Coop Cleaning Safety

[mamamama124]

Ok, ya'll...I need some guidance here. I've been looking on the Facebook threads and there's been a lot of info posted about needing to wear masks or respirators when cleaning a coop. Other folks are posting links to the diseases chickens can carry and give you. Now, I'll say this...I grew up around my grandparents' farm with goats, horses, cows, donkeys, cats, dogs, and one odd turkey - never any chickens though. So I know good and well that farm animals inherently are "dirty" and carry germs. We wash our hands and go on about our business. But this whole needing to wear a mask or respirator to clean out a coop is bothering me. We're getting 3 to 4 buff orpingtons to have as pets really - the eggs are just a nice bonus. I have a coop that sized for 3 to 5 chickens and it's mobile. My plan is to move it every few days but the girls will mostly free range during the day anyway. How bad is this coop going to get that I need to wear a mask just to scoop some chicken poop?

Thanks!

 

[gemini]

Hi. I have had chickens for about 14-15 years and I have never worn a mask to clean my coops. Sometimes it can be worse than others ie: a long spell of rain or snow, which makes me wait a day or two, hence more droppings, as they stay inside. I try to shovel out the old bedding and replace with new "as needed". Then on a nice warn free range day, about 1-2 times a year, I empty it out and hit it with the power washer and leave it to dry out! Having grown up around your grandparents farm, you have learned a lot I am sure. In my opinion, no mask needed‍

 

[Rlmp817]

I really think that it depends on your sensitivity. My husband has asthma so I think he will probably need to ware a mask just for the dust when deep cleaning our coop, but the rest of us will be fine. As long as your coop has adequate ventlation & is cleaned regularly it is not a big deal.

 

[Chickens 4Ever]

I think it depends on what type of coop you have. I have never worn a mask and I just scoop it all out with a rake/shovel and put new straw/bedding in for the winter/summer

 

[LittleMissCountry]

I agree with the others. Personally, I am new to chickens as well, but I also grew up around farm animals and never wore masks. My DH grew up on a farm with his grandparents owning chickens, pigs, goats, etc and he laughed when I asked him about masks (I read the same thing about two weeks ago). It really depends on how sensitive you are with respiratory or immune complications, I would think. I don't wear gloves or a mask personally.

 

[JDN]

So...I know a guy that got really sick power washing a commercial barn from not wearing a mask, can’t remember if it was hogs or chickens...but, I think that if your talking about scooping litter out the bottom once in awhile, your probably fine...

with so many things in life, from salt to sugar to alcohol to animal waste, the dose and concentration make the poison.

 

[aart]

Chickens can generate a LOT of dust.
Depending on what task you are preforming, and how much dust it kicks up, you might want to wear a mask.
Histoplasmosis is one that can be carried in bird feces(which is part of the 'dust') and transmitted to humans.

 

[brewfarm]

I have asthma and I never wear a mask. I have a coop with 43 laying hens. I use flake pine shavings in the nesting boxes and for bedding. Every week I empty out all the nesting boxes and put in fresh pine shavings. Twice a week I turn over all the pine shavings on the ground, new and old. When I do it's party time for the hens. They run in start kicking stuff around and dust bathing. There's always a bunch of stuff in the air. I mostly shrug it off.
On the other hand I always- always wear gloves. In the beginning I didn't really pay attention. I just washed my hands when I came inside. I had a few escape artists that would get out of their yard into the backyard. Everyday I was picking up a hen or two and putting them back. After a couple of months I got the worst stomach bug in my life.
I ended up going to the doctor and taking antibiotics for a week. Ever since I wash my hands before, wear gloves anytime I am handling a bird or eggs, and wash my hands after.

 

[lazy gardener]

I have reactive airway disease. So, if I'm cleaning the coop, I do wear a mask. I also try not to spend a lot of time in the coop, especially towards the end of the day, when my lung sensitivity is apparently at it's highest.

Not part of this thread, but I'll add it anyways: I also wear gloves when working the soil. One spring, I was pulling some weeds with bare hands. I got what I thought was a splinter driven into the edge of my fingernail. It felt like a very deep paper cut, the area swelled up, and the pain wouldn't go away. I went to the Dr, and she poked around there for about 10 minutes, with magnification, looking for a foreign body. None found. She put me on an anti fungal and steroidal ointment. That made no difference. I added an antibacterial, and the area started healing within 24 hours. Since that episode, I don't work the soil without gloves.

 

[aart]

After a couple of months I got the worst stomach bug in my life.

Hand washing definitely a good idea....especially before handling and/or eating food, touching your face or mouth.
Double especially for smaller kids.

Campylobacteriosis (Campylobacter spp.)
Salmonella
E.Coli
Can all be carried by chickens and make you sick as all get out.