Botulism

[Duckmomof6]

Hello,

My family and I have had an opened box of chicken broth in out fridge for months. (We forgot about it) I keep ducks snacks in the fridge like kale, and Blueberries. So far no one has gotten sick. I am going to throw ot away tonight, but I do have to ask, can ducks and chickens get botulism from me handling the broth, or do they only get it from directly ingesting it? I have read that Botulism can enter through wounds and it can stay on surfaces a long time. I will of course wash my hands after, but I would like to feel like I can touch things around the house without someone getting sick. Thank you.

 

[azygous]

You're likely thinking of salmonella bacteria. Botulism is a bacteria that thrives in an anaerobic environment such as a vacuum packed can of beans or at the bottom of a compost pile. If sun and oxygen are present, botulism can't survive.

Salmonella has to be ingested and travel into your intestines to make you sick. Same goes for the ducks. If the chicken broth has been refrigerated the entire time, if there is any salmonella bacteria in it, it's not much since salmonella only multiplies to dangerous levels at room temp. Heating kills salmonella. So does soap and water.

 

[Duckmomof6]

You're likely thinking of salmonella bacteria. Botulism is a bacteria that thrives in an anaerobic environment such as a vacuum packed can of beans or at the bottom of a compost pile. If sun and oxygen are present, botulism can't survive.

Salmonella has to be ingested and travel into your intestines to make you sick. Same goes for the ducks. If the chicken broth has been refrigerated the entire time, if there is any salmonella bacteria in it, it's not much since salmonella only multiplies to dangerous levels at room temp. Heating kills salmonella. So does soap and water.

Thank you, also my rabbit had a bowl in his pen to collect water that drips from his water bottle. The bowl has had fur, food, water, and just recently because of the hot summer, flies were attracted to his bowl. I even found maggot eggs. Flies have been so bad here, but I didn't see a problem in the house until a week or 2 ago. I have been soaking the bowl in hot soapy water, but as a natural worrier, is botulism a problem here too? I don't think it is, but better to be safe than sorry. My ducks live in my house, that's why I ask this.

 

[azygous]

Again, botulism isn't going to be the bacteria you have to be concerned about. It can't live in the light and where air circulates. There are other common bacteria that will grow in a water bowl contaminated by feces and other stuff, mainly E.coli from the feces. But as long as you change the water frequently and wash the bowl occasionally, the bacteria will not reach such high numbers that it makes the animals sick.

Germs are everywhere. In the air, in the soil, inside your intestines, inside your animals, but only when they reach over population do they become a danger. Sort of like the now eight billion humans overwhelming planet Earth.

By keeping the poop picked up, water clean, you will be keeping the bacteria population low and under control, and no one should get sick from it.