Hygiene and Birds (including Great Tits)

According to the BBC NEWS website (today, 22.11.2012 in the Environment section), our garden birds are being affected by an avian pox that leaves the creatures with swollen lesions.

Spread from bird to bird (originally from insects coming to the UK), it is advised that WE can HELP by cleaning bird feeders, boxes (check for tenants first!) and bird-baths with soapy-water. It may help.

Ed Walter wrote (see)

According to the BBC NEWS website (today, 22.11.2012 in the Environment section), our garden birds are being affected by an avian pox that leaves the creatures with swollen lesions.

Spread from bird to bird (originally from insects coming to the UK), it is advised that WE can HELP by cleaning bird feeders, boxes (check for tenants first!) and bird-baths with soapy-water. It may help.

 

I do try to keep my bird feeders as clean as possible and in fact give them a good clean yesterday. Off to do the bird bath now, thanks for the reminder. We must look after our birds.

I have had to clean my feeders and bird table,they seem to go mouldy after awhile.

I tend to put out just enough seeds in feeders for a few days and fat balls seem to take birds longer to eat so those feeders get refilled weekly. From previous experience I've found seeds tend to go mouldy if left out too long in wet weather. Do seeds have a shelf date? 

How often would you clean bird baths. My large one was cleaned a few weeks ago and I go out each morning now to take off the ice but the smaller one isn't really much use as it freezes solid and I don't always have time to change the water in a morning.  

Hi Zoomer - I try to remember to tip the water out of the small bird bath just before it gets dark and then it's just a quick job to fill it in the morning.

Thanks Carol, I hadn''t thought to do that.

There is no effective cure for avian pox. Aside from cleaning our pets cages, we must also disinfect it and avoid dust particles from transferring from one cage to another. Vaccination and revaccination can be a great defense too.

You can also use this solution that I learned from a veterinarian.

Create a stock solution by adding 30 to 45 mL/L (4 to 6 oz/gallon) iodine disinfectant to water. Then add the stock solution to the water line through a medicator at a concentration of 8 mL/L (1 oz/gallon) drinking water.

This can help aid in saving our pets lives.

-Jeanne M.