Do bird feeders spread diseases to other birds?
There is a debate about whether feeders help diseases spread among birds. While a bird feeder can harbor any number of bird diseases such as Salmonellosis even during cold weather it is not known if they increase the amount of disease transmission from the wild. The birds that usually carry and spread these diseases are very social birds and it is believed that they would contact just as many birds in the wild as at a bird feeder. Regular cleaning can prevent the feeder from harboring diseases though which can help lower the effect. If you begin finding dead birds around your feed it is recommended that they be taken to local specialist. There are many scientific tests that require birds, even ones that are in various stages of decay. They may be able to determine what is causing the deaths, or reassure you that they are natural.