Should I be worried about rock salt being used near a bird feeder?
January 28, 2016 7:14 AM Subscribe
I have a suet cake in a small bush in my back yard. We got that huge snow storm here over the weekend, and yesterday someone shoveled the stone path right next to that bush and spread rock salt (100% sodium chloride according to the package) along it. Now I am panicking.
I'm worried that birds will eat it and die since the suet in the bush is about a foot away from the ground with the salt on it, and birds frequently eat from the ground underneath it where suet crumbs drop down. Should I be worried? I don't think salt got into the suet or directly under the suet. Will birds - typically a few types of sparrows, woodpeckers, juncos, cardinals - eat rock salt if it's on the ground near a bird feeder?
I'm worried that birds will eat it and die since the suet in the bush is about a foot away from the ground with the salt on it, and birds frequently eat from the ground underneath it where suet crumbs drop down. Should I be worried? I don't think salt got into the suet or directly under the suet. Will birds - typically a few types of sparrows, woodpeckers, juncos, cardinals - eat rock salt if it's on the ground near a bird feeder?
Salt occurs in nature. Birds know what salt is.
posted by BrashTech at 7:31 AM on January 28, 2016 [10 favorites]
posted by BrashTech at 7:31 AM on January 28, 2016 [10 favorites]
When farmers/hunters put out salt licks, they attract birds.
posted by fairmettle at 7:33 AM on January 28, 2016
posted by fairmettle at 7:33 AM on January 28, 2016
Your birds should be ok because of the rock salt. I would not be worried, since birds are smart about their own bodies and know when they need to eat salt. They won't just eat it because it's there.
If your birds do need to eat salt...You might even be helping them by having a salty safe spot for them! Birds need salt in their diet, and can get hit by cars by the side of the road when they feed on the salty seeds/etc. there.
posted by Guess What at 7:51 AM on January 28, 2016
If your birds do need to eat salt...You might even be helping them by having a salty safe spot for them! Birds need salt in their diet, and can get hit by cars by the side of the road when they feed on the salty seeds/etc. there.
posted by Guess What at 7:51 AM on January 28, 2016
Best answer: According to this USGS Wildlife Health Center manual excerpt (and at least one other source I found), salt is a concern for some wild birds.
One thing you can do -- which is helpful anytime most water outside is frozen -- is make sure there is fresh liquid water for the birds to drink. I doubt this will solve the problem completely, though.
posted by amtho at 7:59 AM on January 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
One thing you can do -- which is helpful anytime most water outside is frozen -- is make sure there is fresh liquid water for the birds to drink. I doubt this will solve the problem completely, though.
posted by amtho at 7:59 AM on January 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
There is a greater threat to the birds from feeders that are not regularly and properly cleaned - I only learned after a few years of aggressive bird feeding about the dangers of niger seed and mould for some UK birds like the magnificent bullfinch.
posted by srboisvert at 8:10 AM on January 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by srboisvert at 8:10 AM on January 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Some birds are ground feeders -- those are the ones that might pick up the rock salt. The woodpeckers are probably safe, at least. However, the salt is probably also bad for the soil and maybe other creatures (worms, amphibians if there is runoff from the path to a pond, plants).
If you can get out there and remove the salt (shovel? broom?), I'd do that. You might feel self-conscious or silly, but better safe than sorry. If you're worried that people won't credit the risk to animals just because they haven't seen evidence with their own eyes, you can always say you're protecting the soil.
Yahoo answers about feeding pet birds crackers with salt on them, which also refers to seeing some birds dead near salted lard -- apparently this could be a concern also.
Note that this latter link doesn't refer to rock road salt (the USGS link does address road salt specifically), but it is more evidence that birds don't really know how to deal with non-nature-concentrations of salt.
Link (not super authoritative, but interesting) addressing how rock salt affects soil and can poison amphibians (which makes sense).
Note: even though one doesn't see dead birds next to piles of salt in everyday life, the birds that might die this way would probably be distant from the salt source (where _are_ all the dead birds, anyway? I hardly ever see a dead bird unless a cat catches it, and birds definitely die from other causes).
posted by amtho at 8:10 AM on January 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
If you can get out there and remove the salt (shovel? broom?), I'd do that. You might feel self-conscious or silly, but better safe than sorry. If you're worried that people won't credit the risk to animals just because they haven't seen evidence with their own eyes, you can always say you're protecting the soil.
Yahoo answers about feeding pet birds crackers with salt on them, which also refers to seeing some birds dead near salted lard -- apparently this could be a concern also.
Note that this latter link doesn't refer to rock road salt (the USGS link does address road salt specifically), but it is more evidence that birds don't really know how to deal with non-nature-concentrations of salt.
Link (not super authoritative, but interesting) addressing how rock salt affects soil and can poison amphibians (which makes sense).
Note: even though one doesn't see dead birds next to piles of salt in everyday life, the birds that might die this way would probably be distant from the salt source (where _are_ all the dead birds, anyway? I hardly ever see a dead bird unless a cat catches it, and birds definitely die from other causes).
posted by amtho at 8:10 AM on January 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Seconding the suggestion to put fresh water nearby. This way the birds will have the opportunity to moderate any salt consumption, and you might see some neat drinking and bathing behaviors.
posted by scrubjay at 8:26 AM on January 28, 2016
posted by scrubjay at 8:26 AM on January 28, 2016
Response by poster: Thanks everyone. The panic has subsided, but to be safe I swept the salt nearest to the suet into a dust pan and put out some fresh water for them just in case. The surface in question no longer has ice or melted water on it in danger of freezing, so the salt was just sitting there.
posted by bananana at 11:43 AM on January 28, 2016
posted by bananana at 11:43 AM on January 28, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
Birds are smart. I mean, for birds. They'll stick to the seeds.
Plus, the rock salt will quickly melt. Your birds will be fine.
Don't panic.
posted by bondcliff at 7:24 AM on January 28, 2016