Pigeon got canker!

[i-am-me]

Hi,
If my pigeon have canker will it die? Will the baby get sick if he eats out of the sick parent?

[TAWhatley]

Originally Posted by i-am-me

Hi,
If my pigeon have canker will it die? Will the baby get sick if he eats out of the sick parent?

He may die if you don't treat for the canker, and yes, he can get sick if he is being fed by sick parents.

I think you need to give us some background about the birds you have, where you got them from, how they are housed, what you are feeding them, etc. What medicines you have available, if any.

Terry

[i-am-me]

hi,
it is a german owl pigeon. i got him from my friend. he had canker when i bought him but wasnt as bad when i got him. im feeding them crack corn. and no medicine. dont know where to get them.

[TAWhatley]

Cracked corn really isn't a good staple diet for pigeons. They need a variety of different seeds in order to derive the proper nutrition from their food. Cracked corn can also irritate their mouth, throat, and digestive tract as the edges are sharp. It also "spoils" easier than other seed/grain.

You need to find a proper pigeon mix for your bird(s) and you definitely need to get a canker medication for this poor bird and start treating it immediately. If you have other birds and they have shared food and water utensils with the canker bird, they should be treated for canker too.

Canker medication is not expensive and is readily available from any of the on-line pigeon supply houses. You might also be able to find a product like FishZole in the fish deparment of a large pet store. It contains metronidazole which is one of the drugs used to treat canker.

Please don't delay in getting your birds the medication they need and also the food that they need.

Terry

[i-am-me]

hi,
Can you please tell me what you feed your pigeons?

[feralpigeon]

Originally Posted by i-am-me

hi,
Can you please tell me what you feed your pigeons?

There are pre-made pigeon mixes, I use one manufactured by the seed factory
in Ceres, CA called Winner's Cup. Call around to the grain/feed stores in your area or pet stores. If there are pigeon breeders in your area it's possible that
you might find one who also sells pigeon mix and be able to purchase there.

In the meantime, until you locate a pigeon mix, you can use a wild bird seed
mix that lists doves on the side or back of the bag.

Here's a link from the Resource section for the Pigeon Supply Houses for medication for your bird's Canker (Trichomoniasis):

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=9455

fp

[i-am-me]

can i feed them sunflower seeds?

[TAWhatley]

Originally Posted by i-am-me

can i feed them sunflower seeds?

They can have black oil sunflower seeds or unsalted shelled sunflower seeds in their diet, but it cannot be the major part of their pigeon mix.

Terry

[i-am-me]

o okay. give me some examples of some pigeon mix i can make by myself.

[feralpigeon]

You know, the mixes are formulated to give them what they need nutritionally.
Trees Gray could probably help on this or Phil, but it's going to be so much easier to purchase it already in the right proportions. I'm sure you have grain
stores or pet stores close by where you could get it if you call around. BTW,
how is the canker problem, did you get some meds for your bird?

fp

[Trees Gray]

Originally Posted by i-am-me

o okay. give me some examples of some pigeon mix i can make by myself.

Here is an example of the grains and seeds in a good pigeon mix:

http://purgrain.com/ingredients.htm

If your bird does indeed have canker it needs to be treated as mentioned above. It does not go away on its own, it spreads into organs and destroys tissue and the bird will eventually die. I hate to be so blunt but it is the truth.

[texasmk4]

i've heard from many people corn is good for pigeons

[flitsnowzoom]

The corn and cracked corn are usually the last things to disappear from feeders. Birds, just like people, need a variety of foodstuffs to stay healthy. Corn, as part of a wider diet, is okay, but not the exclusive diet. Go to a feed store or even a pet store and look at some of the mixes they have available for birds (both the wild bird mixes and the parrot/finch/canary mixes. You'll see just how many different seed varieties are in a typical mix.
Certainly if your bird is under the weather, make sure it gets the most nutrious and easily picked up seeds as possible.
If your bird has only eaten corn in the past, it may be hesitant to try new seeds, but be persistent and offer the mixed seeds always. As the birds adapt, add more of the mixed seeds and less of the corn. You can also add dried peas to your mix.
Be aware that corn, milo (sorghum), and striped sunflower seeds are often used as filler in many seed mixes because they are cheaper than other seeds. With the exception of the striped sunflower, those other seeds often are wasted because birds don't eat them unless there is nothing else available.

[Pidgey]

My wild flock actually seems to prefer whole field corn but I think there is a reason: they can fill up faster during hawk avoidance season. I began to notice that they were eating the corn first, and then the smaller seeds.

Pidgey

[pdpbison]

...yes, the feral Pigeons will tend to eat the Largest seeds first, then the next-largest and so on, regardless of what kind of Seed it is, in order to maximize their effective-eating volume-wise, for the time period they are risking being on the ground.

But even in this, there are Seeds which while fine for them to eat, if they are not familiar with them or sure of them, they will pass them up, even when large...and they will then eat everything but that, in approximately desending order of size.



Phil
l v