Can sparrows pass on diseases to hens?

fathead82

I have a few pens of hens & ducks that the sparrows visit to eat the corn that gets spilt.
Last summer all my meat birds got sick & died,followed by my young purebred birds that were only 3 months old. Then in october a full pen of purebreds got it & died too. The only pens that has not been affected so far is the layers pen(the rooster chases away any birds the fly in there) & the duck pens.
I sent one hen off for a autopsy but got no results.
They just stop eating,get really thin then die.

The only thing I can think of is that the sparrows are passing on some sort of disease.is this possible & is there any way to deter the sparrows?
Would one of them fake owls work?
No matter how hard i try to keep the place clean some corn will always end up on the ground or leftover in the feeders.

Wren A. Magreet

fathead82 wrote: »

I have a few pens of hens & ducks that the sparrows visit to eat the corn that gets spilt.
Last summer all my meat birds got sick & died,followed by my young purebred birds that were only 3 months old. Then in october a full pen of purebreds got it & died too. The only pens that has not been affected so far is the layers pen(the rooster chases away any birds the fly in there) & the duck pens.
I sent one hen off for a autopsy but got no results.
They just stop eating,get really thin then die.

The only thing I can think of is that the sparrows are passing on some sort of disease.is this possible & is there any way to deter the sparrows?
Would one of them fake owls work?
No matter how hard i try to keep the place clean some corn will always end up on the ground or leftover in the feeders.

I would doubt that sparrows are passing on some virus,to be honest.
I would be more inclined to believe that rats may be the problem,ie. peeing in their food or water.The cleanliness of their cage/pen is crucial(I keep quail myself).I'm curious when you say you didn't get the result of the necropsy for the dead bird you sent away?They didn't find any cause of death??
Did you introduce any new stock prior to the first birds dying?
Here's a site I go to when I have any questions relating to my quail: http://www.backyardchickens.com/.

fathead82

They never gave me the results. I rang twice & they said they didn't have any results yet. I introduced 10 broiler chicks about 10 weeks before the disease came, they were the first to get it.
I read here before about hygiene at bird feeding stations to prevent spread of disease, thats why I think It's the sparrows

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

The diseases we prevent by proper hygiene at bird feeding stations are not diseases that would kill farmyard fowl. I suggest you chase up the the test results and look at the source of your introduced birds.

Wren A. Magreet

fathead82 wrote: »

They never gave me the results. I rang twice & they said they didn't have any results yet. I introduced 10 broiler chicks about 10 weeks before the disease came, they were the first to get it.
I read here before about hygiene at bird feeding stations to prevent spread of disease, thats why I think It's the sparrows

The following is an excerpt from a BirdWatch Ireland article in relation to such infectious diseases in wild bird populations:

"Wild birds are susceptible to a wide range of infectious and non-infectious diseases. In particular, garden birds have the potential to carry other infectious diseases that can affect humans and pets, for example Salmonella, Campylobacter, Trichomoniasis and E.coli bacteria. The likelihood of a disease outbreak in garden birds is particularly increased during the winter months, between December and April, when large numbers of birds congregate at feeding areas for prolonged periods of time.
Affected birds appear fluffed-up, weak and lethargic. Birds often stay close to feeders or water baths and to continue to try to feed until just before death, and are often reported as being visibly ill for several days before they die. Some birds die more rapidly and while still in moderately good body condition.
Outbreaks of these diseases are a constant threat and can quickly spread from infected birds to healthy birds sharing the same feeding areas. Salmonella in particular is present at a low level in wild bird populations, and poor hygiene at feeding stations, particularly where droppings are allowed to accumulate, can fuel a local outbreak. Greenfinches and House Sparrows are most susceptible to this infection, which is transmitted by droppings from an infected bird".

It's interesting that it does mention the House Sparrow as a species that is more susceptible than most to these infections(although it may very well be Tree Sparrows that are visiting your chicken pens).I can certainly see why you may be suspicious of the Sparrows alright.However,I think until you get the results of the necropsy,you'll just never really know.

As a Nature and Bird Watching forum,I think most here try to attract wild birds to our gardens rather than scare them away,so I can't say if these fake plastic birds of prey work to be honest!

thebishop

When they started to get sick at the beginning you should have taken one to a good Vet and they would prob have solved the problem out before too many had died.A stich in time as they say.

fathead82

Wren A. Magreet wrote: »

It's interesting that it does mention the House Sparrow as a species that is more susceptible than most to these infections(although it may very well be Tree Sparrows that are visiting your chicken pens).I can certainly see why you may be suspicious of the Sparrows alright.However,I think until you get the results of the necropsy,you'll just never really know.

As a Nature and Bird Watching forum,I think most here try to attract wild birds to our gardens rather than scare them away,so I can't say if these fake plastic birds of prey work to be honest!

The description of the affected birds sounds exactly like what my hens were like before they died.Thanks for the help.Ill ring the vet again & see if any results came back.

thebishop wrote: »

When they started to get sick at the beginning you should have taken one to a good Vet and they would prob have solved the problem out before too many had died.A stich in time as they say.

I rang the vet when it happened first & he gave me stuff for coccidiosis to put in their water. when it happened a few months later again,i rang the vet & thats when he told me to bring a dead hen to be tested. He said there was no point bringing a live hen to him because there was no way of telling what was wrong with it.

Allison Faint Sweat wrote: »

The diseases we prevent by proper hygiene at bird feeding stations are not diseases that would kill farmyard fowl. I suggest you chase up the the test results and look at the source of your introduced birds.

The introduced birds came from a good supplier & were 7 days old when I got them,they were quarantined for 5 weeks & were thriving.They were first to get the disease at approx 11 weeks old,4 weeks after they were moved to an outside pen.

Its strange that the disease went away for a few months then came back again killing some of my best purebreds. There was no new stock introduced when it came back the second time & all the pens & houses were scrubbed & disinfected after the first outbreak.The wild birds are all that I can think of that could be causing it.