Pigeons have been reared commercially in Bangladesh for several years, and pigeon rearing plays an important role in easing unemployment. But many people make mistakes at the very start, and so do not achieve the success they hoped for. It is important to learn the basics, including what to do first when a pigeon falls ill.

It has been noticed that people who keep pigeons often know little at first about their diseases and treatment. Yet with a little good sense you can treat your favourite pigeon as soon as it falls ill and help it recover.

When a pigeon falls ill, it should immediately be given two medicines: saline (Electromin) and rice saline (any rice saline used to treat cholera). These are very cheap, common medicines and will help the pigeon recover quickly. From the first day of keeping pigeons, these two items should be brought home as the birds' companions.

If a pigeon's droppings are loose, it cannot digest food, it does not eat, or it vomits after eating, and at the same time it looks drowsy, start by giving it rice saline while you try to identify the disease and treat it.

As soon as illness appears, make sure the pigeon is fed first, and take care that it does not become dehydrated. With food, the pigeon will have the strength to fight the disease.

Mix 1 gram of rice saline in 10 ml of lukewarm water and give it with a syringe three to four times a day, or give saline every two hours. The text also gives an alternative measure of 1 gram of rice saline in 5 ml of lukewarm water. With care like this, a sick pigeon will recover quickly.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.