Wild birds can be a source of many diseases for chickens. These diseases are spread through direct contact, the exchange of bodily fluids, or by contact with contaminated food, water, equipment, and bedding with their poop. Wild birds can also carry diseases on their feet and feathers.
When food is easily accessible and good nesting places are provided by gaps in chicken coops, wild birds are drawn to chicken yards.
Put chicken feed in poultry treadle feeders (Amazon) so that spilled feed or grain won’t attract wild birds, and cover the top of your chicken run with netting if you can. You should also avoid providing birdseed feeders or birdhouses in or near your chicken yard.
Chicken Diseases Spread by Wild Birds
The most common chicken diseases that wild birds spread include:
- Arizonosis (Rare)
- Avian Influenza (Occasional)
- Avian Pox (Common)
- Blackhead (Rare)
- Chlamydiosis (Rare)
- Chronic Respiratory Disease (Common)
- Cryptosporidiosis (Common)
- Fowl Cholera (Occasional)
- Fowl Typhoid (Rare)
- Lentogenic (Common)
- Mesogenic/Velogenic (Rare)
- Paratyphoid (Common)
- Pullorum (Rare)