The composition, appearance and smell of the droppings indicate the pigeons' state
of health. Any change in the normal condition of the droppings provides the pigeon
fancier with a serious indicator of any disturbance in the health of his or her birds.
Possible causes:
change of weather, cold or wet conditions, drafts, loft temperature too low;
psychological stress due to a change in the loft layout, exhibitions, vaccinations,
basketing and transport in the racing season, change of feeding times, nervousness
of individual pigeons;
change of feed and intolerance of particular feeds (excessive ingestion of grit
containing salt) can seriously disturb the fluid balance, with significant loss of water,
minerals and trace elements.
Symptoms of the disease:
The contents of the gut normally thicken to such an extent during their passage that
they leave the intestinal tract in a pasty form. When their passage through the gut
is accelerated, faeces do not always thicken normally due to reduced resorption time.
Similarly, it is not possible for the increased volume of urine that collects in the
cloaca following excessive water intake to be adequately thickened. The faeces in the
cloaca are so diluted due to the surplus urine that defecation produces a condition
known as "wet" droppings or diarrhoea. This symptom can manifest suddenly and
often only affects individual birds.
Recognition of the disorder:
Laboratory examination is recommended in order to rule out the possibility that the
wet droppings are due to infectious agents or parasites.
Similar conditions:
Salmonellosis, Paramyxovirus infection, Coli infection, Coccidiosis.
| Wet Droppings |
