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

[Deb ekholm]

Yes! Coop cleaning is good, and wearing good masks is essential, but can we all put it off for now, and help on the human side of things?
This is also not the time to get some health issue that needs a hospital visit! And unhappy lungs, for any reason, won't do as well with Covid19 either.
Mary

I think its very nice to say but we can do both. Nothing cheers someone up like animal stories,

Has anyone got Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (Bird Keepers Lung/Flu) from Caring for or cleaning your coop? I came down with it in December 2019 after cleaning my coop, without a mask, in October! Was awful, I was VERY sick. Its now March 2020 and I am finally getting better. Please people wear a mask when cleaning or handling your birds and the coop.

Thank you for this warning as i live closely with my animals. Hope you recovered sucessfully.

 

[Deb ekholm]

I think its very nice to say but we can do both. Nothing cheers someone up like animal stories,

Thank you for this warning as i live closely with my animals. Hope you recovered sucessfully.

I use vinegar on all my clothes and surfaces now

 

[lgard]

We have a coop that used to be a shed. Currently we have our chicks in an open brooder in there. My husband and I go all the way into the coop and shut the door (to keep the cats out) when we fill them up on feed and water. We're only in there for 10 minutes at a time and we don't stir up the bedding, but the chicks sure are dusty whenever they move a muscle! Would you suggest that we wear a mask anytime we even enter the coop? Even if it's not to clean the coop? Of course I'd rather be on the safe side! But I'm also a bit of a hypochondriac. What would you do?

 

[Folly's place]

I don't wear a mask every day when I'm out there, and probably should. Definitely wear one when handling birds or cleaning, and there's no harm in being more careful rather than careless.
Mary

 

[tamdeva]

We have a coop that used to be a shed. Currently we have our chicks in an open brooder in there. My husband and I go all the way into the coop and shut the door (to keep the cats out) when we fill them up on feed and water. We're only in there for 10 minutes at a time and we don't stir up the bedding, but the chicks sure are dusty whenever they move a muscle! Would you suggest that we wear a mask anytime we even enter the coop? Even if it's not to clean the coop? Of course I'd rather be on the safe side! But I'm also a bit of a hypochondriac. What would you do?

I believe you both should wear a mask, like the M-95 ones, for even being in there 10 minutes! And for SURE when you clean the coop out. The illness is horrible.

 

[Bocktobery 10]

I’m such a wuss when I realize the possible reality of some situations and so I’ve been putting off cleaning the coop (the constant rain has been helping as well) because I fear getting sick from cleaning....even with a respirator. I feel like I should invest in some goggles...maybe a hazmat suit.

Joking aside, I HAVE gotten very ill after cleaning the coop before so there’s a bit of trauma there. I’m also thinking if I got sick now it would be a very bad time to need a hospital visit. I have the tendency of getting at least a little bit ill after cleaning anyway, ...even with protection of a respirator, so it’s somewhat daunting to expose oneself to that knowing one’s body might become more susceptible to succumbing to covid-19 if it’s already fighting something else.

But about keeping chickens in general... I was dumb when I started, figuring I was young and mostly healthy that I didn’t need precautions like a mask. I had spent years doing extra work as a house cleaner before and had some really tough jobs, some involving brown recluse spider infestations and rodent infested attics to which I also had little to no protection and just figured that risk was a part of life and had faith I’d probably be ok. You know, like, “tough it out” “buck up and just do it”. Those were my mottos! So when I started I didn’t think this chicken keeping stuff would be too different. Geez... Whats that saying? Youth is wasted on the young? When you’re young you just don’t realize certain dangers and one has the tendency to think one’s mostly invincible. . I miss being healthy. I had walking pneumonia and also something that resembled whooping cough. I’ve recovered but being ill for long really takes a toll. Those who never been ill don’t realize what a blessing good health is! I’ve become probably too paranoid now about contacting illness from my chickens, but I have to say it’s probably for the better! Certainly is pressuring me to learn more about the best and safest way to go about it.

 

[Folly's place]

Young and dumb' is something that many of us do survive, but with some damage to remind us of all that foolishness.
You can (could?) get disposable hazmat suits, with hoods, for $10 at Home Depot, and I've used them myself, especially last year when fighting overgrown poison ivy.
I don't have a respirator out there, but do wear the N95 face masks, and know how to put them on correctly. There's been too much dust in my life too, and now asthma, and issues over many things related to that.
Hang in there!
Hire someone else to do the big coop cleaning, and make them wear the face mask too!
Mary

 

[Mtnboomer]

I just use a standard 3m sanding dust mask, if i remember, with the coop doors wide open. I didn't know there was a specific disease to consider, but common sense says breathing in chicken poop dust can't be a good thing.

 

[lgard]

I believe you both should wear a mask, like the M-95 ones, for even being in there 10 minutes! And for SURE when you clean the coop out. The illness is horrible.

Thank you! We will definitely be doing this from here on out!!

 

[Longhornlove]

Has anyone got Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (Bird Keepers Lung/Flu) from Caring for or cleaning your coop? I came down with it in December 2019 after cleaning my coop, without a mask, in October! Was awful, I was VERY sick. Its now March 2020 and I am finally getting better. Please people wear a mask when cleaning or handling your birds and the coop.

Oh my goodness! That's terrible! Im a new chicken owner and I will sure be wearing a mask when cleaning up after my flock. Thank you for this informative post.