I need some advice, trichomoniasis canker with a Dove.

[Steve_In_Cheshire]

Over the last few days we have had a very lethargic dove in our garden, its been eating but it looked like it was having difficulty.

The first thing i noticed was its neck was inflamed and quite big, when i went into the garden it would occasionally fly into the trees but not at any great speed. Its been roosting on the ground during the day so i knew something wasn`t right, i spotted it once roosting on top of the peanut granules and sunflower hearts that are on the ground table.

Today i noticed it regurgitating some peanuts, soon after it was roosting on the ground. At this point i went into the garden again as i had to do something, i knew it must have been very sick as i walked straight upto the dove and it didn`t fly off, its eyes were closed and it was fluffed up. It spotted me and tried to fly a short distance but it was struggling, it landed on the window ledge.

I nipped inside and got a cardboard box and easily caught the bird, i took it to the vets which isn`t far away and left it with them.

Before i posted here i did a bit of research on google and this could be something called trichomoniasis which apparently is called canker in doves, it has the exact symptoms of an inflamed neck and was regurgitating its food.

Apparently a neighbour had a dove the other day that was also very lethargic with similar symptoms but it died not long after, we must have around 20 doves that visit the gardens here, we also have large numbers of blackbirds, finches and quite a few other types of birds.


I`m calling on some of the experienced people here, should i stop putting food out altogether as i read that its not good to have large numbers of birds congrigating in an area where their is possible trichomoniasis. These birds like in your gardens arrive each day relying on the food we put out, its tough at the moment with the weather and i would feel cruel to stop feeding them but i appreciate the other side of things that you have to also protect the birds from possible disease that could be transmitted.

Ive already emptied the bird bath and put it away as apparently the disease is easily transmitted through saliva.

What do i do, should i stop feeding the birds totally ? We have around 20 blackbirds that rely on their daily sultanas as well, i want to do whats right and whats best for the other birds, will they find food easily elsewhere in these tough temperatures ?

[Farplace]

I don't know enough about trichomoniasis, but my gut feeling is that if it is only currently affecting the doves, you should continue feeding the others at least. To suddenly withdraw the food supply at this time of year will do more harm than good. Ask your vet's advice, and see if there is any medicine you can soak (or dust) the peanuts in for the doves, which will not hurt other birds.

[SheffieldLass]

It affects finches, sparrows, doves and pigeons in particular, and I think, also sparrowhawks where they have caught and eaten infected birds. If it were me I'd not put out any food that the above birds eat, for a while, but you might be ok with the blackbirds, feeding them their sultanas, (which the other birds don't eat), but put them in other parts of the garden to where you normally feed them, so they don't pick up any contamination by eating them. Others may have a different view on this though, and suggest no feeding at all.

There is a treatment for trichomoniasis but it is only suitable for caged or caught birds, not for birds in the wild as dosages cannot be controlled there. My guess is that your dove will be too ill for successful treatment. If you can catch them they are really ill. But maybe it will be lucky.

[Picidae]

Sounds very much like the symptons of the disease caused by the trichomonas parasite (canker in pigeons) Trichomonas gallinae. However, as vectors of the parasite, pigeon species don't always show symptons but can and do pass the parasite infection on to other birds especially finches. I'm afraid athe prognosis for the dove will be poor and the Vet will probably euthanase.

More urgently, you need to remove ALL your feeders and thoroughly disinfect the ground feeding areas. Disinfect the bird bath and keep it empty.


With another case of likely canker in your neighbours' garden doves you could be having a serious outbreak of trichomoniasis in your wild bird population and your finches will be at serious risk. Sparrowhawks and any other BoP are also at risk from eating infected prey.

The professional advise is to stop feeding for 14 days. This will discourage flocks of finches congregating in the area where transmission of disease will spread amongst them.

Do not put any kind of ''medicine'' out.

The RSPB is now recording outbreaks of Trich and it would be helpful if you fill out the form on the link and email it. They will send you further info about what to do/and info about the disease

The RSPB: Advice: Outbreaks of disease in finches and other garden birds

You garden birds won't starve. They are never reliant on one artificial feeding source.

[RKB]

As you've got a confirmed case (by the sounds of it), I would take down your feeders for a month, as the parasites will be lurking in the soil below. As long as you are attracting birds, they're at risk. Other birds will probably be infected too, so you need to give it time for them to disperse/die, otherwisde you're just bringing healthy birds into contact with diseased ones in a very small area (your feeder).

Disinfect all your gear, and then dig over the soil under the feeders, and when you put them back up do it in a different place.

