Can I hug my chickens?

[Jessicanesh]

Hug away...just don’t kiss and wash your hands thoroughly afterward. My 9 year old daughter holds our Easter Egger hen (Sally) and sits on the swing with her. That chicken loves to cuddle and swing with my daughter so much so that Sally will fall asleep in my daughter’s arms and stay there for a half hour or more. My 3 year old daughter carries around our Australorp hen (Darth Vader) any time they are outside together and they both love the attention. As soon as the chicken’s feet hit the ground the girls wash their hands. That’s the rule!

 

[llombardo]

3 out 4 of mine just wait for me to sit down. Once I sit down they all climb in my lap and lay down. They actually enjoy getting pet.

 

[FeatherstoneFrm]

I have 5 6-7 week old chicks. I hold, pet, and talk to each one every day. Some will jump onto my lap in the garden.
I think the act of holding the chicken close to your body to keep it secure could be called a hug and if so, I hug mine every day.
Who wouldn't want to hug a soft fluffy chicken?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I only bathe by Silkies if they get a poo bumm or something.

And I do what I wanna do... hugging or whatever. It might not be wise if your immune system is weakened by anything.

I think bathing strips natural oils from the feathers... Dirt baths are awesome sauce though!

I do find videos of people wrecking their cars and other stupid stuff.. doesn't make we wanna go do it!

But huggin' a Silkie?

I do have a few pet girls... same reason you hug and kiss a dog!

 

[The Phantom]

If your chickens allow it and you want to, why not. I used to lay in the lot next door with a dozen chickens grazing around me. Some would climb on me. One of my hens and my rooster would "kiss" me (take pieces of cracked corn out of my lips) I thought it was fun and in close to 7 years of having chickens I have never had salmonella! Do what is best for you.

I hug mine all the time. I have two that never go a day without a hug. I really only kiss the chicks and sometimes the ones that give hugs. I have done this for 7 years also and never had an issue.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I've never kissed my chickens - closest I've gotten was a nuzzle. I've kissed everything else under the sun though (that sounds terrible, on second thought...) Hmm, actually I've never kissed a fish before either.

 

[pitbullmomma]

Ah yes... tasty treats!

Mine do the same thing. I don't kiss their mouths. Usually the top of their head or their ears. And my one dog, always puts her booty towards us. She is very uncomfortable face to face... but only sit next too and always turns her big duke-a- munga and makes it get in contact with the person she loves and is sitting next to... So I do like to kiss the top of her booty. Also on occasion they find something special they like to roll in... so I don't get to close to the shoulder/neck area. But the top of her booty hardly ever touches the ground. And I don't let them lick me cuz it's gross.

But still some people have cats that use litter boxes then walk all over their couches and counters. In all the years I have raised chickens... there has never been a salmonella recall on my eggs, yet! And that is in fact the reason I started raising chickens about 9 years ago. We use them raw in mayo and I don't "wash" them, not even before use. (I will admit, my son a gf were appalled when they heard I didn't wash but then shocked that my unwashed eggs were cleaner than washed they usually got) Come on, is rinsing water over gonna change anything for real?

Is salmonella a possibility... YES... EVEN if you don't kiss the birds.

My take... things happen but too many fear mongers... spreading GOOD advice! If I worried about every poisonous plant on my pasture I would never have chickens. Do your best, what makes sense to you. If you come down with Salmonella... you probably won't do it anymore.

But to the person claiming we can get other diseases from our chickens... SHOW me the science, please.

Farm kids grow up eating dirt just like others who might have served their siblings a mud pie a time or two. Absolute exclusion of exposure is a BAD thing. That's how the immune system builds resistance to things, exposure. E coli is everywhere in our environment... If your immune system is working well... NO problem. If you are compromised... EVERY thing is a problem in my opinion. Please note I have dogs, rats, raccoon and many other wild animals. My lettuce also has never poisoned anyone yet.... Oh but wait even my dead raw chickens will last at least two WHOLE weeks after processing in the fridge without getting slimy or stinky like grocery store birds. And ALL we do is rinse and refrigerate them after processing. Something to be said about keeping it small.

I do agree that extra risk might not be worth it, in many instances. But like SOOO many other things on BYC and in life... what works for some may not work for others and that's OK.

Thanks for giving us the chance to share our thoughts and to reconsider our own choices.

 

[thewatsonfarm]

Ah yes... tasty treats!

