Expert: Julia Booth - 3/3/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hello, how are you going? :-) Every day for the past few years, a froup of wild pigeons come to our backyard every morning and they stay all day, and we feed them birdseed, or spaghetti or bread or porridge (we change it daily so they don't get bored) and give them water and then leave fly off at night when it starts to get dark, and they come back again the next day. 8 weeks ago one beautiful white pigeon who I loved too much got sick and he had diarehha stuck to his bum so I called an avain vet who does house calls and the vet said the he had a bacterila infection and he gave him an injection and anibitics but they didn't work and now he is gone. Then last week another beautiful brown bird had the same sympotms so I gave him the same antibitotics that I had left, but he died yesterday :-( Why do wild birds get bacterial infections and what do you think I can do to make sure that none of the other birds in the group get it? Why didn't the tablets work do you think? I was so upset with those tablets for not working that I threw the rest of them in the bin today. Why do wild birds have to get infections? Thanks heaps for your time, I do appreciate it a lot

ANSWER: Bacterial infections are more common in birds that live in colonies, where there is apt to be overcrowding and large competition for food and shelter.

Sorry to say, but outside of the seeds, the food you are feeding the pigeons is not good for them. The problem is that pigeons will eat anything you give them and they are not always discerning enough to know what is and isn't good for them. The porridge (I'm assuming it's Cream of Wheat?) you're giving them actually contains bacteria in it that birds are not designed to fight off. Uncooked pasta is also not good for birds to digest.

Another source of bacteria might be a contaminated water supply, or nearby rodents and rodent feces. Infections can also be brought on by stress, by low temperatures and fungal growth due to excess moisture. I recommend feeding the birds a high quality wild birdseed mixture or the medicated poultry feed. Much of the cheaper brands are 50% filler, which is stuff the birds can't digest anyway. It's better to spend a few extra bucks and get better quality food, where nothing will go to waste.

It's possible for this bacteria to spread to you as well. So be extra careful when handling these birds. Avoid being bitten or scratched. If you are bitten or scratched, clean the area thoroughly and be on the lookout for any cold/flu type symptoms. Dust from their wings can also be inhaled.

This website is actually geared towards pet birds. But it's the most thorough explanation of bacterial infections in birds that I have found:

http://www.cockatielcottage.net/bacteria.html

Here are some other good sites:

http://www.petmd.com/bird/conditions/parasitic/c_bd_Bacterial_Diseases

http://www.avianweb.com/bacterialinfection.html

Good luck,

Julia

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello, and thank yo uso VERY much for your help, I do appreciate it a lot :-) Gosh, I didn't know I was feeding them the wrong stuff, thanks heaps for letting me know :-) Is wild birdseed mix from the supermarket okay, or if not, where would I buy it? Is budgie food the same?

Answer
The food they market for budgies tends to be mostly millet, and is not high in quality, unless you purchase it from a pet store. I have yet to see high quality bird seed in stock at a regular grocery store. Usually the seed you find there has a lot of filler in it, which goes to waste, because the shells of the seeds are too hard for the birds to crack.

What you want is either poultry feed, which is designed for chickens,ducks and game birds, or a wild bird seed mixture with larger seeds in it, like sunflower and safflower seeds.