The Downsides To Consider Before Adding A Bird Bath To Your Yard

Birds are beautiful and interesting visitors to have in your garden. Because they're such a joy to watch, it's understandable that you'd want to attract more birds to your yard. While bird baths can be one way to do this, they also come with their disadvantages. Keeping a bird bath hygienic and healthy for your feathered friends can be a challenge and actually requires a fair amount of work. This is especially the case given the rise of bird flu and other avian diseases that can be transferred from bird to bird when they gather at baths or feeders.

While you don't necessarily have to forgo your bird bath, it's essential to keep it clean and locate it in an appropriate spot, as the last thing you want is for it to become a vector for disease. In addition to diseases carried by birds, a dirty bird bath also has the potential to become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which are not only pests, but are also known to carry a variety of diseases. 

A clean bird bath is a must if you opt for having one. Before installing a bird bath, it's important to understand what goes into this. During warm months you may be cleaning your bird bath as often as once a day. It's also important to scrub the bird bath regularly to remove algae, as otherwise it can potentially harm the birds. Luckily, you don't need any special chemicals for cleaning bird baths, as you can just wash bird baths with vinegar and water. Use a solution of one part vinegar to nine parts water. Just make sure to fully rinse out the cleaner when you are finished, and then refill the bath with fresh water.

If you keep chickens or other poultry in your yard, make sure to keep your bird bath and bird feeder far away from their coop. The CDC recommends keeping your bird bath and bird feeder away from other pets as well. If you don't have the space to do this, a bird bath may not be the best choice for your yard.