ATLANTA — Spring is just around the corner in Georgia, and state officials are urging residents to apply spring cleaning not just to their homes, but their bird feeders.
“As spring nears and the weather warms, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources is reminding Georgians that clean bird feeders mean less health risks for birds,” the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division said in an announcement.
According to the department, sick birds are sometimes reported during the spring and summer. The common factor? Feeders, feeding areas and birdbaths that haven’t been cleaned up.
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DNR wildlife biologist Todd Schneider said that birds are at risk from a variety of diseases that can “flourish” when bird feeders are neglected.
“A hygienic bird feeder can reduce the risk tremendously,” Schneider said.
Sicknesses that can hurt the birds in Georgia range from conjunctivitis to avian pox, plus other bacterial diseases that can be transmitted by mouth and through the build up of fecal matter near or beneath bird feeders.
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When a bird gets infected with salmonellosis, which is caused by salmonella, they can be lethargic and easily approached.
Birds in the state are also at risk for infection from fungus such as aspergillosis, which causes respiratory distress and is caused by wet or moldy seed hulls near feeders. Wildlife officials also said avian pox risk includes wart-like lesions on a bird’s face, legs or feet and in severe cases, in their throats, making it hard for them to breathe, eat or swallow.
Georgia DNR offered the following recommendations for keeping it clean for the birds this spring:
- Always wear protective gloves and a mask while cleaning feeders, feeding areas and bird baths. Also wash carefully afterward.
- Clean feeders weekly using a 10-percent bleach solution – one part bleach to nine parts water – and then rinsing them thoroughly. After washing, let the feeders dry completely.
- Rake up bird seed, hulls and fecal matter beneath feeders two or more times a week. The matter can be buried or put in a plastic bag and disposed of with household waste. Wearing a mask will help avoid inhaling fungal spores stirred up by raking.
- If you have multiple feeders, space them out to help limit gatherings of birds. With highly pathogenic avian influenza (commonly called bird flu) present in wild birds, avoid placing bird baths and feeders in proximity to domestic poultry. (For more on avian influenza, see https://georgiawildlife.com/sick-injured-or-orphaned-wildlife/avian-influenza.)
- Move feeders regularly. A move even 20 feet away lowers the risk of disease transmission.
- Empty and clean bird baths every two days when bird visitation is heavy. This also discourages breeding mosquitoes from using the bath water.
- Do not handle wild birds that are obviously sick or found dead. If only a few dead birds, the carcasses can be disposed of by burying them a foot or more deep. To report a large number of dead birds – such as five or more at one feeder over a day or two – please see below.
Schneider also said that the type of feeder can also impact bird health, saying “not all bird feeders are equal.”
“Plastic and glass feeders are significantly more sanitary and easier to clean than wood feeders, which can absorb moisture,” Schneider said.
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