# acceptable mortality rate



## pigeon george (Aug 7, 2003)

i seem to lose a lot of young within three weeks of hatching out of two in a nest many times one survives is there a percentage i should look at since there well fed and housed i would think very few should not make it except for the cold snaps


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

If of two squabs in the nest one dies and the other survives then you should consider whether the parents are carriers of paratyphoid and treat them for that.
Cynthia


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

I agree with Cynthia. My pigeon book even says that heavy losses of young birds is "a sure sign of salmonellosis in the flock." (Paratyphoid) Our pigeons somehow became infected last year and we lost at least a dozen babies. I put the whole flock on Baytril and later vaccinated them all with Sal-Bac. We haven't had a chick mortality since. My adult birds showed no sign of illness, but I noticed their droppings smelled bad. 

You can order the Sal-Bac vaccine from Foys or Global. If your pigeons do have paratyphoid, you'll need to treat them with antibiotics before vaccinating. 

[This message has been edited by Birdmom4ever (edited November 14, 2003).]


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## bigbird (Aug 19, 2000)

As others have said, this could be a disease. Or it could be for some other reasons. There are many many reasons for infant death. It is not always easy to find the "real" reasons. Here are some suggestions. 

1. These particular pigeon parents might need to attend a course on raising their young. Some parents just do not get it.
2. The smallest baby gets left out. Some pigeon parents will only feed the largest, strongest baby, letting the other die.
3. If they are dying with full crops, this could be due to the cold at night. The parents are not keeping them warm enough. Try a light bulb near the nest during the cold nights.
4. Consider switching the eggs out prior to hatching with another "proven" pair of pigeons. If the new proven pair is able to raise the other bird’s eggs to maturity, you will have learned something.
5. Giving the parents a 14 day Baytril (in the water) treatment can sometimes do wonders.

Regards,
Carl


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## Thunderbird (Sep 7, 2003)

Get some RIDZOL. You have canker. Treat the parents according to the instructions. Many times the canker is down in the throat & cannot be seen. I would guess you live in a higher-humidity area.
Chris


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## PETPIGEONS (Aug 26, 2001)

Hello,
When I first restarted raising pigeons 3 years ago, I had this same problem having birds die just when they were leaving the nest or about to. It took awhile to figure out the problem but finally did. Rats were getting into the loft and eating feed then leaving droppings which apparently were being eaten by all birds. I thought I had a really nice loft but found out later this was not the case. I had a fairly high mortality rate that first year then tore the cage down and rebuilt a vermin proof loft. Of course this may not be your problem but wanted to share this just in case this might be happening to you. Also make sure the feed is dry and the loft is DRY and DRAFT free. I learned the hard way but finally got it right. Good luck with your birds as I don't believe there is any acceptable mortality rate.


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