Treatment Methods for Thrush in Meat Pigeons and Breeding Experience Sharing

Sick pigeons are listless, with ruffled feathers, head drawn in and eyes closed, walking slowly, eating little or not at all, increased thirst, the crop obviously swollen and drooping, contents firm or with a fluctuating feel, breathing with the mouth open, white loose caseous material in the mouth, a sour foul odor, passing thin droppings, and the sick pigeons become emaciated; severe cases cause death. The characteristic changes on necropsy are in the digestive tract, especially white loose material and white caseous scaly membranes in the crop, which peel off very easily; some have already detached on their own and have a certain hardness.

Prevention and Control The main way to prevent this disease is to do a good job of preventing mold in feed, the environment, housing, and so on, and special attention should be paid during the moldy rainy season. Once the disease occurs, treatment drugs should be administered promptly and thorough disinfection of the entire operation should be carried out; sick pigeons should be isolated, and dead pigeons, contaminated items, excreta, and so on should undergo harmless disposal. Nystatin is highly effective for treating this disease; mix it into the feed at 100,000-150,000 units per bird, or administer 1/4 tablet per bird (each tablet 500,000 units), 2 times a day for 3—5 consecutive days. In severe cases, prepare a suspension according to the oral dosage, first flush the crop, then administer orally, once a day for 3 consecutive days. Trichomycin is mixed into 1 meal of feed at 4,000—10,000 units for feeding, 2 times a day for 5 consecutive days. Clotrimazole is mixed into the feed at 2-4 mg per bird or administered orally as a water suspension. In addition, use medicinal cotton dipped in 0.5% potassium permanganate solution to clean the pseudomembrane, then use a toothpick to remove the adherent material in the mouth and throat; then apply iodine glycerin to the infected areas, which is very effective; 1%-5% clotrimazole ointment can also be applied to the infected areas.