While providing the right mix of food provides birds with valuable nourishment, it is also important to bird health that feeding stations are clean and disease-free, says Sarah Hurley, a wildlife health specialist with the Department of Natural Resources. Birds that visit feeders are more congregated than they would be feeding in the wild, Hurley says. Additionally, feeders are often generally located in the same spot over time. The result is that birds are feeding and defecating in the same area over time, increasing the potential for disease to be spread, she says. Feeding stations can be sites for birds to transmit parasites and Salmonellosis, a disease caused by Salmonella bacteria, to other birds using the same feeder, she says.
Parasites can lead to chronic, low-grade infections.
These problems occur at different locations from year to year. Usually there are pocket outbreaks in certain neighborhoods, not devastating nationwide epidemics. Keeping feeding stations clean is the best way to prevent the spread of avian diseases. Hurley suggests disinfecting feeders each time they are refilled. Disinfecting can be accomplished by mixing a 5 percent bleach solution, and then scrubbing feeders with the solution and a stiff brush, making sure the bleach solution soaks into the cracks of wooden feeders.