Waking up to dead birds is not a fun way to greet the day. Here's what you need to know about preventing birds from turning into dead birds.

Keeping birds healthy

As a bird owner you want your bird to be happy and healthy. Waking up to dead birds and then holding a funeral for the dead birds is not the way to go. So, to keep your bird healthy you need to pay attention to the bird and make sure the bird has constant access to clean food and water. Water should be changed daily and the water dish should be rinsed out and cleaned. A lot of bacteria collects in stagnant, dirty water. Also, the bird's food should be checked for freshness. Giving a bird moldy seed that's been sitting exposed in the pantry for too long will make the bird sick.

To protect yourself from waking up and dealing with dead birds, make sure to put your birds in an area of your house where they will be protected from drafts. Drafts — hot or cold — can make a bird sick or dehydrated, which is not the best way to care for a healthy bird.

Watch for signs of illness

One preventative measure to finding dead birds is paying attention to your bird's overall appearance. Birds will give you indications, both in their demeanor and physical appearance when they do not feel well. Two of the most common symptoms your birds will display if they don't feel well is loss of appetite or diarrhea. It's not a good sign if your bird will not or cannot eat. It will quickly lose the nutrients that it needs to keep its immune system up and ready to fend off any attacks. Diarrhea will make the bird dehydrated. Dehydrated birds also have a hard time fighting disease because the dehydration makes them weak.

Your bird will also let you know he doesn't feel well by fluffing up his feathers. Birds fluff their feathers throughout the day, but a sick bird will keep his feathers fluffed for a long period of time. Fixing this problem may be as simple as finding the source of a draft that's making your bird cold and blocking it off. If the bird's symptoms do not go away, call your vet and get a solution to the problem. Paying attention to your bird's behavior will prevent healthy lively birds from becoming dead birds.