Slobberknocker Lofts
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"How To" Page
Here are some basic how-to's when it comes to our Pigeons step by step with illustrations.
Vaccination Subcutaneously
There are two ways to vaccinate a Pigeon. One is subcutaneously in the back of the neck. To vaccinate this way, lay the Pigeon across your lap, holding the bird gently but securely (you may need to get help with this) and gently spread the feathers as shown in the picture above. Spray or dab rubbing alcohol on the bare spot.
Gently pull up on the skin, making a pocket. Inject the vaccine into this pocket with the needle pointing towards the birds head.
Please note, vaccinating in the back of the neck can be very risky and should ONLY be done if the bird is securely restrained. In the area of the base of the neck of a Pigeon is a large number of blood vessels. PMV vaccine is an oil-based vcaccine and, if it enters the blood stream, will kill a Pigeon in seconds.
Vaccination Thigh Area
The second way to vaccinate is mcuh safer on the bird and has virtually NO health risk to the bird. I put the bird upside down between my knees with the birds head pointing towards me. Gently extend the bird's leg up and slightly outward as shown in the picture above.
Spreay the area where the leg sonnects to the body with rubbing alcohol.
Once the area is wet, you will notice where the skin connects the leg and the body, creating a small pocket.
Inject the vaccine into the pocket. When you inject the vaccine, you can see the vaccine under the skin, which is perfectly normal. This method of vaccinating is less stressful and painless to the Pigeon.
Dipping
Feather lice are an irritiating part of raisng Pigeons. The pictures above shows what they look like. Although not harmful to the birds, they do chew holes int he feathers of birds. When you hear someone talk about "pinholes" in Pigeons, that is what they mean. It is the damage these Lice do.
I use Permethrin as a dip for treating feather lice in my birds. What I do is fill a bucket with the correct mixture of dip. I gently, but firmly hold the bird by the wings over its head.
I submerge the bird, gently moving the bird from side to side, allowing for a good coating of dip.
This last picture shows the bird submerged up to its neck. I do not completely submerge the bird under water. The bird's head is always above water. When I am finished I return the bird to the pen it was in. The dip makes flying very difficult for a couple of hours until the bird dries off.
Giving Oral Medication
To give a bird a pill or other oral medication or vitamin supplement, I simply use my index finger to gently open the beak as shown in the picture above.
Place the pill in the back of the throat of the bird and release the bird. The bird will generally swallow the pill immediately. If the bird does spit it out, just repeat the procedure.