I was wondering how bad it is to have chickens eating under wild bird feeders?
My mom feeds the birds all year round, and we have tons of birds and squirrels in our yard. Of course my chickens love to eat the seed that drops on the ground, and I cringe thinking about all things they're being exposed to. Can anyone who has experience with this tell me if they've noticed an increase in diseases and/or parasites when their chickens eat under the feeders?
Two of my original flock had crop infections last summer, and I recently noticed lice on the chickens I adopted this winter, although I suspect they came with them as they haven't really been exposed to the wild birds yet.
I'm fine with her feeding the birds in the winter, that's when they truly need it anyway, but I really wish she would stop when the weather gets nice. My mom says I'm worrying too much, but she's not the one who has to take care of the chickens when they're sick.
My mom feeds the birds all year round, and we have tons of birds and squirrels in our yard. Of course my chickens love to eat the seed that drops on the ground, and I cringe thinking about all things they're being exposed to. Can anyone who has experience with this tell me if they've noticed an increase in diseases and/or parasites when their chickens eat under the feeders?
Two of my original flock had crop infections last summer, and I recently noticed lice on the chickens I adopted this winter, although I suspect they came with them as they haven't really been exposed to the wild birds yet.
I'm fine with her feeding the birds in the winter, that's when they truly need it anyway, but I really wish she would stop when the weather gets nice. My mom says I'm worrying too much, but she's not the one who has to take care of the chickens when they're sick.