Pigeon Bathing

To keep pigeons healthy, they need a bath weekly. However, few know how to use pigeon bathing to also improve their condition.

During the hot summer, it is advisable to give them a bath twice a week. If a pigeon doesn't like to bathe, it won't. But if a pigeon feels good after a bath, you will notice that it will even bathe twice a day. Remember that a bath strengthens the pigeon's organs and cleans dirt from its feet and feathers. It has an effect on the plumage; it removes old oil that protects the birds from the elements. There is no doubt that this happens by changing the skin temperature, which seems to cause a humidifying effect between the feathers. We can observe that once the pigeons have bathed, they will then preen themselves using their beak, carefully extracting oil from the oily uropygial gland at the base of their tail and applying it to other feathers. At that moment, it would be harder for you to wet a pigeon after it has bathed than it would have been a week before because, of course, the oil on the feathers is very fresh.

That's why, if you've noticed, sometimes when we send birds to a race and they encounter a lot of rain along the way, there are great losses. This happens because they cannot fly when soaked with water; during the flight, they are pulled down more and more due to the weight and eventually crash. It's sad, but true. Only by providing a bath to the birds can you ensure that their performance will improve, as they will be practically waterproof, as well as stronger in flight. However, it's about the timing of the bath and the water temperature; each type of bath is for different types of races.

It is a fact that bathing a pigeon will keep molting constant. Once pigeons have bathed, within 24 hours, significant molting will be visible among in-form pigeons.

Another use for bathing is the "forced" bathing of widowers upon their return from a race. Many top breeders who race in widowhood use this method, because if widowers receive a "forced" bath upon returning from a race, it has the effect of calming the birds and is so effective that many top flyers believe a large part of their success is due to this type of bathing. The way the forced bath is done is to fill a bucket with warm water. After the widower has been with its mate and removed from the box, hold the widower in your hand, placing its body in the warm water bucket for one minute with its head comfortably out of the water, then carefully place it back in the compartment. When flying widowers from week to week, this calming effect seems to ensure better form for the next race. These widowers rest much more easily than those not bathed in this manner, accelerating the recovery process by up to two days.

The third use of a bath is pre-bathing widowers before a race. This method is particularly good for long-distance races and is something considered to be very effective. The break between races should be at least two weeks. Approximately two to three hours before catching them for basketing, normally around lunchtime when the weather is warmer, give the birds a cold bath. You must ensure that the tap water is at approximately 20 °C; do not give a warm bath, as this will calm the birds too much.