Poll: What Diseases do Chickens Spread?

[6chickens in St. Charles]

Today at Lowe's DH picked up a goat magazine by the check-out counter, joking that he always wanted a goat or llama... The clerk says, "I don't think you can have goats around here. I know people are getting chickens, but they spread diseases."

This comes up once in a while, that people will state that chickens carry diseases, or are spreading diseases.

Does anybody have any experience with a disease which they caught from chickens? I don't mean salmonella or e-coli or TB from storebought meat or storebought eggs; has anybody got anything to share about disease(s) spread to people from backyard chickens?

Thanks!

 

[jeslewmazer]

I have no experience with catching diseases from my birds. Unless you want to consider the "got to have more" a disease.

The "Bird Flu" got a lot of people in a up roar, but it is a virus that is found in other animals (under a different name of course) and has been know to cross the species barrier. H1N1 is the "Swine Flu".

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/gen-info/facts.htm :

"Human influenza A viruses" usually refers to those influenza A subtypes that have spread widely among humans. Currently, H3N2 and H1N1 influenza A subtypes are circulating among humans and H2N2 influenza A circulated from about 1957-1968.

There are many H?N? variations that affect different species. Dang viruses. As far as other diseases that cross from chickens to humans...

I did find this.... http://depts.washington.edu/rubelab...ASE PREVENTION WHEN WORKING WITH POULTRY.html​

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

Thanks for that link jeslewmazer . Yeah, I've read up and discussed with some infectious disease colleagues about H5N1, the "avian" strain of that fluvirus. But, I don't know of anybody catching it from backyard chickens, outside of Asia and a little bit of Europe, and those were not backyard chickens, come to think of it, those were large poultry facilities. I didn't know them, anyways, I only read about them.

I'm still wondering if anybody out there has had first-hand experience with catching diseases from their chickens?

Ex: We had woodmites for a while, but it kind of went the other way, that the chickens suffered hugely while we were just bothered a bit. We didn't catch it from the chickens, we caught it from the yard, which also infested the chickens. But that might be one example, for somebody who never noticed mites until after the chickens became infested...

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

"Chicken Math Disease" does not count

 

[Gatordog]

My cat has just been to the Vet since she is having a hard time breathing, the Vet is not 100% sure but said it is a bad. bad fungal infection. Could of this been spread from chicken poop? I did not think about it until now, but I always have water available outside for the Dog, Cat, and chickens to use. Sometimes the water could of been contaminated with chicken poop.

 

[CMV]

My flock has never had any diseases and has not spread anything to any humans or animals on our property. That being said- I use a respirator when cleaning out the coops to prevent picking up any respiratory issues from them. That is the only possibility I worry about.

Good poll. I will be interested in seeing how it turns out.

 

[aoxa]

I have caught campylobacter poisoning from my chickens 1 week after I brought them home. My dogs were eating their poo, and kissing me in return

Took me 2 months to get over it. I was in the hospital in isolation for 1 full week. I hadn't eaten in days. It's the only way I could have caught it. I didn't eat anything differently from my fiance, but I am known to smooch my dogs

Now my dogs get their teeth brushed often. I watch them closely when out in the chicken area with me to ensure they don't eat the poo.

ETA Link: http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/campylobacter/

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

Quote:
This one is a very good example, thank you!

(After holidays there's always a bunch of "gastritis" patients lamenting "but why me? everybody else ate what I ate, why am I the sick one?" ...........dog and cat kisses, I'll have to remember to ask that. One of the primary vectors of H.pylori infection which causes chronic gastric ulcers is dog kisses, too.)


I hope your bout with campylobacter gave you some good immunity! Its everywhere that a little warmth and moisture can keep it (puddles, baths, shower rooms, birdies...). http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/campylobacter/ this link is excellent.

 

[Symphony]

Well if you eat their poop you can get sick. But I don't think they spread diseases. I kiss chickens for two reasons:

1. I love them,

2. It immunizes me from them making me sick, and the common cold. I think it's helped, they've never made me sick.

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

Quote:
well, OK then!

so, can we safely assume chickens don't really spread diseases? I'm in your camp. I think.