Handling sick chicken while pregnant

[ValSaun1130]

Hey everyone.

I have a sick hen. I’m not sure what is wrong with her. She isn’t eating or drinking on her own. She is very lethargic and wobbly. I have her quarantined from the rest of the hens and have been hand feeding her food and water (trying to get her strength back up). I didn’t really give it a second thought to not be handling her. I am 22 weeks pregnant. We don’t have a vet that can see her in our area. Am I or is my baby at risk for handling the sick hen? I’m not really sure what to do from here.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I don't think its a problem just wash your hands after like normal. The only thing I didn't do when I was pregnant was clean the coop when I was too big to bend over and got winded easily but not because I was worried about catching anything from the chickens. Pregnancy made my asthma worse for some reason.

 

[bhawk-23]

Good question. If you are worried you could just designate a towel to lay over you as a barrier and leave it next to the cage. And just practice good hygiene as stated above.

 

[raingarden]

There's stuff like Salmonella and E. coli that are common in chickens and potential hazards. I would want my wife to err on the side of caution.

 

[ValSaun1130]

Thanks for the advice! I really appreciate it. I always wash up after doing anything chicken related. I’m trying my best to be careful.

 

[Tonyroo]

Use disposable gloves and a mask if your concerned.

If you maintain a clean chicken yard the risk is low.