Iron and magnet for bird cleaning

2004/05/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingurumena

It consists basically of covering the spotted bird with iron powder, which absorbs the fuel and, rubbing it with a magnet, removes the iron and fuel from the feathers of the bird.

The tests were performed first with feathers and then with dead ducks and penguins. This method is faster than the usual soap bath, making it less stressful for the bird.

However, it is trying to improve the method, since with iron dust not all fuel is removed from the feathers of the bird, 2% stays in them. And as this little oil affects the waterproofing of the feathers, it is necessary to clean them completely.

For this purpose, the use of smaller magnetic particles has been proposed.