Mine do the same thing. I don't kiss their mouths. Usually the top of their head or their ears. And my one dog, always puts her booty towards us. She is very uncomfortable face to face... but only sit next too and always turns her big duke-a- munga and makes it get in contact with the person she loves and is sitting next to... So I do like to kiss the top of her booty. Also on occasion they find something special they like to roll in... so I don't get to close to the shoulder/neck area. But the top of her booty hardly ever touches the ground. And I don't let them lick me cuz it's gross.

But still some people have cats that use litter boxes then walk all over their couches and counters. In all the years I have raised chickens... there has never been a salmonella recall on my eggs, yet! And that is in fact the reason I started raising chickens about 9 years ago. We use them raw in mayo and I don't "wash" them, not even before use. (I will admit, my son a gf were appalled when they heard I didn't wash but then shocked that my unwashed eggs were cleaner than washed they usually got) Come on, is rinsing water over gonna change anything for real?

Is salmonella a possibility... YES... EVEN if you don't kiss the birds.

My take... things happen but too many fear mongers... spreading GOOD advice! If I worried about every poisonous plant on my pasture I would never have chickens. Do your best, what makes sense to you. If you come down with Salmonella... you probably won't do it anymore.

But to the person claiming we can get other diseases from our chickens... SHOW me the science, please.

Farm kids grow up eating dirt just like others who might have served their siblings a mud pie a time or two. Absolute exclusion of exposure is a BAD thing. That's how the immune system builds resistance to things, exposure. E coli is everywhere in our environment... If your immune system is working well... NO problem. If you are compromised... EVERY thing is a problem in my opinion. Please note I have dogs, rats, raccoon and many other wild animals. My lettuce also has never poisoned anyone yet.... Oh but wait even my dead raw chickens will last at least two WHOLE weeks after processing in the fridge without getting slimy or stinky like grocery store birds. And ALL we do is rinse and refrigerate them after processing. Something to be said about keeping it small.

I do agree that extra risk might not be worth it, in many instances. But like SOOO many other things on BYC and in life... what works for some may not work for others and that's OK.

Thanks for giving us the chance to share our thoughts and to reconsider our own choices.

Totally agree with you, EggSighted4Life. I'm of the let-them-eat-dirt philosophy. We are all healthy around here, and I think the exposure to dirt and germs and whatnot is part of building a healthy immune system.

Maybe the chicken kissing is taken a bit too literally? I mean, I don't know how you'd kiss a chicken on the beak -- they'd squirm like crazy, I'd think. But I suspect most of us crazy chicken-kissers are kissing them on the back somewhere, while holding our feathered sweetie-pies. I'd think their feet, vents & beaks would be what gets most exposure to any germs, right? And I'm all about kissing everyone I love: human, cat, dog, chicken, goat, pig.... But not on their dirty parts!

Why kiss my chickens? Because I adore them!!! They fill my whole heart with delight. And when they jump up into my lap (or the chicks right now keep jumping onto my shoulders), I kiss them three times! I'm not sure what they think about that, but they are used to it. I assume they know it's a gesture of caring, since they keep coming back to me.

 

[chickencheeper]

I hug my girls all the time, they love it! And it really strengthens the bond until you get pecked in the ear. I’ve only ever kissed a day-week old chick

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Plus even if a dog eats poop there are studies that show dogs have cleaner mouths than humans.

Total BS fabrication made up by people who don't have any scientific understanding.

A dogs mouth is germ laden. That MYTH came around because dogs lick their wounds and they heal. It is in FACT the increased circulation caused by the licking that helps a wound heal.

As far as I can tell EVEN the hens backs are poo laden from dust bathing since they don't seem to care where they poo or bathe.

It is my understanding that a chicken identified with salmonella must be destroyed legally. But here is an interesting note taken from MPC..

Q: Is Salmonella a concern with backyard chickens?

A:
Not usually, but let us explain why. Humans do not catch salmonella from chicks or chickens the way you would catch a cold from your neighbor. Salmonella is food poisoning; you get it from eating infected meat or eggs. Even then, in order to get a case of salmonella, the meat and eggs you have eaten must be improperly prepared, that is, not completely cooked through. Or, you can also get salmonella by getting your hands or something else contaminated with feces and then putting that thing in your mouth. People more at risk for contracting Salmonella are very young, very old, pregnant or have immune systems that are already compromised in some way. The best way to keep your children and family safe from infection is by keeping your own hens whose conditions you can monitor, and by having your family members wash their hands after dealing with chickens.You want to have them wash hands after dealing with any pets, for that matter. Alcohol is an effective sanitizer for salmonella bacteria.