When you put them back up, be especially vigilant for finches (especially Greenfinches) and sparrows that are fluffed up, weak fliers and spend a long time around the feeders. If you see any at all, take the feeders down again for another month.

This is a really serious disease for finches and sparrows in particular, and it's been suspected as being involved in the decline of Greenfinches and House Sparrows over the past 5 years. Although you can't control what your neighbours do with their feeders, you can control what you do with your own and it's better to not be part of the problem - while the birds may miss their regular food, they always have several sources of food that they visit and they'll have a better chance of survival by looking elsewhere than being attracted to a disease trap.

There's more info here: http://www.ufaw.org.uk/documents/GBH...eet_180707.pdf

UFAW say give it 2 weeks - but as you've got infected doves (rather than just finches) these can last a bit longer and so still be alive after you start feeding again, so bringing the disease back. A month would therefore be safer.

[Steve_In_Cheshire]

Thanks for the quick replies and detailed advice, i`ll remove all the feeding points from the garden straight away, you feel for the birds as our regular blackbirds all line up on the fence waiting for me to appear then they land near my feet even before the sultanas reach the floor.

The feeding area we have is on the lawn including the bird table as the only hard surface we have is too close to the windows where we have had a lot of bird strikes in the past hence me moving the feeding area, its not something i can really dig up. I always go over the lawn with a powerful garden hose to remove any droppings or left over bits of food, is their anything else i can do lawn wise ?

[RKB]

Bleach. Only joking! The frost will sort out the lawn over the space of several weeks.

You could maybe chuck a few bad apples around the wider area for the Blackbirds - the finches and doves wont be attracted to that.

[Picidae]

Just to add to my earlier post Steve:

One of the biggest problem with those that feed birds in the garden (other than the hygiene issues I've listed below - is the tendency to put too much food out - it's usually those quite new to attracting birds into the garden that tend to do this, over come by an enthusiastic desire to enjoy a new garden hobby! All food in ground areas should be gone by the end of the day. If not, too much food is being provided.

When you do eventually replace your feeders/bird water supply (after the 2 weeks recommended by UFAW/RSPB or longer if you think appropriate - I'm inclined to agree that longer may be necessary when there are confirmed infected pigeons using your ground feeding areas) remember that ongoing good feeding station hygiene is a vital part of biosecurity in controlling the spread of Trich which for me (and I'd advise others) includes the following as a matter of course:

1. Rotation of your hanging feeders to different areas of the garden and digging over any seed that's accumulated on the ground soil. (I do this every 2-4 weeks depending on feeder activity)

2. Daily or twice weekly disinfection of your water feeders and allowing vessels to completely dry before refilling: Especially if you have a regular population of pigeons sharing the same water supplies as finches - juvenile finches are particularly susceptible so in the breeding season, twice daily cleaning and trying to deter pigeon use would be advisable.

3. Only put enough food out for 2-4 days in hanging feeders and only enough food for ground/birdtables to last for one day. Each time before replacing food supplies, thoroughly disinfect/and dry food feeders/bird table.

4. Scrubbing/disinfecting patio/hardcore feeding areas frequently depending on feeder activity - I generally do mine 2-3 times a week.

I use a very mild solution of detol in a plant spray container both for the birdbath, birdtable and patio areas then thoroughly hose down.

When watching garden birds, I as a matter of course now, check all finches and pigeons daily entering the garden for any signs of ill health. If you notice any symptons of Trich, act immediately.

Good luck. A month of no feeders will seem longer for you than it will be for the birds that visit you!

[Picidae]

Steve, make sure any bird strikes are actually bird strikes ie. if you witness them personally. In all cases use gloves to pick up any dead finches and place in a plastic bag and take to your nearest vet for a PM exam.

[Steve_In_Cheshire]

Thanks Picidae

Ive taken all the advice given, ive just spent 1 half hours clearing all the feeders, bird table, bird bath and drinking water from the lawn and hosing the lawn down to get rid of any bird droppings and any small bits of food that the finches throw away.

Its just a bare garden now free from anything to attract a buuild up of birds, the only thing ive done is to put some sultanas on the garden shed which is a good 60ft away from where the birds normally feed, no pigeons or doves go anywhere near the garden shed as its right next to the house and only the blackbirds visit the shed. Their is nothing on the lawn to attract birds, you feel harsh but its looking after the welfare of other birds in the long run.

What was funny is i had a female blackbird on the lawn right next to where i was hosing, they are clever birds as it looked like she was after worms. Our blackbirds are used to me, they have no problem landing near my feet when i`m in the garden as they know that sultanas are usually on the way.