Coccidia infections in homing pigeons of various age during the racing season

Abstract

Coccidiosis caused by Eimeria spp. is a common parasitic disease in homing pigeons. The study objective was to evaluate the incidence of coccidia infections in pigeon lofts during racing season. The intensity of coccidiosis was determined by floatation analyses of faeces samples collected from three pigeon groups performed in three replications (before the racing season, in mid-season and after the end of racing season). The presence of coccidia oocysts was determined in all faeces samples in each replication. At the end of the racing season, the average oocyst counts in faeces samples collected from pigeons that were flown for the first time increased by around 10% in relation to oocysts counts determined before the race. In flown pigeons (aged 2-4 years) a 2.5-9.9% drop was noted in oocysts counts subject to flock, whereas an increase of 15.7-17.3% was reported in parent flocks (unflown pigeons). The results of the experiment indicate that coccidia infections are a common problem in homing pigeons during racing season, which affects racing results and contributes to bird loss.