With more and more fanciers leaving the sport due to health problems relating to the keeping of pigeons, the time has come to give positive advice on practical ways where risks to developing PFL are removed. My own experience, losing 2 stone in weight at the chronic stage in ten days led to giving up my pigeons – but only for a short time. I am still susceptible to the condition, as my return from a fortnights summer holiday revealed, spending over an hour doing a big clean out, suffering later with flu like symptoms that night. My conversation with Keith Mott and subsequent correspondence saw him return to the sport keeping his pigeons in large rabbit hutch style accommodation.

The biggest problem with Pigeon Fanciers Lung (Avian Alveolitis), is knowing how to prevent it. To do that you need to recognise what causes the condition. To put it quite simply it is an allergic reaction to pigeons. Not the birds themselves, but rather the bloom and dust coming from the birds, their waste products, just like household dust and dandruff in humans. It is just like any allergic reaction to cats, dogs or even certain foods. It is impossible to suffer from this problem in open spaces, like Trafalgar Square.

Therefore it is necessary to look at how the pigeons are housed in order to get to the root cause of the problem. Since Belgium style lofts where introduced for racing pigeons on the widowhood system, with little or no ventilation, contraction of this disease has escalated. While such housing is undoubtedly beneficial for the birds it is very harmful to their owners, who upon being diagnosed with Pigeon Fanciers Lung are advised to give up their hobby, resulting in even more members lost to the sport forever.

By closing in the loft you trap the harmful waste pigeon dust, that brings on the condition, a dry cough, difficult breathing and flu like symptoms, which is the start of the allergic reaction to the pigeons. Some 15 years ago this is exactly how I reacted, after 20 years with no such problems. The only change had been the loft, from the traditional open fronted shed, with four wall ventilation, where no harmful dust could stay inside and where everything was blown out naturally, through the air vents, to a closed Widowhood style one. So not surprisingly, 35 years ago, Pigeon Fanciers Lung was unheard of and we had far more lofts and fanciers than we have today, added to which fanciers kept fewer birds. If like me you are diagnosed with Pigeon Fanciers Lung , do as my specialist advised, ”remove the problem, that causes the allergy,” which to me meant the dust ,not the pigeons.

This is how I came to keep pigeons in outside boxes, rabbit hutches really. Nobody is at risk to this disease in the open air. In fact the most fancier friendly loft I have seen is that of John Harwood, BHW writer at his home in Milton of Campsie near Glasgow. Not a loft really more an aviary. His aviary is 10ft x 8ft, with a Norplex roof and a 2ft wide strip of Norplex around the sides, to hide the birds on their perches, from birds of prey. The lower part being ˝” wire mesh on all four walls with wire grills keeping the pigeons 6” above the floor. All his young birds are housed in this loft from January until the end of the season, with the widowhood hens and stock hens moved in until pairing in December. This giving it all round use, even in the severest of winters and what is more the birds prefer it, staying in excellent condition. Nature designed the pigeon to live in the open air, yet man in his wisdom thinks he knows best. The wins John has obtained using this method are exceptional proving that pigeons kept this way can and do win races.

If you are still not convinced that pigeons can win top prizes at the highest level to an old fashioned open ventilated loft, how about first North Road Championship Club from Fraserburgh in June for David, Janet and Alison Robinson of Norwich, against 3297 birds. David Robinson, had to give up the sport in 1988 due to Pigeon Fanciers Lung and restarted in 1997 with Louella Busschaerts , his winner being one of those original birds. As he was allergic to pigeon dust a closed in loft was out of the question. The loft had to be fully open in order to take out the harmful dust, and the loft is ventilated on three sides, the front and both sides, only the back is a solid wall. The top half is dowelled at the front with the lower half being louvred to the floor. Louvres are fitted to each end, the total size 22 foot long x 8 foot wide, including a 2 foot wide corridor at the front. 15 Widowhood cocks are raced, complimented by 24 Young birds,and usually includes at least 12 Louella youngsters as the Robinsons do not keep stock birds. David is very conscious about his allergy, only spending about 40 minutes a day in close contact with the pigeons, though he fully acknowledges the help given by Janet and Alison, who are equally responsible for their success. To this loft the Robinsons clocked birds to win section F on three occasions in 1999, concluded by First section, third open N.R.C.C. with an entry of just four.

I am not suggesting for one minute that modern closed in lofts are no good, what I am saying is they dramatically increase the chances of developing the disease. Then again some people will never show any allergic symptoms. The choice for many will become give up the sport or continue to enjoy your pigeons in safety, and open up your loft.

Tony Grinsill, December 2000