is there a certain brand that works best? Just wanted to explore my options. feedbacks will be appreciated.

any pigeon supply site will have dewormers that work for poultry and or pigeons, just need to cover all the parasites you can and switch them around if doing a blind maitenance deworming.

[MaryOfExeter]

I agree that you should worm them at least twice a year. For the breeders, it's a good idea to worm them before breeding so they don't stress them further while raising. Plus not only are they feeding the babies, but themselves, so having worms to feed as well can make it very hard on their little bodies.

Also, if you race, worming them sometime before season comes is probably best, as well as after racing is over, since who knows what they'll pick up in those darn crates, or if they go down on the way home to eat/drink contaminated things.

[sreeshs]

Thanks for the guidance, usually I take one of my pigeons to the vet and check its fecal samples and the vet prescribes the medicine. But for my squabs, particularly for the fancier breeds, if deworming is not done in the first month, most of them die. On the other hand 2 drops of the medicine when they are almost 1 month old not only saves their life but also gives good body size when they grow up. Nowadays its rainy season so its very wet climate here, but I think I will continue the current pattern unless something else comes up.