"Fat finch" disease

And also if this is the right thing to do! Because if they're all just going to starve without food, then maybe it would be preferable to have some die of starving from this awful disease instead? In a real quandary!

Hi Tea, you did the right thing by removing all feeders and also water dishes as this parasite will spread as birds ingest regurgitated food from an infected bird. Do not be tempted to put any food out for at least three weeks; birds will not starve as they are very resourceful so you no need to worry. They will pester for food if they are used to being fed but you have to be cruel to be kind and remove all feeders/dishes and clean the area where the feeders were hanging. The parasite cannot live outside of a host for long. If neighbours are feeding birds it is best if they also remove all feeders so the birds start to disperse as they seek food further away. Don't worry, they will return within a few days once you start feeding them when safe to do so.

Thanks so much Hazel. Unfortunately we have chickens (normally this is quite nice!) and there's no way I can see to stop the birds getting to the chickens' water - I am changing it twice a day though and we are feeding chickens in troughs which we remove afterwards. But much heartened by your kind message and we will continue to be strict with no bird feeders - I guess we just have to do the best we can about the rest. All best, T.

Unfortunately water dishes are one of the most common ways to transfer this parasite; is there no way to use a drip tube feed system of water for the chickens although I know it may be difficult. Also worried your chickens could be at risk although I'm not an expert on how easily chickens can contract this disease via the parasite; think it was often referred to as canker or frounce in these birds and pigeons. As I say, the garden birds will definitely not starve as they are good at finding other food sources. Good luck.

Has anyone tried treating this medicinally? I have medicine, 'Harkers', which seems to be designed to work on 'the 4 most common infections in birds'. It works against canker in pigeons, and I think this trichomonasis is related to canker that pigeons get. Is it worth trying this? Of course I'd need to be very careful about dosage.
I could have caught a 'fatty' today, but I just wasn't entirely sure. II'm afraid this one won't make it the night. But if I know that I should try this medicine, I will.

I just posted a question about using a medicine called 'Harkers' to try to treat the poorly finches. It is used to treat canker in pigeons, I think, and I've been considering using it with appropriate dosaging.... although I'm not trained to treat wild animals (so it may not even be legal).

Not a good idea -
Extract from Gov.uk. :- Wildlife licences: When you need to apply

Quote "When you need a licence
You need a licence from Natural England or Defra if you plan to disturb or remove wildlife, or damage habitats.

You’ll need a licence if your work is to:

prevent damage to agriculture, livestock, fisheries, property or archaeology
protect public health and safety, such as demolishing an unsafe derelict building that hosts a bat roost
maintain or develop land, for example converting farmland or a brownfield site to housing
prevent disease among species
keep or release species not native to England
sell, own, exhibit or transport protected species
survey for the presence of wildlife on your land for science or educational research or for conservation work"

Having looked at the medicine - and the treatment protocols you would need to take the bird into your care - It is not safe to use on an ad hoc in the wild basis or as a prophylaxis. Ivermectin is a very powerful wormer and has been linked to deaths in certain breeds of dogs and to have a negative impact on dung beetle ecology so should be administered with caution

Wild birds a probably too far gone by the time you can easily handle them. Far better to have good cleaning protocols for feeding areas and water access

Ah. I didn't know what Harper's contained. My mother does work at a vets. I thought perhaps we could try. It was recommended to me to try to bring a seagull back to health when I contacted a sanctuary (Unfortunately the sanctuary was closing down :( ). The gull was bringing up food repeatedly over days. The sanctuary people offered advice on dosage etc.
I hate this disease, and I'm so sad about that wee finch. Thanks for your advice.

That must be so tough to see, especially with how devastating trichomonosis can be for birds. Removing the feeders is a good step, though—it’s better to stop the spread and give them a chance to recover. Birds are surprisingly clever at finding food elsewhere, especially with no snow on the ground.

Your story about them flying at the windows made me chuckle a bit, though—it’s like they’re giving you the same look people get when you joke about taking away seconds at a buffet! It reminded me of some fat people jokes I heard the other day. Humor like that helps lighten the mood during stressful times.