Diseases From Chickens?

[coolaw2]

I have a small backyard flock, and live in a dry area of California. I regularly handle my chickens, and of course clean their coop. I always wear gloves, but do not usually wear an air filter unless it's very dusty. Is there a significant danger of contracting a disease from chickens, and if so how can it be avoided?

Steve
Arroyo Grande, CA

 

[patandchickens]

Depends of course on what you mean 'significant'.

The largest risk, and it's not really especially large for most people in most areas, is from getting histoplasmosis or similar from inhaling coop dust, or having chronic respiratory problems due to allergies to coop dust. If you're wearing a mask when doing things that kick up dust, you'll likely be fine.

Backyard chickens can certainly have salmonella or pathogenic E. coli on, or even inside, their eggs, same as commercial chickens. (Although an argument can be made that a healthy clean happy backyard flock may be less prone to this than eggs from commercial sources, people still *have* gotten food poisoning from home eggs, so, the risk is not totally zero). To the extent that you're concerned, just be sensible, like cook eggs thoroughly if you worry (that will remove all risk), be careful not to contaminate with eggshells as a higher contamination risk especially if there is visible poo on them, and don't store pooey eggs for long periods of time or with clean eggs. As long as you use basic common sense you are probably at LEAST as safe with backyard eggs as with commercial ones, arguably a bit more.

Mites and lice are mildly annoying if they crawl on you, and some mites can probably bite people (I am *convinced* they can -- they cannot LIVE ON or complete their life cycle from people, but I swear to you that at least the northern fowl mite can cause mild chiggerlike bites on occasion) -- but you can't "get" mites or lice from your chickens, they absolutely require *birds* to live on and reproduce, so at the very worst they're a mild annoyance and unless you have a serious outbreak they're not an issue at *all*.

Beyond that, there are only rare diseases which I don't think it makes sense to worry about. Things that chickens seldom get, and people even more seldom.

So basically as long as you use common sense in cleaning the coop and in eating your eggs, you will be FINE -- and even if you don't use common sense you still have a pretty good chance of lucking out

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Ol'FashionHen]

patandchickens you said what I was gonna say

...

 

[Cherrypie]

We of the Nervous Nellie variety salute you, Pat

 

[LittleChickenRacingTeam]

Pat, you forgot the BIGGIE....AVIAN INFLUENZA.

Millions are gonna die from this at some point. I'll bet on it.

Unless the SWINE FLU gets you first.

 

[Intheswamp]

...ah, but what about the infamous BED BUG ????? Can it hitch a ride into human habitats and flourish there?

Ed

 

[LittleChickenRacingTeam]

Quote:
My chooks have nests not beds, so I think this is a MOOT point.

 

[patandchickens]

I'm shocked, LCRT, with all the other amenities they have including, fer pete's sake, kites to fly, and what with their living in the house, SURELY they must have BEDS. Maybe antique dollhouse sleigh-beds. Or small gold-plated four-post-ers.

Or if not, WHY not?


Pat

 

[Intheswamp]

...the higher road......

 

[patandchickens]

Ed, LCRT hasn't been on BYC a lot in the last 6 months so you may not be familiar with his sense of humor...

That's kind of interesting about bedbugs, I did not realize that humans and chickens can share the same species but a quick google seems to indicate they can.

My suggestion would be, keep an eye out so you can take care of any bedbug infestation in your house before you give it to your chickens.

Or, er, the reverse either of course <vbg>


Pat