Coccidiosis in pigeons: symptoms and treatment, diagnosis and prevention

Coccidiosis is a contagious disease of birds that affects the intestines. Its walls are affected, without treatment, many birds die. When an infection appears in the poultry house, the entire livestock can become infected. Consider the causes of coccidiosis in pigeons, symptoms and treatment. How to identify it by its characteristics and prevent this infectious disease in the household.

What is this disease?

Coccidiosis affects many types of birds, both domestic and wild. For example, pigeons can become infected from chickens, turkeys. It mainly affects chicks and young. Pigeons under 3 weeks old and adult birds rarely get sick.The whole livestock can become infected if the birds have not been sick before and they have not developed immunity.

Coccidiosis in pigeons occurs in a subclinical (asymptomatic) and acute form. In the first case, a small amount of protozoa enters the bird's body. He althy immunity suppresses them, a serious form of intestinal disease does not develop. The acute form is typical for young animals.

How infection occurs

Humidity and heat promote the spread of coccidiosis. Its causative agents are protozoa, coccidia of the genus Eimeria, kept in dirty bedding in an unventilated room. They get there with the droppings of sick pigeons. Once in the body, the protozoa begin to multiply and damage the intestines. Coccidia are found in droppings that end up in food and water, they are carried by animals and even people.

If the disease is recognized late, there may be significant loss of livestock. Coccidiosis can appear on the farm along with new pigeons, foreign birds fly into the yard, from birds of other species.

Symptoms of disease

The incubation period for coccidiosis in pigeons is 6-8 days. Infected pigeons become lethargic, lethargic, sit on a perch a lot, ruffled, with disheveled feathers, and eat poorly. When flying and walking, there is a violation of coordination of movement. A sign of coccidiosis is mucous diarrhea, in which blood blotches appear over time. From insufficient intake of nutrients and loss of water and trace elements with diarrhea, birds lose weight, in advanced cases, death occurs from dehydration and exhaustion.

The disease progresses slowly. Adult pigeons, without signs of disease, can be carriers of protozoa and their distributors, although they develop immunity. However, even in this case, they can be re-infected, but their coccidiosis is asymptomatic.

Diagnostic Methods

Coccidiosis is diagnosed by the results of microscopic examination of the contents of the intestines of sick birds or by the type of intestines of the dead. White plaques are visible on its walls - clusters of protozoa.

Rules for the treatment of coccidiosis in pigeons

Coccidiosis is contagious, therefore, so that a sick individual does not infect he althy ones, it is isolated. Sick birds are given coccidiostatics - special preparations for this disease. Coccidiostats are also given to he althy pigeons for prevention. Drugs are added to food or water. Examples of drugs for coccidiosis: Baycox, Zoalin, Furagin, Coccidine. They work best at the initial stage of the disease. Coccidiostatics are given to pigeons for several days in a row, at the dose recommended in the instructions for use.

Coccidiostatics are safe for pigeons, they can be given even during the breeding, adaptation and molting period, when the load on the bird's body increases.Drugs are prescribed only after an accurate diagnosis is made, sometimes repeated treatment is also carried out. Complete recovery of birds occurs when no coccidia oocysts are found in laboratory tests.

Due to the fact that the drugs partially destroy the beneficial microflora in the intestines, after the end of therapy, pigeons need to drink vitamin preparations and probiotics, fish oil.

Prevention measures

When an infection is detected in a part of the livestock, preventive soldering of the entire flock is carried out. Pigeons are released for a walk in order to strengthen the immune system. Carry out a thorough cleaning of the litter and disinfection of the poultry house, floor, perches and inventory, nests. To do this, use bleach, hot soda solution. Coccidia are great at destroying fire, so it is recommended to treat the house and inventory with blowtorch fire.

It is impossible to allow dampness and high temperature in the dovecote, for the simplest these are the best conditions for reproduction.Since they are excreted with the droppings of sick birds, it is often necessary to change the litter, clean the perches, wash and scald feeders and drinkers with boiling water. Pigeons should not be allowed to drink water from puddles and other unsuitable sources. Feed must be stored indoors where rodents cannot enter.

For pigeons purchased from other farms, you need to organize quarantine: put in a separate cage, located away from the dovecote. Its duration is 2 weeks. At this time, it is desirable to treat them with coccidiostatics. Prophylactic soldering with preparations of the entire livestock should begin a month before the start of the breeding season.

Most cases of infectious diseases are recorded in those farms where due attention is not paid to hygiene measures. The bird is kept in an uncleaned room, in which it is damp, dirty and hot. After confirming the diagnosis, pigeons should be treated immediately.

You can also cure birds yourself, basic coccidiostats are affordable, they can be purchased at any veterinary pharmacy. The drugs are harmless to birds even when the dose is exceeded by 10 times, do not cause complications and side effects, do not interfere with the formation of immunity to the disease. Compatible with other drugs, feed additives, vitamins.