Young finches dying

Rainbowsend

I have had a lot of finches in the garden all summer, maybe thirty or so and there seem to be lots of fledglings still around, but I would say I find on average two/three a week dead. There doesnt seem to be any damage to them usually find them in the corners ie beside the doorstep or beside the garden wall. I go out just before it gets dark and scout around the garden as the newly fledged would just sit on the ground with their head in the corner and settle down for the night, I could pick them up quite easily as they would be nearly asleep and before they realised what was happening to them I would have put them into a fairly dense bush up off the ground for safety. There are not many cats in the area, but would be a few foxes. But I am still finding dead ones if it were cats/foxes surely they would eat them? I keep the feeding areas clean and they have fresh water. Any idea what could be causing this "sudden death syndrome" or is it fairly common and because of the high number of finches I am just seeing it more?

orlaf

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/health/sickbirds/greenfinches.aspx

Does this relate to your findings?

Kess73

It does sound like trichomonosis. There was a pretty bad outbreak of it near me a few years ago, and it played havoc with the amount of greenfinch in the area ever since. I went from having dozens of greenfinch in the garden to now only having them in fours or fives.

Funnily enough I still get large numbers of redpoll every winter and spring and their numbers have never been affected, as once my redpoll come back each winter I get literally anything from 40 to 100 redpoll in the garden on a daily basis for four to five months.




You can however give your birds a better chance of staying healthy by checking out different cleaning agents for your feeders and bird baths, as well as using supplements with their water and food.


For general cleaning I use Vanodine V18 Iodine Complex Disinfectant, which I get from Haiths. Since I started using it a couple of years ago, I have noticed a dramatic fall off in the number of sick birds in my garden each year. It can also be diluted for use in drinking water.


In my bird bath I put some Citrosan in with each change of fresh water. It is safe for birds to drink and helps prevent the spread of disease as well as strengthening the immune systems of the birds.


Then in my seed feeders I tend to use a supplement powder during the breeding season and winter. The name of the powder escapes me right now and I am too lazy to go to my shed to check.


I have noticed big improvements in many of my regular species though, especially the various tits, with most of the smaller birds that I get increasing in numbers (bar the poor old greenfinch) over the last few years.


If you do have a tric outbreak there, simply cleaning your feeders and feeding areas is usually not enough, you generally have to stop feeding for a week or two at the very least.

Finding two to three a week is a worry tbh. It means that the disease has a good foothold and is working it's way through more and more birds.

The ill birds are easy to see as they will be very sluggish and all puffed up, which often makes them look like younger birds. Once they start going into corners of walls or behind flower pots, then the end is near for them, but they are still a big risk to healthy birds. What I have tended to do in the past, I get gloves and gather up any sick bird like that and pop it into a box with a little food and water. They generally cannot swallow at that stage but I just pop in the water just in case. Generally the bird is dead by the next morning and I destroy the box. That way the bird is not out in the open where it's body can infect other birds.

Kess73

Sprinkle Support is the powder supplement I use. Just checked this morning for it's name. It is made by Vetark nimal health.

It contains probiotic bacteria and vitamins A, C, and E.


I think they have replaced/rebranded it as Ace High since though.


I get mine when I go back home to Liverpool and tend to buy six months worth when I get it, but I think it can be gotten on sites like Haiths, CJ Wild Bird Foods, and also on Vetarks website.

Alun

Interesting. I've not seen any dead birds around, although with the state of my garden at the moment they'd be difficult to spot if they crawled away into the undergrowth. I did see a very sick looking, fat, puffed up chaffinch on one of the feeders the other day. He just sat there and didn't make any attempt to eat and was quite lethargic. I wondered what was up with it at the time, but going on your description it looks like it might have been a case of trich.

How often do you clean out and disinfect your feeders? I usually give them a quick wipe down with Ark Clens once every couple of days, and try to completely dismantle, wash and disinfect them every couple of weeks, although the feeders are a bit of a PITA to dismantle (despite the claims on the website!), so it sometimes doesn't get done as often as I'd like.

Sprinkle Support is available on CJ Wildlife's site BTW http://birdfood.ie/product_details.php?area_id=2&group_id=21&nav_id=45&prd_id=1339. I'll get some along with some CitroSan with my next order.

Rainbowsend

Thanks for the replies, yes it all fits, so drastic measures are now in place no feeders or drinking water for a couple of weeks, found another one this morning will dispose of him carefully

Thanks for all the tips I will arm myself with all the necessary potions to ensure healthy happy birds.

