Fur On Old Droppings

[stew 75]

after cleaning loft some dropping that has been missed in a corner was showing a fur growing on them ,is this the start of decay, and can this fur harm birds cheers stew

[Delboy]

It can harm you m8, mould means dampness usually.

[greenlands]

I would check you ventilation mate,damp stale air would start the droppings to go mouldy,but I must admit it's been a long old winter and lack of sunshine doesn't help anything.

 

Lindsay

[Guest IB]

Its a fungus that has a special affinity for pigeon droppings. It doesn't come from the pigeon or the droppings, it comes from spores in the environment which settle on the droppings and develop into that furry mould.

 

I had bother with it in just the one place, a nest box, and it happened during summer which isn't usually damp like winter. Took me a while to clear it, using Virkon spray after daily cleaning out.

 

It is dangerous to human & bird health. Cryptococcus neoformans is its Sunday name:-

 

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol4no1/buchanan.htm

[Guest Owen]

There are times of the year when it is very hard to stop the loft getting damp so there is bound to be a high humidity reading. You can always provide heating to offset this but I would not want to spend the money. The Fur is caused by damp through poor ventilation. It is there to tell you that the environment is not healthy for you or your birds. Pigeons need a very well ventilated environment with in which to live. Not gale force winds or drafts but fresh air. To give you an idea of what is needed, think of the canaries down the mines. They will keel over before us humans can have any idea that there is a problem. It is much the same with pigeons, because whereas we can handle a degree of foul air, they will be affected by it. The high humidity you must have in your loft might go fairly unnoticed by you, but it will be doing real damage to your birds. It will be a slow poison to them.

[lanarkshire lad]

It does not always happen to pigeon droppings.I took my kids to lanark auction market years ago.while looking at the pigs over the barriers my son only about five at the time looked over the barrier and shouted look daddy theres a wee baby one,when i looked over it was a big pig turd full of hair or mould but to him i looked like a baby.