marsh man Posted October 21, 2018 Report Share Posted October 21, 2018 Just lately I have seen several pigeons that have certainly got something wrong with them , last week I was talking to one of the farmers on the estate where I go and he was saying he have seen several pigeons that just sit about feeling sorry for themselves , today I was around twelve miles away and I saw at least half a dozen pigeons mainly sitting on the verge underneath Oak trees , some carried on sitting there when you slowed down while driving past and some just about managed to take off when you were nearly on to them . I wonder if the acorns have anything to do with it ? , with this problem being at least 12 miles apart it is not localised to a small area , so have YOU have seen anything similar in your area ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panoma1 Posted October 21, 2018 Report Share Posted October 21, 2018 Probably gorged on acorns? Their crops are probably so full and heavy they are lethargic and have difficulty taking off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted October 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2018 22 minutes ago, panoma1 said: Probably gorged on acorns? Their crops are probably so full and heavy they are lethargic and have difficulty taking off! You could well be right , a few years ago when there was a glut of acorns people were saying they ( pigeons ) were getting drugged on the amount they were eating due to the toxin in the acorn , that year they were still eating acorns up to at least Christmas and possibly longer , this year the acorns haven't been on the ground for that long and I haven't seen it other years . The ones I saw were both young and old with the body feathers puffed out . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon controller Posted October 21, 2018 Report Share Posted October 21, 2018 (edited) Talking to one of my Farmers last week some of his sheep had to be medicated due to eating acorns, at the stables one of the paddocks had a glut on the floor and the owner had to sweep them up as the horse in that field was sickly. I'm not sure if it is the tannin in them ?? looking at the hide position this week the floor was littered but some were going rotten already. Edited October 21, 2018 by pigeon controller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted October 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2018 5 minutes ago, pigeon controller said: Talking to one of my Farmers last week some of his sheep had to be medicated due to eating acorns, at the stables one of the paddocks had a glut on the floor and the owner had to sweep them up as the horse in that field was sickly. I'm not sure if it is the tannin in them ?? looking at the hide position this week the floor was littered but some were going rotten already. Due to the long hot summer Oak trees along with some other trees started to shed there leaves early and I was thinking if the acorns matured long enough before they started to drop to the ground . With the ones I saw under or very close to Oak trees , I am now convinced acorns have something to do with it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getthegat Posted October 22, 2018 Report Share Posted October 22, 2018 Saw one on Saturday, flying so slow I was able to shoot it😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted October 22, 2018 Report Share Posted October 22, 2018 50 minutes ago, getthegat said: Saw one on Saturday, flying so slow I was able to shoot it😂 ...thats my style ............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted October 27, 2018 Report Share Posted October 27, 2018 Possibly pigeon canker, seen a lot of it the last couple of years around this time of year, we get them in the garden acting very lethargic, almost as if they are drugged up, usually find them dead in the garden after a few days, on inspection their throats are almost blocked by the canker growth and they starve to death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted October 27, 2018 Report Share Posted October 27, 2018 as it seems to be this time of year ...........i wonder if it is anything to do with the dressing the farmers have on their seed when drilling......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted October 27, 2018 Report Share Posted October 27, 2018 Don’t think its anything to-do with seed dressings, little bit about here…http://www.pet-informed-veterinary-advice-online.com/trichomonas.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon controller Posted October 28, 2018 Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 17 hours ago, old'un said: Don’t think its anything to-do with seed dressings, little bit about here…http://www.pet-informed-veterinary-advice-online.com/trichomonas.html Thanks Old'un for the heads up, I feel I qualify for a degree now I've read all that!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted October 28, 2018 Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 2 hours ago, pigeon controller said: Thanks Old'un for the heads up, I feel I qualify for a degree now I've read all that!!!!! Yep, it was a bit of a long read….over the years it surprised me the amount of people who have never heard or seen of pigeon canker, I only know about it because my uncle used to keep racing pigeons, It is common in racing pigeons but easily treated with medication in the drinking water. As my earlier post, the last couple of years I have noticed a fair few birds with canker, don’t know if you have noticed it in any of the birds you have shot? You should get your diploma in the post in the next couple of days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon controller Posted October 28, 2018 Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 DB's father used to race pigeons and tried to mate wood pigeons with racers to no avail. He often picks up the birds and shows me the canker . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinj Posted February 20, 2019 Report Share Posted February 20, 2019 Late but relevant, this pigeon canker is blamed on Beech masts round these parts, (NE Hampshire.) We have millions of Oak trees with varying crops of acorns every year but the sickness only occurs in a "Beech mast year." The last I remember was about three years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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