Has anyone got Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (Bird Keepers Lung/Flu)

[Folly's place]

The N95 filters, when worn correctly, do very well. Those basic dust masks aren't helpful, especially if they can't be made to fit well. Respirators are a very good choice.
Comfortable to wear? Not really. I think of that quote from Shakespeare "That scalds with safety" talking about body armour. Lungs are so important!
Mary

 

[MIchickenlady]

My elderly neighbor passed away this past summer from pulmonary fibrosis. She was told it was caused by years of cleaning her chicken coop without a mask.

omg.
well now, I will start wearing a mask when cleaning tomorrow!
Thank you for posting this.

 

[blackandtan]

I’ve always worn a respirator when doing a cleanup; they’re not that expensive really, and I would caution everyone to only purchase them from a proper safety store or health care supply store, there are many sizes and filter types and a salesperson will make sure you get the right one!
If it’s a properly fitted mask it’s pretty easy to get used to and tbh, how long is it really on your face? An hour? Two? Once a month or once a year? I’d way prefer that to a lifetime of lung disease
Also, take care of it! Change filters regularly, give it a wipe with alcohol wipes when done and STORE IT IN ITS BAG, it can’t help you if it’s hanging out in the chicken shack getting packed with various dusts, or dumped in the dirty wheelbarrow till next time.
Sorry for the rant but I’m a bit of a mask-aficionado from years of working with one lol

 

[Folly's place]

It is all about safety first!
Mary

 

[Ghosty]

The N95 filters, when worn correctly, do very well. Those basic dust masks aren't helpful, especially if they can't be made to fit well. Respirators are a very good choice.
Comfortable to wear? Not really. I think of that quote from Shakespeare "That scalds with safety" talking about body armour. Lungs are so important!
Mary

I will probably end up getting a respirator, especially since I don't have poop boards yet. I was going to get one last visit, but all the good dust masks and respirators were sold out. Maybe I'll order one. I agree, it's no joke. My uncle was just diagnosed with a lung condition related to chicken keeping and he got rid of his chickens. I have around 30 birds without poop boards, so it can get to be a big job, and it's hard not to breathe it.

 

[blackandtan]

I will probably end up getting a respirator, especially since I don't have poop boards yet. I was going to get one last visit, but all the good dust masks and respirators were sold out. Maybe I'll order one. I agree, it's no joke. My uncle was just diagnosed with a lung condition related to chicken keeping and he got rid of his chickens. I have around 30 birds without poop boards, so it can get to be a big job, and it's hard not to breathe it.

It’s not just the poop though!
There’s chicken dander, dust from feed, Mold from feed and water and leaks, there’s mites and their poo, plus all the rodents and THEIR poo, dust from bedding, the list goes on and on. I’m not a paranoid person but there’s a lot of bad stuff in a coop no matter how clean you keep it

 

[Folly's place]

We do the coop cleanout two or three times each year, and it's a mess. Facemasks are essential, and gloves, and then everything into the washer, and showers.
Three miserable times, maybe two hours at most each time, and added shavings otherwise.
One time I powdered thirty birds for mites, NOT wearing a good face mask. I narrowly missed hospital time, just urgent care, doctor visits, and months of drugs to manage the asthma. Not planning on that happening, ever again!
Mary

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Thank you for this post! I had a really bad time with sepsis, pneumonia, pleural effusion and ended up with a week's stay at the hospital in 2018. The doctors spent a lot of time trying to figure out why on earth a 38 year old was this sick, just out of the blue. They never figured it out, but I still have a stabbing pain in my right lung anytime I try take a deep breath and I can't "move much air" (the doctors say that every time they listen to my lungs and make me do a breathing treatment) still to this day. I use my ProAir (emergency) inhaler daily, along with daily treatments day and night. I didn't have chickens then, but this information can make a huge difference to me and many others. I can't believe that I've never heard about this. Is it worse if one cleans out their coops every other week vs cleaning out once or twice a year? I am really shocked about this. Thankfully I just purchased a box of N95 masks right before all the shelves cleared off

 

[Beaglegal]

And of course, just looked into purchasing masks for cleaning and the prices are all sky-high because of coronavirus preppers. I suppose I'll have to use a bandana around my face till prices come down. I had never heard of this!

Same, I need to replace my N95 but can’t find any due to hoarders and profiteering. I cleaned out my coop sans mask but I hope to find some soon

 

[HeatherKellyB]

With the N95 masks, do they need to be replaced after each use, after a few uses, or what? I'm not sure