Saturday, February 7, 2009

Clean your bird feeders! Alert!

Several dead birds have been found in Rabun County and are being tested for Avian Salmonella at the University of GA lab. The County Extension Office is working with the Environmental Health Department in monitoring the situation but asks that everyone please take down your birdfeeders, clean them out using bleach and water, and do not put them out again for one month. To report any incidents of dead songbirds to the County extension office call 706-782-3113 or Rabun Health Department's Environmental Health Division at 706-212-0289.
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1 comment:

Mary said...

Justin Tyson, Rabun County Extension Coordinator, reports the following:

All of the birds that I've sent off for testing came back positive for salmonella. The original reports (from which these birds came) were all located in northwest Rabun County. The areas where the outbreak were originally found have been hit very hard: one woman originally had 400-500 birds that frequented her porch. When I went there earlier this week, there were only eight birds left, and all of them appeared sick.

Reports of dead birds have continued to pour in from all over Rabun County as well as Macon Co., NC, Habersham Co., Lumpkin Co., and Fannin Co., so the outbreak appears to cover a wide area. I sent off more dead birds to be tested earlier this week from different parts of Rabun County, and I expect the results some time next week. At this point I have no reason to believe that these birds died from anything other than salmonella.

Fortunately, the most recent bird kills have been very small in scale compared to what I was seeing a couple weeks ago - usually only 2 or 3 dead birds in a yard, compared to 20 or 30. This may indicate that the outbreak has nearly run its course. To be safe, I would still recommend keeping the feeders in until the end of February. Cold weather, combined with the stress of the salmonella, seems to be driving the mortality rates up. I expect we will have at least one or two more severe cold spells before winter is over, so having the birds dispersed and not spreading the disease amongst themselves will be very important during these times.
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Justin Tyson
Rabun County Extension Coordinator
41 Jo Dotson Circle, Suite 1
Clayton, GA 30525

Phone: 706-782-3113
Fax: 706-782-3148
Email: jtyson@uga.edu

February 13, 2009 at 5:55 AM

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