Wantitnow

I just came here to ask if anyone knew where all my garden birds have gone... I used to have hundreds of them, but now I dont see a small bird for weeks on end. Does this affect all small birds? I used to get blue and great tits, black caps, chaffinches, robins, gold crests and green finches?

Bodhisopha

Great tits, lol.

Rainbowsend

Wantitnow wrote: »

I just came here to ask if anyone knew where all my garden birds have gone... I used to have hundreds of them, but now I dont see a small bird for weeks on end. Does this affect all small birds? I used to get blue and great tits, black caps, chaffinches, robins, gold crests and green finches?

I think it is common for birds to "disappear" for weeks at a time, they are either off finding a mate and bringing up a brood, or have found food nearer their area, you will probably find them returning during cold spells of weather and when the insects have gone to ground, there are plenty of both insects and berries, seeds etc so they wouldnt be so dependant on feeders at the moment.

Alun

Yes, there's something of a 'bumper crop' of natural foods (berries, nuts etc.) out there at the moment due to the recent hard winter, so no need for them to resort to bird feeders.

artieanna

What other disinfectants are effective. I use a half a cap of milton in 3-4pints of water, is this okay?


people use gloves when cleaning bird feeders as bird flu is transmitable to humans.

Kess73

artieanna wrote: »

What other disinfectants are effective. I use a half a cap of milton in 3-4pints of water, is this okay?


people use gloves when cleaning bird feeders as bird flu is transmitable to humans.

Would not be a fan of using milton tbh. From what I remember it is a specific type of Milton that gets used for animals. Milton Double concentrate I think is the name of what is used on animals, and it is generally only used with pigs. I have a recollection of being told not to use it anywhere near poultry, so based on poultry being birds I would not be quick to use it on wildbirds. But I am open to correction on this.


My preference is Vanodine, but I have found Ark Klens to be excellent for cleaning feeders, bird baths, feeding areas and anywhere else your birds land. It is highly recommended for use around wildlife and/or domestic animals/pets.


I favour Vanodine as it can tackle a wider range of viruses as well as the same bacteria that ArkKlens can (although Ark Klens is very effective against flus also), and Vanodine can be diluted down for drinking purposes also.


I have tried others like the Safe4 range from Safe Solutions, but nothing has had the same effect for me in terms of seeing less sick birds and more healthy birds than Vanodine has over the last two years since I started using it as my main choice..

doctor evil

Anywhere in Dublin where I can get Sprikle Support?

I use warm/hot water and Dettol, is this sufficient to to clean the feeder. I do have Iodine Spray that I use on horses hooves. Could I use this as diluted.

Thanks.

Kess73

doctor evil wrote: »

Anywhere in Dublin where I can get Sprikle Support?

I use warm/hot water and Dettol, is this sufficient to to clean the feeder. I do have Iodine Spray that I use on horses hooves. Could I use this as diluted.

Thanks.

Have never seen Sprinkle support in an Irish pet shop, but CJ Wildlife sell it on their Irish site.

http://www.birdfood.ie/product_details.php?area_id=2&group_id=21&nav_id=45&prd_id=1339

ThunderCat

Lads I have a bird bath out the back garden which is essentially a large terracotta bowl. I change the water every 2-3 days and clean it out using the outside tap and a hand brush. After doing this I refill the water and it looks absolutly fine. My question is this - Is what I'm doing ok, or it is essential to use a cleaning agent when changing old water for fresh water? Last thing I want to do is sicken the birds who visit it.

Kess73

No it is not essential. If the birds are getting regular clean water to wash in and to drink then it is a big plus, especially if that water is there for them in times of extreme heat and extreme cold.


Where the cleaning agents and supplements come into play in a big way is when a sick bird or birds use the bird bath or feeding area, especially if the bird bath/feeding area gets a lot of feathered traffic daily. At this point the cleaning agent/supplement is worth it's weight in gold as it really helps in preventing the spread of disease amongst the regular users and, by association, any birds in other areas they come into contact with.


I tend to have to refill/change the water in my bird bath at least once a day, and sometimes two or three times a day, but this is because my bird bath gets a lot of use from a lot of different species on a daily basis and some of the larger birds can almost empty it after a few of them wash themselves.


I would recommend a decent cleaning agent for when you clean the bird bath though. You would only use a tiny amount diluted each time, so a bottle would last a long time.