Can humans get sick from eating backyard eggs?

[saddina]

Is she of a non-north european descent? it sounds alot like lactose intolerance, which can develope without warning (I discovered mine in a hospital after a 16 hour night of purging). The ability to digest milk as an adult wanes in all ethnic groups except northern europeans (think norway, germany, etc). So there's a good shot it's milk not eggs.

 

[NanaLantana]

Well, strange as it sounds, if I ate my own chicken's eggs, I'd get sick! I have an intolerance to all sulfites, and egg yolks! However, they do not give me diarrhea - just bad stomach pains and it takes all my energy away. Can't afford that - but not the runs, anyway. So I use the egg whites, and cook and feed the yolks back to my girls.

Hopefully Mary is selling her eggs in a timely manner - old eggs can make you sick.

 

[NYC feather fam]

You know, I am kind of afraid to post this ...not sure what kind of reply I will get but my flock apparently has coccidiosis and maybe e coli (I know one does and she's being treated, I have to assume the others have it as well although they are well) All the chickens have had watery poop basically all summer. I thought it was the heat until my little black star lost tons of weight, became lethargic and stopped eating. Took her to the vet and got the diagnosis from a stool sample and c/s.

The whole family has been eating the eggs and no one's been sick at all. The eggs have always been in great condition: firm shells, bright rich colored yellow yolk and firm, fresh whites.

Of course, now that the birds are all being treated with sulmet for the coccidiosis we have to discard all our lovely eggs, but prior to that we didn't have any problems eating them. Always washed them well before we ate them.

 

[coloradonewbie]

I'm glad you weren't afraid to post -- I have no idea what kind of conditions "Mary " has on her farm, but -- as someone else pointed out -- since B's been eating the same eggs (with no problem whatsoever), A's issue probably has nothing to do with the eggs.

Every once in a while, one of mine will have watery poop -- but it seems to be after they've had too many fruit treats! If it ever becomes a regular occurrence, I'll know to check for coccidosis (sp?) and e coli . . . .

Glad your chickens are going to be ok -- and thanks for saying that the eggs always looked great -- that was a really helpful point, since I'd assume that somehow the eggs would be a bit different -- don't know why, though -- guess we can also have stuff wrong with us and not show it readily (of course, no one's going around having to pick up our poop, either!)

 

[NYC feather fam]

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I've learned a great deal from the experience of my birds being sick. I've determined it's very important to be observant of any weight loss in your birds, especially any that are showing any signs of a decrease in activity or changes in their droppings. It's really important to know what normal droppings look like and if your birds exhibit changes, think about if there are any factors that could be causing those changes (like fruity treats like you mentioned, heavy/fatty foods, or excess heat that could lead to greater water consumption) then try to eliminate or mediate these changes and watch to see if the changes in droppings resolves....if it doesn't you may have a deeper problem. Another thing I learned from a friend is that birds hide their illnesses from us....we may not notice they are sick until they are really in bad shape. My little black star experienced profound weight loss but I never noticed because her fluffy feathers hid it all. Had I picked her up I would have noticed the difference right away. Your birds vents should be really clean. If they're dirty watch out....there may be some parasitic problem going on. E coli is an opportunistic organism which is normally found in the gut and kept in check by the rest of the normal flora. When the health of the bird is compromised this bacteria can litterally take over the body and kill the bird, so it's important to treat for it if you think/know your bird has it. My bird had green and yellow/whitish mucus and watery droppings. They were clearly abnormal droppings, mostly liquid and not well formed. When a bird is sick the best thing you can do is isolate them in a calm, safe, clean environment and have patience with their recovery. Jeffers is a great source for inexpensive medication. Patience, vigilance in providing care and flexibility as to diet/treatment is really important. I'm so glad I didn't give up on my sick bird because she's getting better and moreover I really learned a lot from the experience.

I hope this information is of use to folks. All the best to everyone and thanks for all the help I received in my efforts to care for my little black star, Bubs.

 

[High Roost Ranch]

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Hmmm, I'm German and highly lactose intolerant. Sure makes it tough for someone who liked milk as much as I did.

 

[High Roost Ranch]

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Good advice that I would certainly follow. None of us are doctors (that I know of), and really she should be seen, health insurance or not, by a medical professional. Have her try the local health department if all else fails. Backyard eggs are no different than store eggs, except they are probably healthier for a person. I say this with regards to them coming from healthy fowl in both cases. How they are handled and processed is the key to preventing illnesses when consumed.

 

[MonicaAndHer6]

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Is she of a non-north european descent?  it sounds alot like lactose intolerance, which can develope without warning (I discovered mine in a hospital after a 16 hour night of purging).  The ability to digest milk as an adult wanes in all ethnic groups except northern europeans (think norway, germany, etc).  So there's a good shot it's milk not eggs.

. I am lactose intolerant in the USA I'm Italian 75 percent. Also 25 British. It's funny while living in Italy for 9 months I was very afraid to start eating the gelato but I never suffered from lactose intolerance while in Italy. Back to the USA it returned! Must be something about American dairy affecting us Southern Europeans. I've got a cousin has it so badly she can't eat any dairy not even eggs added to make a cake which is baked. Poor girl she eats a banana for breakfast and Popsicles for dessert and peanut butter toast for dinner while we eat dinner. I sometimes eat ice cream just put up w the consequences.