Anyone help with this?

marbles71

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29 December 2008
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Hi I am new to the forum, I own a Arab mare and
I work as a freelance for several different yards.
I have recently been working on a small livery yard, which has, 8 horses on it and over 40 pigeons!!! which one of the liveries feed!
they roost with in the stables and do their mess every where! on haynets, feed and water buckets as well as on the doors of the stables!
I have worked with horses for over 20 yrs and never come across anything this bad!
It has been suggested by other clients that this could be a big risk to both the horses and humans on the yard?
But no one can tell me the exact reasons.
I do know that birds carry a disease that humans can catch, but this is something I have never come across before, can anyone help with this?
 
apart from the mess there is a risk of picking up bugs and germs from the birds. the droppings are on rugs and other equipment that you are expected to handle and it's not a pleasant situation to be in.

I guess this is an American website but it highlights some of the diseases carried by birds.
http://www.bird-x.com/birddiseases.html

I think that by and large birds are ok as long as we aren't living in such close proximity to them. Is it something you can talk to the YO about? Maybe persuade them to feed the pigeons away from the stable blocks?
 
Can't remember the name of it, but there is something very nasty that they carry. It's why they're often called 'flying rats'
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With gingermoggies on this - speak to the YO.

Oh, and welcome to the Forum
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Just to add to the above post - back in the 1970's my uncle's stallion contracted grass sickness and within less than 48 hours had to be put to sleep. The vet at the time said it wasn't common in this country and it did take him a while to identify it as at first he just thought it was a very bad colic. He also said (at the time) there were many cases of it in Scandinavia and he was led to believe it may have been carried here by birds. When the horse contracted the disease a pigeon had been roosting in the rafters of his stable.

Since then there has been more research into the disease and other factors have been identified as causing it, but back then my uncle and the vet were convinced it may have been the bird that brought it in. Rightly or wrongly, I am always a bit unsure when there are birds in the stables but it's probably just me being superstitious and silly.
 
Thanks for the info both!
Have suggested that they try and move the birds away from the stables, as there is an area they could go, but I think its fallen on rather deaf ears, even with the YO.
I am going to talk to a local vet pal of mine tomo, as I am concerned not just for the horses on this yard, but also for the other horses I care for both very young and very old!
the last thing I want or need to do is put others at risk!
Thanks again for both your speedi replies, the forum looks very friendly!
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Hi
In my opinion best to talk to YO as pigeons can carry nasty diseases. You can get pigeon fancier's lung which can be fatal - you don't have to be a pigeon fancier either just be exposed to pigeon poo!
Good luck.
 
oh yes, forgot about pigeon fanciers lung, and they are people who actually clean up after the birds, but who cleans up after them on your yard? good idea to have a chat with the vet and see what they say.
 
Unfortunatley the YO dosent seem to be too bothered by them!
I am trying to find out what both the horses and humans could be at risk for, to show the YO.
I have never come across such a huge amount of pigeons and their mess before!!!!
If necessary I will not carry on working at the place, as Ireally dont want to put my own horse or others at un necessary risk.
The site that gingermoggies has put on previous post is quite enough to worry anyone I think!
Thanks again for all your replies!
Have always been a H&H reader, and this forum is obviously full of barmy pep's like me up at all hours! lol!
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I'm a bit late posting on this.

I used to be called in to shoot feral pigeons on farms. I bet if the YO had a swarm of rats running all over the place, she / he would do something about it! Feral pigeons can carry more diseases harmful to man than a rat.

My suggestion is to get a falconer to fly a hawk around the yard every day for a couple of weeks. That will get rid of them as they will push off somewhere else.
 
Many years ago i caught Psittacossis(sp?) from pigeons on our yard...its not nice believe me, especially when my left lung collapsed and it turned into pnumonia(sp?)!!
I had been in contact breifly with in laws parrot which the doctors thought was where i got it, but after many test it was found to be the pigeons.
 
this can cause problems with the horses. I knew a lady that couldn't understand why her horse was suffering really bad skin problems - to the point that the coat fell out or breathing problems . Turned out it was due to the pidgeons
 
Just this miniute walked in!

Thank you all soooo much for all your replies!

After alot of sole searching, I told the lady on the yard in question, that I was no longer prepared to look after her horse.
I need to consider my own horse and the others I look after and
It's just not practical to get washed and changed before going on to my next yard! and it's far too cold! lol!
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I have suggested that I would go back if they yard gets rid of the birds, even if just away from the stable area, but shes decided to re advertise for someone else to do him, as I'm being silly!
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