Having wild birds visit your garden to feed and bathe is a wonderful and enjoyable activity which many Britons are keen to encourage. However poor garden feeder hygiene has today been blamed for promoting the transmission of serious diseases which are affecting the very birds we hope to protect.
Continued feeding of wild birds during the recent exceptionally cold weather was highlighted by the RSPB to ensure the survival of our cherished winged visitors, providing much-needed support to visiting birds in your garden, by way of fresh water, food and shelter.
However, the publication of a study by the Zoological Society of London, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), and Fera Science, has highlighted the potential dangers of encouraging wild birds to congregate in gardens, increasing the risk of cross contamination and disease, which has left many amateur ornithologists at a loss of how to encourage the birds they love without putting them at any unnecessary risk. Thankfully, a trip to your local garden centre to purchase Petface’s Wild Bird Hygiene Spray and the responsible treatment of your bird tables and feeders can help to provide our beloved wild birds with 24 hours of protection against harmful bacteria.
The Petface Wild Bird Hygiene Spray is powered by Byotrol, a unique hygiene technology, which unlike traditional cleaning products, carries on working long after it has dried, ensuring hard surfaces such as plastic feeding equipment continue to benefit from antibacterial protection long after they have been cleaned.
In addition to disinfecting bird feeders and tables, gardeners are also advised to change bird feed every one to two days, rotate feeding sites and feeding in moderation, along with ceasing to provide food if signs of illness are discovered in their garden.
Peter Johnson, Managing Director of Petface, was keen to comment on the report, “Wild bird feeding is an important contributing factor for improved survival rates of wild birds through the cold months and it gives many people a lot of pleasure. In our view, as long as anyone feeding the birds practices a good hygiene regime (which Petface have long advocated) and feeds them responsibly, then the benefits to both the wider bird population and the public, far outweigh any risks of bird illness caused by garden bird feeding.”
The research was published in the journal Philosophical Transactions B.
For detailed stockist information of the Petface Wild Bird Hygiene Spray visit www.petface.com