Keeping carrier pigeons has been linked to living for centuries. Pigeons are kept at home, often in a pigeon loft in the garden. In that sense, carrier pigeons are just pets. Yet not everyone is happy when the neighbors start keeping pigeons. Those who are not familiar with the keeping of racing pigeons quickly fear nuisance from excrement and noise pollution. It is also feared that pigeons can transmit diseases or that keeping pigeons attracts vermin. These ideas are perhaps understandable because of the unfamiliarity with the pigeon sport. However, the practice is completely different.
Prior to
Before going into the alleged nuisance aspects, it is good to briefly discuss the pigeon sport. Although the pigeon sport is perhaps more of an orientation sport (how to get from A to B as quickly as possible), it is of course necessary to fly distances of 100 to 1100 kilometers. It is necessary to fly these flights with pigeons that are very healthy and that they are well trained and fed. Pigeon keepers who participate in races know this better than anyone else. This means that all their care is taken to keep their pigeons in optimal condition. The minimum basis for the care is clean food and water daily, some grit and minerals, fledging at set times and a clean loft. In addition, the pigeons are given a bath once or twice a week, whereby the outside temperature is unimportant. The pigeons also enjoy a bath in severe cold. Special bath salt for pigeons or just a dash of vinegar and some table salt is added to the bath water. This is to kill any lice or other parasites in the feathers. With care as outlined there is almost always a healthy pigeon colony.
Pigeons and diseases
Even with proper care, however, pigeons can be affected by diseases, in that respect it is no different than in humans. However, only a few diseases are of concern because they could pass to humans, so-called zoonoses.
Bird flu
Perhaps it will first be called the Avian Flu or Avian Influenza. If bird flu breaks out again in the Netherlands or Belgium, the government will impose all kinds of measures, including a ban on collecting and flying racing pigeons. This makes the carrier pigeon suspect as a possible carrier of the virus to other birds, but also to humans. However, the carrier pigeon is virtually insensitive to this virus. Research has shown that a carrier pigeon is virtually impossible to infect. Only if a high dose of this virus is injected into a pigeon, it turns out that a pigeon gets sick, then a few die. If you put these injected pigeons with chickens that are very sensitive, no chicken will get sick. In other words, pigeons injected with a high dose of virus do not excrete the virus. People do not have to fear bird flu via carrier pigeons.
Ornithosis
Ornithosis as a disease that can pass from birds to humans is better known as parrot disease. It is a bacterial infection in many bird species that can pass to humans and cause pneumonia. Parrot disease occurs not only in parrots but also in parrots such as parakeets, but also ducks, chickens, turkeys, beos and finches including canaries and zebra finches. Some species are very sensitive to this disease. The pathogenic potential of pigeons and turkeys is much lower than in many other bird species. That is why hardly any mortality occurs in adult pigeons. The bacteria is found in bird droppings, snot and eye fluid. It is especially birds that are kept in the living room that can transmit the disease. The disease can be effectively controlled in animals and humans with antibiotics.
Pigeon fancier’s lung
The pigeon fancier’s lung is an allergic reaction to the protein present in pigeon dust or manure. This is a non-harmful substance, but in some people this substance can cause a hypersensitivity reaction. It is a similar reaction as we also know it with hay fever, the mushroom grower’s lung and allergic reactions to dogs and cats. It is a disease that mainly affects the pigeon keepers themselves because there must be intensive contact with pigeons. Neighbors and even roommates are not bothered by this. For housemates who are very sensitive, it may sometimes be necessary that the clothing that is worn in the loft, such as a dust coat, also remains in the pigeon loft. The pigeon keeper who is sensitive to this allergy can protect himself with aids that offer (breath) protection. About 7% of the pigeon keepers appear to be sensitive to this allergy.
Pests
Only in case of bad management ?? Pests may be attracted when keeping companion and hobby animals. One can think of mice, rats and insects. In order to keep these so-called pests out, most animal keepers and also pigeon keepers often take logical measures to prevent pests. After all, they do not want to be confronted with pests themselves, because of course they would rather lose them than be rich.
Architectural
Architecturally, the pigeon lofts are usually such that openings inwards are not larger than 0.5 cm. Rodents cannot enter then. Seams and cracks are closed to prevent insects from hiding and thus also prevent the production of offspring. And of course the construction must be such that all places are easily accessible for cleaning. Pigeon lofts must have sufficient oxygen and that requires good ventilation. To prevent rodents from entering the room, the ventilation openings are sealed with fine mesh.
Business operations
A few ground rules are important when keeping pigeons. The food must be stored in a place inaccessible to rodents. This can easily be achieved by storing the feed storage in sealable plastic containers. A tidy environment also contributes to the repelling of rodents.
Hygienic measures
Good hygiene should be ensured in and around the animal shelter. Attracting pests is thus prevented. Insects can develop in manure and feed residues. Manure and feed residues must therefore be removed regularly.
Nuisance
There are a number of possible sources of nuisance such as droppings and noise nuisance that could occur in pigeons.
Feces
As a living being, the pigeon must also take in food. After digestion and absorption of the nutrients, excretion takes place. Excretion of fertilizers in racing pigeons takes place only to a very limited extent in an uncontrolled environment. Of the 24 hours that a day has, a pigeon stays at least 22 to 23 hours in the loft. This is where most of the excretion of manure takes place, which is removed by the pigeon keeper. When the pigeons are released for a training flight, the pigeons often relieve themselves when they leave.
Racing pigeons eat 30 to 40 grams of feed per day and they cannot produce much manure. If we then consider that a carrier pigeon of the 24 hours that has a day flies about 5% outside, the excretion of manure cannot be very large. When flying out and landing again, we see that the pigeons often relieve themselves, so during the flight a pigeon will hardly relieve itself. Pigeon dung found is often from wood pigeons and collared doves, which are common in our gardens.
Sound
Pigeons also produce sounds, you can hear a group of pigeons flying low coming over and a cock in good condition will sometimes also flap his wings. The pigeons can also coo. Producing noise, however, is quite different from noise pollution. If you measure the sound produced by a group of pigeons, it appears that the sound produced is always lost against the background noise present in every environment. Incidentally, the pigeons sleep as soon as darkness falls and then no more sounds are produced.