Commingling with alpacas

[Thephonyfarm]

Over the last month I have been comingling my alpacas with my ducks and chickens. The alpacas and goat dropping are next to disappearing so I can only assume that the chickens are eating them. Are the eggs from the hens still safe to consume?

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

They’re probably not really eating the manure, but tearing it apart looking for creepy crawlers and undigested grains.

The eggs are fine to eat!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I can only assume that the chickens are eating them. Are the eggs from the hens still safe to consume?

Hi there and welcome to BYC!

The first poster may be correct. I will note my observation about poo and poo consumption.. since my dogs eat chicken and pig poo, many will say they must be missing something in their diet. Hogwash, I feed top quality dog feed, and see the vet regularly.

I have however observed even in the dog waste a plethora of insects feeding on it every time I scoop it into the shovel. Turns out, as gross as I think it is.. it's clearly loaded with nutrition... not because my dogs are missing something but simply they like it..

Many farmers run their chickens through the pasture after rotating out the cows.. the chickens spread the manure. It's a standard practice!

The eggs are STILL safe to consume.. Plus pasture raised eggs are so much more nutritious on the vitamin and mineral content, even though their basic profile will stay 34% protein, 64% fat, 2% calcium belong to the egg shell.

E-coli would be carried by the bird themselves and not caused by this specific interaction.

Oh yea, my chickens LOVED going through the goat barn!

Sounds like your flock is enjoying the enrichment and probably eating well also!

Obviously, any internal parasites would be shared. Regular fecal floats or intervention of some sort would be recommended to establish YOUR load count seasonally according to your local soil, weather, wildlife load, livestock load, etc. My vet recommends treating at least once yearly due to intermittent passing of the parasitic oocysts (eggs) possibly not showing up in a fecal float... On the back side of this thought.. I might also consider separation or egg withdrawal if I was treating the alpacas with something that could pass into the eggs. Including a link that has the common drugs and their residual time listed since I have it handy,,

http://www.farad.org/publications/digests/122015EggResidue.pdf