01-04-2003. April foolsday ! It was a pity to see the news that due to the Ministry of Agricultures measures there will be no pigeon racing for further notice. Every week they will look into this matter and will reconsider if the outbreak of Avian Influenza can be or is stopped. We are waiting for the news that there have been no new cases reported and from then on we can prepare our birds for the season. I was lucky as I was very late to pair my racer-team. They are now just out of the lot training and are now sitting on eggs for the first time of the season. Within a 10 day period all the pairs had layed and showed their perfect health. Now they are already racing like fools arround the loft and today a 2000 bred cock hurt himself by flying into a tree! What a dummy, but it was becausea hawk was right behind him and he got away racing into the tree to protect himself for the claws of the raptor. It is in this period that the hens of the sparrowhawk are not sitting yet and these girls are far bigger than the males, that cannot harm our pigeons. The hens however are dangerous !

As now all the racers are sitting and the few birds that I wanted to break in are settled, I started to treat my pigeons for cancer. I use the EMTRYL 40%, on which I could lay my hands when I was over in Canada last autumn. I like to change the treaments or better said the medicines. Cancer soon builds up resistance against treatments if they are used all the time. The only thing one has to watch out for with Emtryl is the dosage. If not done right and given an overdose by mistake, you will soon find your pigeons roling over on their backs and turning their necks. Its ofcourse looks bad, but after giving the birds some vitamines preferably B complex and some milk to drink, they will soon recover from being poisened by what you think would have been a good treatment. So be carefull ! Now when sitting the birds don't drink a lot so the chance that they do get to much is very little.

After this treatment I will come back with more for the better for the pigeons to get them right for the season.