Can I go near my chickens while being pregnant?

[SarahF]

My husband and I just found out I am pregnant. He's wondering if I can go near the chickens because I can't clean cat litter....any ideas?

 

[Cheri]

Be very very careful and be sure to ask your doctor. Congrats on the wee one!

 

[MayberrySaint]

I don't think the chickens will mind one little bit that you're pregnant...although your rooster may be jealous...

 

[Arklady]

I know you can't go anywhere even remotely close to sheep. They have a disease you don't want to get while pregnant because it causes a woman to prematurely abort.

Arklady

 

[silkiechicken]

Yeah, sheep and cat litter can carry disease things that can harm the infant when exposed at certain parts of development. I haven't heard anything about chickens being bad though.

 

[4myHennyPenny]

Consider contacting your avian vet and asking him/her. They would certainly have the answer for you. In fact, they may know better than many physicians, as it may not be a question commonly asked of your doctor (cats are much more common, so it's the one we always hear about).

 

[MTchick]

The disease you are worried about is toxoplasmosis. It can cause a lot of problems, including miscarriage.

It is very very rare for chickens to carry this, but it is possible. From what I've read, when they do have toxoplasmosis, chickens get very sick and often die. Cats, on the other hand, do not show obvious symptoms- that is why the cats pose such a problem.

Of course you should talk to your doctor. But if you've had the chickens for a while (at least several months) without any signs of illnesses, you should be completely fine. It would be other people's cats (and new chickens) that you need to worry about, not your personal chickens if they are in good health.

-MTchick

 

[SeaChick]

If toxoplasmosis is the only concern, you can get tested to see if you're immune. Often times folks who grew up around cats ARE... and then they have no worries dealing with cat litter when pregnant. That's all I know about it.

 

[aran]

Im an internist and not an OBGYN but toxo is EXTREMELY dangerous when pregnant...I would absolutely go NO WHERE near chickens until you clear it with your OBGYN. Like I said Im an internal medicine physician and not an OBGYn. From the internist's point of view there are other diseases we are exposed to as chicken keepers which are less specifically concerning to pregnancy.

 

[Chelly]

People tend to get all freaked out for very little reason.
You've been around the chickens anyway! They're YOUR chickens, not some strange fowl that strolled into your yard!

I gave birth to my last baby at home, the first one up on the bed to see what the heck happened was the CAT!
I never once changed my routines during my pregnancy.

Relax and enjoy being pregnant, don't worry and fret about everything. Make sure you wash your hands with soap after handling the chickens, and you're DONE!

Congratulations!