Questions about having parrots and getting chickens

Hi, I have been carefully reading all these posts, and now I'm a little worried. I have five 3-month-old chicks that I keep in my back yard. I also have a Senegal parrot. Sometimes after I get home from work, I need to spend time with my parrot, as well as let the chickens out of their pen for a little free supervised time in the yard. So to accommodate both needs, I will take my parrot out in his cage and hang out with the chickens. And being the curious creatures that they are, the chickens jump up to the cage and check put the parrot. Sometimes they are within inches of the parrot. Today, one of the chickens jumped on top of his cage. I need your advice if I should stop doing this. My vet said chickens and parrots can't transfer diseases to each other, but I'm not sure I believe him. Is this dangerous for my Parrot? Should I stop? I look forward to getting some advice on this as I love my parrot and my chickens so very much! Thank you, Lisa[/quote


Lisa KS, Vets go to school for 8 -10 years and learn about ALL animal systems and diseases. I think I'd believe them over hobbyists.
 
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A vet should never say that something can not happen.

A chicken/parrot should not be able to transfer a disease to a human but in very rear cases it happens. If you have a healthy flock of chickens and you are not bringing new birds in with out quarantine then the risks are very low. Of course diseases are not the only concern as both birds can carry parasites. Most chicken owners treat for parasites as normal animal husbandry where a parrot is normally treated when a parasites is detected.

To some people even a minor risk is unacceptable. I keep chickens and I also keep smaller members of the parrot family. I do not let them mingle (always divided by wire) and I use hand sanitizer before entering the aviary's. I realize that I am taking a risk I also realize that there are other risks like a squirrel in the yard as well as quail In the aviary's. I except the risk but I will not tell someone that there is no risk.

I would keep the chicken off the top of a parrot cage because of parasites.
 
I apologize for this being an old post, but I'm concerned about my cockatiel. We recently brought home a new Bantam hen and she's come down with gurgling and sneezing so she is locked away inside the house to undergo quarantine and medication.

My concern is that while my cockatiel doesn't get handled very much, is there any possibility that he could contract whatever illness she has?
 
I apologize for this being an old post, but I'm concerned about my cockatiel. We recently brought home a new Bantam hen and she's come down with gurgling and sneezing so she is locked away inside the house to undergo quarantine and medication.

My concern is that while my cockatiel doesn't get handled very much, is there any possibility that he could contract whatever illness she has?

Some diseases can be transferred through the air or even on your clothes. Just make sure your bantam is in a different room and tend to your cockatiel first before you go anywhere near your bantam each day, or after you shower if you get my drift. It's better to be paranoid and get through it with only one sick bird than risk spreading it further. Goodluck!
 
I've kept my two african greys in an aviary with 5 chickens for 1.5 yrs now. My vet said disease wouldn't be a problem. I was more worried about them potentially fighting. The greys are a bonded pair, and one of them does bully the chickens a bit, but not seriously. He sometimes goes to the bottom of the aviary, where the chickens are running around, and chases them away from food they've found. For a week, he kept going into their chicken coop and chasing them all out, so I stayed around the aviary and chased him out every time he tried to chase the chickens out. Eventually, he got bored of that game.

The aviary is 10' tall, with lots of branches and even a tree, so the parrots have plenty of room to play and hang out and rarely even get close to the chickens.
 

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