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Wet droppings

The composition, appearance and smell of the droppings indicate the pigeons' state of health. Any change in the normal condition of the droppings provides the pigeon fancier with a serious indicator of any disturbance in the health of his or her birds.

Possible causes:

• change of weather, cold or wet conditions, drafts, loft temperature too low;
• psychological stress due to a change in the loft layout, exhibitions, vaccinations, basketing and transport in the racing season, change of feeding times, nervousness of individual pigeons;
• change of feed and intolerance of particular feeds (excessive ingestion of grit containing salt) can seriously disturb the fluid balance, with significant loss of water, minerals and trace elements.

Symptoms of the disease:
The contents of the gut normally thicken to such an extent during their passage that they leave the intestinal tract in a pasty form. When their passage through the gut is accelerated, faeces do not always thicken normally due to reduced resorption time. Similarly, it is not possible for the increased volume of urine that collects in the cloaca following excessive water intake to be adequately thickened. The faeces in the cloaca are so diluted due to the surplus urine that defecation produces a condition known as "wet" droppings or diarrhoea. This symptom can manifest suddenly and often only affects individual birds.

Recognition of the disorder:
Laboratory examination is recommended in order to rule out the possibility that the wet droppings are due to infectious agents or parasites.

Similar conditions:
Salmonellosis, Paramyxovirus infection, Coli infection, Coccidiosis.

Treatment:
- Eliminate the possible cause of the change in the droppings.
- Replace lost water, minerals and trace elements by administering chevi-fit and liviferm over several days to stabilise the gut flora.

Wet droppings