Bird fancier's lung is a disease that primarily affects pigeon breeders, but can also be linked to chickens, turkeys, parakeets, feather quilts, moldy hay, sawdust, grains or excess mushrooms. growth on the walls (Extrinsic allergic alveolitis, nd). Diagnosing the disease can be a difficult task. Patients suffering from the illness will develop flu-like symptoms, cough and shortness of breath. Crackles may be heard in the lungs and lung function tests reveal a restrictive abnormality (Davis, 1983). The most effective treatment is to avoid contact with the causative agent. If Bird Fancier lung is not detected early, the patient's chances of improvement are extremely limited and the disease could also become fatal. The imagination of pigeons can be traced back hundreds of years. The ancient Greeks used pigeons to transmit messages. Pigeon messaging was even used to help the British during World War II. The men of Britain finally decided to start racing these birds to prove their abilities as superior pigeon breeders. These highly intelligent birds are trained to use their homing instinct to return to their lofts hundreds of miles away. The official British record for duration is 1,173 miles in 15 days, and the fastest running speed ever recorded is 110.07 miles per hour (Bourke, 1997). Obviously, an animal of this caliber will require many hours of training, which can result in serious health risks for the pigeon breeder. In the late 19th and 20th centuries, pigeon racing was a very popular sport among working-class men in southern industrial districts. Wales, central Scotland and northern England (Johnes, 2007). The dovecote was used to escape the monotony and pressures of life...... middle of paper ......s allergic antigens capable of causing a person to develop pigeon lung birds. Symptoms of this disease include fever, cough, dyspnea, non-wheezing crackles in the lungs, and fatigue. Bird Fancier's lung can be avoided by wearing a respiratory protective mask, appropriate work attire, not transporting birds in the back seat of a vehicle, and limiting the total time spent inside the vehicle. dovecote. If all these procedures are followed, the pigeon breeder should not have to give up his hobby. Pigeon breeders are extremely passionate and committed to the sport, and most are willing to take the risk of health factors to continue participating in pigeon racing. The history of this sport born in a working-class society is still as rich as ever. Today there are around 83,000 registered pigeon fanciers in Britain (Bourke, 1997).