Wild Black Bird Dead on Our deck

[Jimagination]

Ok, we thought our Twisty had died of her twisted beak, but we found a dead wild black bird on our deck and then we heard our chicken Hayley sneeze. Could it all be connected? We are really worried now.

 

[Poison Ivy]

I'm not really sure but it does make you worry alot. 2 Years ago I was outside talking to my mom and we were standing next to a oak tree and I saw something fall to the ground behind my mom. We got to looking and a wildbird had just died and fell out of the tree. I was going to call ac but I was afraid they would take all my birds. So I just took it to the other side of my property and buried it. That's when all the scare with that avian flu was going around. My birds were fine do you think maybe it flew into a window or hit the house and died? Do you have a cat who could of left it for you?

 

[serendipity22]

You might want to contact a local horse vet and let them know. Dead crows are a sign of West Nile in the area. Not to say that's what it is, but they might want to collect it and send it off for testing.

Just a thought...

 

[cookinmom]

Don't worry about the chickens though; they are immune to WNV and also equine encephalitis.

 

[hinkjc]

I agree, call someone to help you investigate what's going on. Birds do die of natural causes, so I wouldn't get alarmed, but it can certainly be looked at to put your mind at ease. Penn State has a great Avian unit that does testing and will set up mosquito traps for free to check for West Nile. If I can find the exact phone number, I'll send it to you. But that is where I'd start. We found a great horned owl downed on our property. We first thought it hit the high power lines and couldn't fly, so we took it to a conservation agency where it later died of West Nile. Penn State came to our property and tested, which came up negative and put our minds to rest. Birds can have it and fly into a location that doesn't have it to die, so please don't panic at the thought.

Jody

 

[sunnychooks]

A few years ago I found a dead crow on my property. We were having problems with West Nile so I called the county health department. Someone came out immediately and took the bird away. He was careful not to touch it (wore gloves). Take precautions in case it has something contagious.

 

[ruth]

If it was on your deck, was it near a window or sliding door? We have so many birds slam into our windows and kill themselves that I've started leaving the windows dirty. There's a whole wall of floor to ceiling windows that face the back yard and everything from hummingbirds to redbirds have killed themselves by flying into them. Now I leave them covered in cobwebs and dirt on the outside because the birds don't fly into them anymore. Same thing happens with our kitchen bay window. Was sitting there having breakfast one morning, looking out the window enjoying the view and saw it coming like a slow-motion movie - big cardinal making a bee-line for window. Sure enough - slammed into that window so loud and hard it left a giant bulls-eye ring of what I initially thought was blood but later saw were red feathers. Horrible sight. Of course many that fly into windows only knock themselves out and eventually regain the ability to get up and fly away. So before you panic and think deadly virus, think window.