Dead Crows...

[mgamber]

A week or so ago my wife found a dead crow in the horse water trough. Kind of strange but not crazy.

Well yesterday there was nother one in the same trough... Now it is more than a coincidence. We do have goldfish in the water to keep the skeeters down.

Could the water be poison to these birds? The horses are fine. Are they trying to get the goldfish and drowning?

My Father in law thinks that someone in the area might be feeding them poison corn.

 

[MossRoad]

One is just an odd thing. Two is probably no coincidence. Maybe call your county extension agent for advice?

 

[nmu98]

Might you be the place that these dying birds are going to get a drink.... Most animals will not drink bad water or bad food and drop over right away....

OR

might someone else be within 22 range and be shooting them at your waterer....

 

[Egon]

Are they young crows or adults?

 

[Jimbrown]

Is the watr level low in the tank and the birds falling in an drowning.

I keep a piece of 2x8 wood in all my troughs so that birds and other things can get out if the fall in.

 

[SkyPup]

That could be a sign of African West Nile Virus.

Crows and other birds like cattle egrets are the reservoirs of that virus.

West Nile Virus also kills the crows.

I would suggest that you get your veterinarian out there ASAP and vaccinate your horses for West Nile virus as well as the other arthropod borne encephalitis diseases.

 

[SkyPup]

I might also suggest NOT to touch the crows with your bare hands and to disinfect the horses water trough with bleach.

Contact your county health department and report the dead crows to them.

 

[NSBound]

I might also suggest NOT to touch the crows with your bare hands and to disinfect the horses water trough with bleach.

Contact your county health department and report the dead crows to them.

I agree with SkyPup's diagnosis! I've read that crows and blue jays (they are related) are susceptible to West Nile Virus. Is any of that running through your area? Your county agent might ask for one of the bodies so they can do some testing.

 

[SkyPup]

I just vaccinated our four horses last week for West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine E,ncephalitis, Western Encephalitis, Venezuelan Equine Virus, Rabies, and Tetanus.

Talked to one of my old virology professors at the state veterinary school and he said there have been no recorded West Nile Virus outbreaks in either human or domestic animal populations and the sentinel surveillance bird bleeding program has not picked up any in the state.

Fact is that the West Nile Virus, being an imported virus from Africa, killed the reservoir hosts that helped propagate it, so that there are no infected birds for the mosquitoes to bite to spread the virus, the virus killed the birds and the population dynamics is that there are not enough susceptible birds to spread the disease in our state.

That is not the case out west though, where other birds that are more resistant to the West Nile virus infection are still spreading the disease to humans and domestic livestock.

 

[mgamber]

County is not interested in the birds. They told us basically that it is well known that these birds carry West Nile and that is probably what killed them...

Great. Now if a Human or Horse dies of it, then they will investigate.