Chaffinch concern

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by FUDGEY

If it is Yersiniosis do I still stop feeding and what causes this? once again a huge thank you

No worries Alan

Yersiniosis is basically spread through the consumption of faeces on food items and is spread by both birds and small mammals (mainly rodents). As disgusting as it sounds birds must eat a lot of food which has been infected by excrement at communal feeding sites.

Stopping feeding for a week should work, it can only survive for a few days outside the host (I believe). So a good clean up and perhaps less encouragement of rodents (which I know is difficult) might help. Also the advice others have mentioned bout spreading the feed about so everything is not attracted to the same spot and keep rotating feeding areas. Also keep feeders tables clean, remove mouldy/dirty food, make sure you store the seed in a safe environment etc. All quite standard really.

Yersiniosis is not as significant as some of the other diseases and at most will only cause local populatio declines, however it should really be avoided.

[bigdave60dog]

Listen to Doghound He`s making snese.
Dave

[FUDGEY]

Originally Posted by Dogghound

No worries Alan

Yersiniosis is basically spread through the consumption of faeces on food items and is spread by both birds and small mammals (mainly rodents). As disgusting as it sounds birds must eat a lot of food which has been infected by excrement at communal feeding sites.

Stopping feeding for a week should work, it can only survive for a few days outside the host (I believe). So a good clean up and perhaps less encouragement of rodents (which I know is difficult) might help. Also the advice others have mentioned bout spreading the feed about so everything is not attracted to the same spot and keep rotating feeding areas. Also keep feeders tables clean, remove mouldy/dirty food, make sure you store the seed in a safe environment etc. All quite standard really.

Yersiniosis is not as significant as some of the other diseases and at most will only cause local populatio declines, however it should really be avoided.

Advice taken, thanks a million

[bigdave60dog]

For those that do not understand what is happening already I will try to explain.
Wild birds do from time to time get infectious diseases they always have done.
By and large sick birds went off into a corner and died or got ate by something else. It used to be two questions that were asked "where do the flies go in the Winter?" and "Where do the birds go when they die?". This implies that there were enough of both to need explanations for their not being there.
Then came big time agriculture, industrialization, fast roads etc. All the enemies of a healthy, wild, diverse, biosystem. Birds plants and insects began to decline rapidly. Those that were left began to concentrate in safe areas. This led to them living and feeding with much less diversity and at a much higher density than they had previously. Many of these concentrations were -and still are- around man made feeding stations. The result is that birds of one species flock together much closer than at any time previously. Almost like closely penned chickens.
If we keep chickens in the same conditions that many feed wild birds they suffer from all manner of diseases. We need to attend closely to good stockmanship which in this case is good food and better hygene.
Feed every day. Good quality food, appropriate to species attracted with no musty smell to it or mould dust. Keep it very dry. Never let rain drip into the stored food area or rodents eat into it. They will make it mouldy. Every evening, pick up all unused food from the station. throw it away. Better to feed a bit less and finish with empty feeders than to have dead birds. Sweep and clean up any food on floor every day. Hose or pressure wash food containers and feeding area then disinfect with a good Sodium hypochlorite based cleaner (bleach to you and me) every second day. Fill up food containers before the early birds arrive -they will come hungry-.
I don`t feed in my garden any more We get too many raptors -don`t be jealous, daily Sparrow hawks, Merlin, Hen Harrier- prevent constant feeding and our weather is just too wet this year. (My nieghbour has a cage of 1.25 inch Weldmesh round his feeding station to keep them out.) I now feed gulls and Starlings who clear everything up in minutes.
Before I stopped feeding "tweets" I had two sets of feed containers. One with food and one being cleaned. I could just pick one up at night to wash and put a clean, full one out in the morning. I used fastened down strong seed trays as feeders. With a half inch hole drilled through two sides at floor level to let water out.
I know that in The North we get far fewer birds that in "The South" so it is not surprising that I never got any disease problems but as an ex farmer I always try to do the best that I can for all stock that I care for.This includes wild birds.
Hope this helps.
Dave