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Diseases from pigeons


charles sierra
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I just did a Google search on "diseases from pigeons" and there is a wealth of information on there. :beer:

 

Far too much to reproduce here.

It seems the risk is mainly respiratory, or related to their droppings.

It relates to feral, or tame pigeons only, there wasn,t any reference to wood pigeons that I saw.

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My guess is that as feral pigeons share the same lodgings as rats, then Leptospirosis is the nasty one to be careful of, even if it's not from the pigeons themselves.

 

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg84.pdf

 

Feral pigeons are also known to carry E-COLI 0157, Chlamydia and Salmonella

 

The following link gives you some information:

 

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/infection.pdf

 

In any case, you need to exercise good personal hygiene - Wear protective imperveous gloves (I use disposable vinyl gloves when gathering up rats and throw them in the bag when I've finished). Wash hands with soap and water, disinfect boots and wipe down your gun if it has been in contact with anything. Be careful to cover cuts.

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The problem you get from their droppings is called pigeon fanciers lung but you can get it from large amounts of other birds droppings aswell.

 

If your shooting them then this shouldn't be a problem, if your clearing where they have roosted aswell then you should wear protective clothing that includes breathing aparatus.

 

I have had pigeon Fanciers lung and can tell you it aint nice, really screws your lungs up, took me ages to get over it.

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Can you get Psiticosis from them?

 

I know that you can get it from parrots, but I have a nagging thought that maybe it is a general thing from bird dung.

 

I'd second Hammergun's advice about checking with the HSE and I would definately recommend using breathing protection and gloves.

 

Even if they are clean, they'll be stirring up lots of dust and other stuff and that sort of thing (wearing my company First Aider hat) _could_ trigger of an asthma attack even if you don't suffer from asthma.

 

Make sure you check out the site rules for personal protective equipment. I know that wearing a hi viz jacket is going to be a no-no, but a hard hat might be needed if you want to be covered legally.

 

Wookie

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Robb0 - it's no laughing matter, Chlamydia can be quite serious and can lead to sterility.

 

Berettaboy- You are quite correct that Chlamydia is also a sexually transmitted disease. It can also be caught from working with certain animals. Workers in kennels are also at risk. It usually enters the body through cuts or the mucous membranes of the eye or mouth etc. It can hence, of course as everyone knows be transferred through sexual contact.

 

Chlamydia is known to be carried by other bird species, including corvids. There is concern that West Nile Virus is appearing in corvids, especially on the continent. You should exercise good hygiene when handling all wild birds (and domesticated ones too for that matter).

 

Wookie - yes you can get Psiticosis from them - I was speaking to a professional pest controller who works for a large international pest control company who confirmed this and also said that feral pigeons can carry as many nasty diseases as rats.

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Ever heard of the expression "Rats with wings"?

 

This is why flocks of feral pigeons in towns constitute a serious environmental health issue and it is a criminal offence to feed or otherwise encourage them.

 

I have had it confirmed today that feral pigeons CAN carry leptospirosis (which causes Weil's Disease). (see link in precious posting).

 

Wear a boiler suit when you are doing your feral pigeon session, and launder it as soon as you get home. This will keep your clothing clean.

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Thanks for all the info folks.

Can you also comment on this please if possible:

 

Although I'm no expert at bird identification I know what feral pigeon, collard dove. stock dove and rock dove look like but why am I finding a pure white bird roosting in amongst these ferals? They look just like the sort of doves you find in a dove cot but these are definitely roosting in the building every night and therefore I conclude are not someones pets. They are more or less the same size as the ferals.

 

The area where I'm carrying this out - (clearance programme) -is an Industrial Site and there are no residential dwellings in the immediate vicinity. Once again, any thoughts/ comments welcomed.

 

C.S.

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Ref: white birds:

 

Well, I spoke to the RSPB yesterday explaining what I am doing - pigeon control with an air rifle at Industrial premises with no houses nearby. The lady who I spoke to said she thinks they are probably domestic sourced doves which the owner got fed up with.

Apparrently this happens a great deal? She did point out however that if they were owned and I bumped them off and that if the owner found out I could be in trouble.

She quoted however that domestic birds are not protected by law. I didn't know that. So this helps from my point of view.

I explained that they were roosting at this site all night so it looks as if they are living wild.

 

The actual clearance programme has gone well so far. By day four the buildings have been almost pigeon free at night. There are still a few about when staff turn up early morning so I may change my time of getting on site to accommadate for this.

 

Thanks to all for your thoughts and comments.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I dont really take any notice of pigeon diseases, my grandad said as long as you cook them it will desolve any diseases away. but i dont really care every pigeon i have ever eaten which must be a few hundred, they have all tasted the same and i have never been ill after any of them!

I would never take any notice of what any one says because must of it is all bulls**t. PD

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Well if i went shooting one night and saw a white pigeon roosting in a nest, in one way i would not shoot it because it might have babies. But if i saw a white pigeon at night and i was shooting as long as its not in it's nest i would normally shoot it because they would retern home with the others if it had a home. If i am certain it doesnt have a nest i would shoot it but if i knew it had a nest i wouldn't! Does that make sense?

PD

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I would never take any notice of what any one says because must of it is all bulls**t

 

IF that's your attitude, then stop wasting everyones time.

 

 

:<

 

 

If you don't know the difference between feral and woodpigeons, I suggest you go off and learn about them, then come back when you are better informed.

 

If you eat feral pigeons, the least you mention that, the better.

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pigeon decoyer has posted elsewhere on the site, that he is 15 years of age.

Lets go easy on him.

 

pigeon decoyer, remember that most of the people that post on here (and answer your questions), have a lot more experience of pigeon shooting and the World, than you have.

However, none of us know everything and we all have to learn, but show some respect please, or you may find people ignoring you.

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