What diseases do pigeons carry?

A short necked bird with stout- bodies is quite a common bird seen in flocks picking some food from the ground. This young cheeping bird is none other than Pigeon, name derived from French. This bird has over 350 varieties which are recorded until today and mostly seen in Europe and Asia. There are around 10-15 million pigeons in Europe. Since these birds get their food from ground, there is a lot of possibility for diseases and viruses. Some of them are discussed below:

• In search of their meal, pigeons do pick around the ground. There may be unhygienic grains or provisions that may cause Coccidiosis. This condition may make pigeons thirsty and reduce their weight. Poor flying and slimy dark green droppings are also main indication of COCCI.
• Whenever introducing a new pigeon to the loft, it is necessary to check their health and fitness first. This really helps reducing Paratyphoid in other pigeons. Limping is a symptom of this disease. For safety measures, pigeons must be isolated for few days and observations must be made by veteran to avoid any transmission of disease.
• Vaccinations are very important for all birds. Young birds should be vaccinated at early age, mostly recommended from 4 to 8 weeks. This helps prevent a deadly disease called Paramyxovirus. Twisting of neck and head indicates PMV and once a pigeon is affected by this disease, each individual pigeon is treated by putting a drop in each eye for three to four days.
• Nasal secretions and swollen eye lids along with wet eyes indicate Ornithosis in pigeons, which affects both young and older pigeons. Birds usually scratch their head and beak whereas sneezing and coughing in young birds is seen as symptom of this disease.
• Adeno-Coli Syndrome has been one of biggest problems in birds from age six to nine months in past 10 years. Around 70% of the birds are affected by this disease and die within days. Vomiting and decreased appetite are key symptoms of this disease. This disease is a combination of Adeno virus and E-Coli bacteria. It has quite similar symptoms to Paramyxovirus. However there has been no such proper cure for this disease but some treatments and medications are still used for cure.