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Hygiene - vital precautions

Great tit at birdtable
Taking care of your birdtable will reduce the chances of spreading diseases

When a large number of birds are attracted into an area to feed, the danger of disease increases.

Prevention is always better than a cure, and is the best thing you can do to help the birds.

Most diseases are transmitted by droppings. If contaminated droppings mix with food, the birds will run a risk of picking up the infection. Since the contamination can originate either from other birds or from animals such as rats, it is important to guard against infection from both sources.

Good hygiene is particularly important during the summer months. The warmer weather can make food go off quicker, and can provide ideal conditions for harmful bacteria to proliferate.

  • Monitor your food supply carefully. If the food takes days to clear either from containers or the ground, reduce the amount of food offered.
  • Use a birdtable or hanging feeders. A ground feeding tray is preferable to putting food directly on the ground, since it is easier to keep clean. Food on the ground should all be eaten before nightfall. Rats are attracted to leftover food and often carry diseases, which can affect birds or humans.
  • Keep birdtables and surrounding areas clean and free from droppings or mouldy food, which can form reservoirs of infection by providing breeding grounds for parasites and bacteria. If large amounts of droppings have accumulated, they should be cleared and burnt and the ground cleansed with a disinfectant.
  • Clean and wash the bird table and hanging feeders regularly using 5% disinfectant solution, and move feeding stations to a new area every month to prevent droppings accumulating underneath.
  • Water containers should be rinsed out daily, especially during the warmer months, and allowed to dry out before fresh water is added. Droppings can accumulate in bird baths.
  • Personal hygiene is also important. Do not bring the feeders into the house to clean them, but do it outside, using separate utensils. Wear gloves when cleaning feeders and bird tables, and particularly if you need to handle a sick or a dead bird in the garden. Always wash your hands when finished.

Looking after your bird feeders

15 October 2008. Length: 69

Our wildlife adviser Ian Hayward tells you how to safely feed and care for the birds in your garden.

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