Eating rodents = Salmonella risk?

[Uzuri]

So my girls love voles -- and I mean love 'em. Love 'em like little vole-nuggets with fries and a toy.

Since we have a major vole problem in the yard and garden, I'd like to move the mobile run around in the garden before we till the plants (and weeds; yes, we have weeds) under and let the girls try and find any nests that might be out there. Here's the thing though...

If rodent-dropping-contaminated feed is thought to be a likely cause of salmonella in fowl...

...and if it takes live rodents with salmonella to make rodent droppings containing salmonella...

...then one would think that eating live rodents would be just as bad as eating rodent droppings

Anyone know if this is true? And does it really even matter? Since it's impossible to 100% rodent-proof anything (including my house ), is it not better to just monitor flock health and not eat undercooked eggs if there's any evidence that something's amiss -- whether that something is salmonella or not?








(Of course I know someone's going to say to never eat undercooked eggs at all... but that someone has clearly never tasted homemade egg nog. Maybe I'll just have to start adding rum to kill all the germs

).

 

[gritsar]

There was a good article about salmonella and backyard eggs in this month's edition of Backyard Poultry magazine. Here it is:

http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/5/5-5/backyard_chicken_eggs_are_safe.html


Seems the risk with a backyard flock is pretty low, but I vote for adding the rum anyhow. Better safe than sorry

 

[Uzuri]

Thanks -- that's a good read.

Heheh, I've said since I got them that I figured that if I lived through the hens kicking crap in my face, eating the eggs was unlikely to make me sick

I guess the concept of building immunity simultaneously with your own chickens just supports that idea.

 

[damselfish]

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OK, I know you got your answer already, but that is one

P.S. Please send your girls to teach my girls. They haven't figured out voles yet although they're death on frogs.

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

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Thanks for the heads up on that one

 

[CMV]

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A woman after my own heart.

 

[GarlicChicken]

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--this was very helpful - Thanks for taking the time to post it!!!!

 

[gritsar]

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--this was very helpful - Thanks for taking the time to post it!!!!

You're welcome

and