How do birds catch aspergillus?
Birds catch aspergillus when they consume moldy feed or sift through moldy litter and vegetation with their beaks and bills, inhaling the spores. Pet birds and domestic birds are at risk if their feed or litter has been stored in a warm damp place where the fungus can begin to grow. Wild birds sometimes die in huge numbers when flocks feed on moldy grain, particularly corn, or on other damp and moldy food sources in the wild. Water birds and scavengers are often victims of the disease. Eggs laid in moldy litter can become infected when the fungus penetrates the eggshell and begins to grow on the inner membrane. Some chicks hatch with fungal infections already established. Others pick up the fungus as they break out of the egg. Birds that are very old, very young, or suffering from other health problems are more susceptible to aspergillosis than most birds. Stressed birds are also at greater risk—birds that are having difficulty in the wild, birds that have recently been caged, and pet
