Common Chicken Related Issues

[TillinWithMyPeeps]

Before I get my chickens, there are a few things that I would like to know, I have isolated these in to three specific issues:

- Is there any possibility of chickens spreading diseases to me or my neighbors? Any diseases that can be transferred through eating one of their eggs?

- Will the hens be loud?

- Will the hens be smelly?

I would like to know if you think these would be problems, I would also like to know of ways that I could prevent these problems.

 

[chickenannie]

See my answers after your questions:

Before I get my chickens, there are a few things that I would like to know, I have isolated these in to three specific issues:

- Is there any possibility of chickens spreading diseases to me or my neighbors?

NOPE, none that i know of.


Any diseases that can be transferred through eating one of their eggs?

NO Diseases. There's always a chance of salmonella bacterial contamination, but it's found to be more of a chance of salmonella in store-bought eggs than there will be in your backyard chickens. Just don't eat old eggs or eggs that are cracked. If an eggshell has dirt on the outside, just wash it off before cracking open the egg.

- Will the hens be loud? Not typically. Some hens cackle loudly for a few minutes if they get excited by something. Not even close to the sounds a cat or dog would make. Nothing to worry about.

- Will the hens be smelly?

The hens themselves are not smelly unless they walk through something stinky and it sticks to their feet. Their coop can get smelly if you don't maintain it. But many people use the deep litter/bedding method and there is very minimal smell. Unless you're planning on having several hundred chickens, I doubt your neighbors would ever smell your coop, unless they came to your yard and stuck their noses in.


I would like to know if you think these would be problems, I would also like to know of ways that I could prevent these problems.


My suggestion: Just go for it -- get 2 or 3 hens and enjoy them. They will be less work/smell/care than a dog or cat. It is generally a myth that chickens are "dirty and smelly". People have no idea how clean they are, or what great pets they make.

Or, if you want, go visit several different people who have chicken coops in their yard and make your own observations.

 

[allisojo]

I don't know about the diseases, but I can tell you that my dog and my neighbor's dog are way louder and their poop is way smellier than what my twelve chickens say and produce. With respect to the noises they do make, I've had my neighbors tell me that they like to hear the ladies in the morning (we don't have a roo). It's all good, I think.

 

[gritsar]

The only illness I know of that you can get from keeping chickens is histoplasmosis. Then again, you can get it from owning pet birds too.
You should always wear a mask when doing any cleaning in your coop.

 

[#1California Chick]

If you are worried about chickens that might be noisy or flighty, check out Henderson' Chicken chart: http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html
He gives lots of info about breeds.

The key to keeping down smell is to use the "deep litter" method. Click on "search" in the Blue line above and then type in "Deep Litter" for LOTS of discussion on this topic. The other thing for keeping down smell is to make sure that your coop is VERY well ventilated!! Chickens create a lot of moisture in the coop. If it cannot escape the coop, you will have problems. See the info from Patandchickens:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-VENTILATION

If you smell AMMONIA when you open the coop, you have a ventilation/cleaning problem!!!

Good Luck!!

 

[nzpouter]

answer to 1 & 3... with proper care and good hygene level, no.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Nothing different than any other animal. Obviously you wanna wash your hands after handling them or things they've pooed on, no different than a dog etc.

There can be some (rare) issues stemming from dusty coops, but as long as you have a well ventilated well maintained coop (and if you are extra concerned, or have a vulnerable respiratory system, you can wear a dust mask when you do things that kick up dust in the coop).

Any diseases that can be transferred through eating one of their eggs?

You can get salmonella from a home-raised egg same as from a commercial egg, but assuming your chickens are healthy and living in clean conditions there is no reason to believe the risks are any higher than from commercial eggs and quite honestly I strongly suspect the risks are much LOWER. And naturally if you fully cook the egg, the risk is nil anyhow, same as with commercial eggs.

- Will the hens be loud?

Define loud

Not really, not mine anyhow. They do go ba-gawk ba-gawk and bawk bawk bawk at times, esp. after laying an egg, some hens more than others. But it's not like a rooster crowing or a persistantly barking dog.

- Will the hens be smelly?

Not if you're managing things properly. Keep the coop (and, ideally, run) dry, and practice good sanitation, and they do not stink. If you walk into a well-maintained coop that has been closed up overnight, you can tell that animals live there but it will not *smell* as such, no ammonia or poo smell. There may be a few more flies around as a result of the chickens, especially if you are in a wet climate and have trouble keeping the run dry, but not like a huge problem or anything.

If you do some reading here, just browse thru threads that catch your interest, you will find lots of tips on good coop design and management that will keep things running in a pleasant and smooth fashion once you ahve chickens

Good luck, have fun, welcome to BYC, go get some chickens <g>,

Pat​

 

[TillinWithMyPeeps]

Thanks for the help,

Histoplasmosis does not sound fun.

More Help/Advice is appreciated

 

[chickenannie]

If you've never had a pet before, or a garden, and are VERY VERY afraid of animals, germs and dirt, you might not want to get chickens.

I say this because you seem extremely cautious -- because you've already gotten answers to your questions above, and yet you want more help.

I understand it is good to know about any risks you might be taking before hand, but since you've done your research, and the chances of getting Histoplasmosis is extremely rare, and if that tiny possibility bothers you, pets and chickens just might not be right for you.

On the other hand, we on BYC (and millions of other people) love and enjoy our chickens. So if you are willing to have some faith, I would advise you to just go get some chickens -- you'll be fine!