Coyote attack! Chickens and rabies??

[chantald]

What a day..

This afternoon, in broad daylight.. my chickens explode out of the woods as I am standing in the yard.. I look in to see a large, fast, grey/black, dog like creature bearing down on one of the BRs.. I grab the puppy and head inside fast.. thinking if he shoots out of the woods after the fleeing chickens, I don't want to be there!

I head back outside with boots on and armed with a baseball bat.. not smart.. but I was upset.. I rounded up 7 of the hend and corraled them.. No sign of the rooster or 3 hens.. including DS's favorite..

All is silent.. I assume the rooster and the hens are gone..

An hour later the remaining BR hen appears near the coop. I pick her up.. she is scared but seems unharmed.. feathers are wet.. but an insepction shows no blood.. thinking she fled into the swamp..

Two hours later the rooster shows up.. amazing..

We are still down two hens.. one my DS's favorite

Question: Can chickens get rabies??
I didn't even think of that until later.. and I touched the hen that was wet.. if it was slober from the animal and not swamp water.. am I at risk.. ? I have no open cuts etc..

I am sad.. and now freaking out about rabies..

 

[panner123]

If you have no open cut you should be O K. Chickens can not get rabies only mammals can get rabies. At lest that is what I was told by a California Fish and Game biologist. Yet a bat can have rabies, are they a bird or a mammal?

 

[LittleChickenRacingTeam]

No, rabies is a disease that only affects mammals.

 

[Oblio13]

Only mammals can get rabies.

 

[Dar]

i dont think you have much to worry about IF you have no open cuts or sores

 

[Godsgrl]

only mammals can get rabies, and bats are mammals

 

[AngieChick]

Bats are definately mammals. Only mammals can get rabies, and only certain mammals are prone to it at that. For instance, for all the nasties that rats carry, they aren't known to be a threat for contracting rabies. I'm pretty sure that you aren't at risk from your wet hen. Most viruses die when they contact air, so my understanding is that you really need to be bit to catch rabies.

I'm glad you didn't lose all of your chickens, and I'm hoping your missing ones show up.

 

[chantald]

Thanks
I'm still a bit worried about the rabies.. I keep looking over my hands.. I did wash up after I got her settled in the coop.. The two missing hens (the favorite included) havent' shown.. and it's full dark now

 

[Opa]

Absolutely no chance of getting rabies from a bird. But almost of of the 4 legged chicken predators is a different story. But you must be bitten by an infected animal to contract it.

 

[CoonX]

Quote:
Chantald, here's the CDC page for Rabies.
Rabies

It is possible to receive Rabies from a non-bite exposure, but the odds are lower than winning the Billion dollar Lottery.

Will

p.s. The rabies treatment nowadays is real easy, 14 small shots in the arm for a month.
On the 25th, I'll get my final Rabies vaccination shot.