More Sick Birds

Spotted two more sick birds in the garden today - a female Sparrow and a male Greenfinch. All three feeders have been brought in, emptied and scrubbed. I haven't put them back out yet - still undecided on what to do for the best. I am pretty sure that a majority of our birds are relying on us for food at the moment, though there are other people in the street feeding the birds, too.

See this post - Salmonella


We're going to get some bark chippings at the weekend (to place under the hanging feeders on the lawn) which I will be able to turn over regularly and disinfect every week. Hopefully it will be a quick fix, if nothing else. I really don't want to have to stop feeding the birds during the coldest part of the year when they need the extra food just to get through the cold nights.

Salmonella is passed from bird to bird through droppings (seed/food becomes infected when it falls to the floor at a feeding station) and Trichomoniasis (canker) is passed through saliva (If an infected bird picks up a seed and then discards it due to the inability to swallow, the infection can then be passed on to the next bird which picks that seed up). Symptoms seen suggest it is more likely Salmonella.

GardenKlens didn't arrive today so I've not been able to disinfect the garden.