Is this avian pox on this house finch and should I take down the feeder for a while?

[Ted on Little Round Bay]

I noticed this poor guy the other day and on my feeder this morning.  Is the protocol to take the feeder down for a week or 2 and put it back up after a good cleaning?

Thanks for any advice

Location:  Crownsville, MD

Date: 2 July 2020

Time: 0830

[Dianne Westbrook]

This bird has conjunctivitis. This is a fairly common occurrence in house finches this time of year. I leave my feeders up year-round, I feel that regular maintenance of my feeders (cleaning bird feeders every month or so) is really helpful to keep this disease at bay. But in the end, I believe there is only so much you can do. The House Finches seem to get this every summer regardless.
Start by hosing out the bird feeder, getting all debris off of it. Then fill up a bucket (or wash tub) with warm / hot water and add in a squirt or 2 of Dawn dish detergent and a couple capfuls of bleach. Submerge your feeder and let soak for 15 to 20 minutes. Once soaked, take it out of the water and give it a good scrubbing. Scrub everything... Inside and out, all perches and everywhere the birds sit thoroughly, then rinse it off really well and let dry.

Dianne W
AA County, Pasadena

[JAMES SPEICHER]

This link has excellent info

https://extension.psu.edu/house-finch-conjunctivitis

My solution, which gets some pushback in the article in the case where infected birds are current visitors, is to only feed from November when I put out suet; then January thru May 15th when I have suet and BOSS available.  Conjunctivitis should be less infectious in fall and early spring, not to mention during the winter months.

I don't believe feeders can reliably be disinfected, especially the non-metalic, non-glass versions and for the others, a once a month cleaning may be insufficient in the warmer months.

There are plenty of bugs available during the growing season.  A bird bath is an excellent means of assisting birds in warmer months.

Jim S

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