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Bird Hygiene: Protecting Your Garden Birds
We all loving watching our garden birds swooping down to our feeders to enjoy the food we've put out for them, but there's a responsibility that comes with it - one we often overlook. Every time birds congregate on bird feeders, they face a risk that has nothing to do with predators or the weather. Dirty feeders and fouled feeding areas are the second biggest cause of premature death in garden birds in the UK. The good news is that together we can reduce this risk significantly.
Why Clean Feeders Matter
In the wild, birds might go to the same bushes for berries for example, but it's unlikely they'd all go to the exact same spot because the food would have already been eaten. When we feed birds, we give them a central place to come together and feed from. The droppings, saliva, and discarded food all accumulate quickly and in a much smaller place than usual. After a while that food rots down and becomes an infection risk.
If we then factor in warm conditions or wet conditions (fun fact, it rains on roughly 150 days of the year where we are!), then we have a perfect environment for bacteria, fungi and parasites to multiply and spread to other birds. A healthy bird visiting your feeder on Monday could contract a fatal infection by Friday — and pass it on to others before any symptoms are visible.
The risk can also be compounded by the quality of the bird food too. Poor quality seed that contains dust, husk fragments and debris will spoil faster, clump in feeders, all of which leads to more mould growth. It's not just about nutrition, it's essential to use clean, high quality foods like the ones we stock here at GardenBird.
The Main Diseases and Risks to Know About
Just like you and me, birds get sick. Various diseases can affect birds, with the main ones threatening birds today listed below.
Trichomonosis
This is the most common disease amongst garden birds and the one most directly linked to dirty feeders. It's actually a parasite that's typically spread via the saliva of infected birds from the food they've dropped on or around feeding areas. Greenfinches and Chaffinches are particularly vulnerable and the sad thing is that once a bird is infected, it is unlikely to survive.
Salmonella
This is typically spread through bird droppings which contaminate the food, feeders, bird baths, bird tables and other feeding areas. If those area are left unchecked and unclean, a healthy bird will coming into contact with them risks picking up the bacteria, eventually falling ill.
E.coli
This is particularly common at the start of the year around March to May with symptoms similar to Salmonella. It's associated with contaminated feeding environments and affects many species of garden birds, especially House Sparrows and Greenfinches.
Usutu Virus
This was first found in the UK in London in 2020, although it was first identified in South Africa and has been around Europe for some 30 years now. At the time of writing, this is predominantly in the South of England but is spreading fast. It's spread by mosquitoes but so far no human cases of Usutu Virus have been detected (these mosquitoes don't bother with humans). With this being a mosquitto
Avian Flu
This tends not to affect garden birds as much, but it is worth knowing about as it's one more reason to keep your feeders clean. Generally this tends to affect waterfowl, seabirds, birds of prey and poultry, garden birds face a much lower risk.
Mould
Damp seed that isn't cleared out properly can develop mould. Exposing birds to mouldy foods could cause issues with their respiratory and digestive systems.
How To Clean Your Feeders
Before starting, please be aware that you may be handling feeders that are contaminated. It is just as important for you to take precautions so as not to get sick yourself. As long as you clean down and disinfect your cleaning areasafterwards, and use dedicated equipment for cleaning the feeders (i.e. dont use the same brush you wash your pans with!) you will be fine.
For hanging feeders, you should clean them at least once a week, although you should adjust this depending on the weather and how frequently the birds are feeding.
- Empty your feeders - remove and dispose of all remaining foods (please dispose of them properly and not onto the ground). Don't simply top them up over old food.
- Disassemble your feeders - fully take the feeder apart including around the feeding ports and base. If your feeder cannot be fully disassembled consider buying a new one which can be.
- Wash with hot soapy water - scrub all areas with a dedicated feeder brush (don't go using your washing up sponge!), paying attention to cracks and crevices.
- Disinfect - apply a wildlife safe disinfectant such as Ark-Klens, Citrosan or Safe4 to all surfaces. Follow the instructions on the bottle.
- Rinse - give it a good rinse to get rid of any remaining soap and residue.
- Dry before refilling - leave your feeder to fully dry before reassembling and filling it up. The last thing we want to do here is refill a damp feeder as that will negate all of your hard work!
Tip - you could keep two feeders of the same type and rotate them. That way you can take your time cleaning them and leave them to fully air dry naturally.
For Bird Baths, you should look to empty and replace with tap water every day. Clean them at least once a week.
Fresh water is essential to birds, but if left unchecked it can become stagnant and dangerous to them so please empty and replace each day.
At least once a week, empty your bird bath, scrub with a stiff brush and mild detergent. Then disinfect, rinse thouroughly and refill with fresh water.
This one is particularly important for Usutu Virus because the mosquitoes that carry the virus love standing water. It's also worth upturning any wheelbarrows or other places where ou get standing water in your garden to minimise the risk.
Tip - if you empty and refill the water on your bath regularly it will last a little longer. That way you can clean them at the same time as your feeders and bird tables as stated above.
Keep it clean, keep birds coming back
When it comes to bird health, the best thing you can do is to keep your feeding areas clean, especially your bird feeders. Clean feeders means healthy, happy birds that will keep coming back to your feeders time and time again!
For further information on feeding birds, we recommend taking a look at the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), who have lots of excellent information and helpful guides.
Please be careful when cleaning your feeders and take precautions for your own health. Similarly if you must pick up dead birds, use disposable gloves and dispose of both the gloves and bird properly.
