Why should a fancier use vinegar for his pigeons?

Apple cider vinegar or just plain vinegar will
acidify the contents in the crop and discourage the multiplication of trichomonas organisms. It will, however, not cure pigeons of trichomoniasis. Also, bacteria which do not like an acidic environment such as Salmonella, for example, are discouraged from multiplying in the crop. Acid loving bacteria like the lactobacilli, on the other hand, will find this a hospitable environment and can continue on their way to the colon where they will find favourable conditions for growth and multiplication. I am certain that any acid such as vinegar cannot survive its journey into the colon. It can probably pass the stomach but the very basic pancreatic juice emptying into the small intestine will most certainly neutralize it to allow the absorption of the resultant water and acetate.
Although none of the vinegar ingested arrives in the large intestine how can it possibly then result in the acidification of the colonic contents? The answer lies in its favouring lactobacilli to survive the journey to the colon at the expense of bacteria like Escherichia coli and Salmonella who like a more neutral or basic ph. These lactobacilli will consequently colonize the colon and their metabolic products such as lactic acid are responsible for this observed increase in acidity.
acidify the contents of the gizzard, leading to better digestion.
lower the blood pressure and cholesterol level.
ameliorate muscle cramps and
decrease the concentration of
Escherichia coli
Salmonella and
yeasts in the colon.
disinfect the drinking water.

It is advantageous to be somewhat sceptical in our world where so many salesmen and would-be salesmen try to take advantage of gullible people and separate them from their money. Any sceptic should make the following experiment: Give some of your pigeons apple cider vinegar for 3 weeks and treat the others as usual. You may find that the group receiving the vinegar has now softer feathers and more oil spots on their feathers than the other group. You are aware, I am sure, that soft plumage and oil spots are a sign of good condition which was contributed to by the use of apple cider vinegar. You will also find them to take their exercise with more enthusiasm attesting to their better condition.
The following schedule was recommended:
In the flying season: on the 2nd and 3rd day after a race
In the off season: every day for 3-4 weeks
During moulting: 3-4 days per week
If diarrhoea: for 5-7 days
Recommended Dosage: from 5ml to 15ml vinegar per 1000ml H2O but this depends on the ph of the water. The more basic the water, the more vinegar will be required.
A dosage of 15 ml vinegar per 1000ml H2O can be used for giving them a bath, no other salts and powders being necessary, and this is said to effectively eliminate ectoparasites.
It wasn't too many years ago that the droppings in some nests in my loft were excessively wet. I blamed the parents of those youngsters for feeding them too much water. Checking the crops of those youngsters revealed way too much water or not enough grain. I shouldn't have gotten angry at their parents. It would have been better to look into a mirror to find the one who was guilty of this state of affairs. The old ones were looking for salt and minerals. Since the source of these nutrients did not appeal to the old ones they drank excessively. They tried to supply their youngsters with these nutrients, a tiny amount of which could be found in the water.
Adding enough vinegar to the water will result in less water feeding also as will many other substances which make the water almost non-potable. Birds won't drink too much of this stuff but it would be much better to correct the deficiency than just treating the symptoms. Vinegar is just acetic acid which will be neutralized easily by the feed in the crop since it has no buffering capacity. Adding it to the drinking water results in the birds drinking less as they do not like this acidic taste. Less water will consequently be available for the body's response to a deficiency of salt or minerals or to intestinal irritation which would normally result in diarrhea. There will therefore be less diarrhea visible and the fancier may fool himself into thinking that all is well.
I found "AcidPak" to be a better water additive for discouraging the spread of Salmonella, E. coli, Trichomonas and yeast organisms. Not only do the birds like the water acidified by "AcidPak" much better than water acidified by vinegar, "AcidPak" contains enzymes and has a built-in buffering capacity insuring that the water remains acidic while in the crop.

Good bit of information Ian

thanks

excellent info Ian, members should take note of this as its cheap and a great preventative

89p for a bottle in co-op.

good reading that ian thanks

to be honest I am confused, it says how much to give them of cider vinegar, then says it leads us into a false state and decieves us into thinking all is well, So is it good? or bad? I think its good. but not sure what this article is saying.

yes its a good thing martyn

Thinking of trying this now will get some tomorrow. Thanks ian

69p in asda mate

Thanks for that ian worth a try for that price

ok but just saying I want quite sure what it was saying at first...., but its a good article Ian and very interesting, as I said I have used it now for a full season and a bit and its made a difference to my birds for sure, and yes it does stop them gorging on water as they dont like it too much, and that has to be good, they will drink enough not to go thirsty though.