Histoplasmosis !!! Please read !!! Important for all !!

[Artie]

Quote:
Agreed! Yes, education is key to a lot of things. I have been careful, cleaning the counter with bleach and so on, but I haven't been wearing a mask in their room. I will start doing that even though my floor isn't dirt (although on some days, you might not know it by looking at it

). I think I've calmed down now.

 

[NHchicks]

Quote:
Thank you for sharing that, Celtic. It does help me feel better. I suppose like anything else, if you focus on what can go wrong, you can get really paranoid. It's good to take precautions, but I'd hate to live in fear all the time.

 

[Celtic Chick]

Quote:
Thank you for sharing that, Celtic. It does help me feel better. I suppose like anything else, if you focus on what can go wrong, you can get really paranoid. It's good to take precautions, but I'd hate to live in fear all the time.

You & me both. Glad to be of help!

 

[sadie777]

Yes, Celtic... agreed. I read several chicken books cover to cover a few months prior to getting my chickens. I'll read those chapters again. And I'm not too paranoid about the coop right now, because it's brand new... they've been pooping in it for 2 weeks, and I'm using the deep litter method of pine shavings on a wooden floor with plans to clean it out every 6 months... putting the old litter on a compost pile or in one of my compost tumblers for use later in the garden.

There seems to be a bit of a contradiction with what I've read so far regarding histoplasmosis. They say it's NOT in the chickens or in their poop, but is a fungus that is in the soil that the poop feeds. So how would it get in my litter in the coop then, if there is no soil in there? On their feet? Seems like a small amount of soil and very little to worry about. Regardless, any kind of poop dust can't be too healthy, so I'll wear a mask if stirring it up too much.

Thanks for helping put my mind at ease. I still think I'm making a wise decision cutting my flock back to 6. In the beginning, I don't want to waste too much on feed, labor, etc... I already spent $1200 on building the most beautiful coop, including a 275-gallon rainwater collection system from the metal roof I installed that waters the garden and my chickens!

I can always buy more pullets next year, and I'm selling the 9 for more than I paid for the 15, but breaking about even when you add up the gas to go get them in Virginia and 2 weeks of layer crumbles. Now, I'll be able to afford better feed (whole corn, etc...) for 6 chickens instead of treating 15 chickens like royalty.

I'm rambling... g'nite!

 

[sadie777]

double post

 

[Celtic Chick]

Histoplasmosis is not found in chickens. It is found in wild bird & bat droppings, and you know how wild birds love chicken houses. All the free scratch they could want. It is most prevalent where the altitude is low, rainfall is 35 to 50" a year, and the temps remain relatively even.
Per Wikipedia:
Histoplasma capsulatum can be found throughout the world. It is endemic in certain areas of the United States, particularly in states bordering the Ohio River valley and the lower Mississippi River.
H. capsulatum grows in soil and material contaminated with bird or bat droppings (guano). The fungus has been found in poultry house litter, caves, areas harboring bats, and in bird roosts (particularly those of starlings).

Such a shame to let all that space in that beautiful luxury coop go to waste!

You have way more resolve than I do. Once I have a chicken, there's no giving it up!

 

[suzukimom]

How are you nowdays? We're new at keeping chickens (just one year now). I've been posting about a listless rooster when I thought I'd read around and found yours. I'm sooo glad I did! I was planning on cleaning out the coop floor from a long winter (we tried deep pine shavings, oakleaf litter on a sand base) to put it on to the compost heap. The kids and I will be wearing masks from now on! Thank you for your note!

 

[CG_Bass]

I have been fighting off some kind of lung something for over 6 weeks... I was diagnosed with bronchitis and then walking pnemonia as I have a dry hacking unproductive cough. Went over a week ago back to the doctor with what felt like a ear infection and my jaws hurt to where i could barely chew and still with the cough. I told doc about the chickens and asked if its a possibility that i caught something from my coops. He put my on a 3rd round of antibiotics, this time anti fungal. I just finished this last round and still have the stiff jaws and what feels like a full blown head cold. My question is for anyone who has had this Histoplasmosis, did you have stiffness in the jaws or neck?

 

[Annasg]

I read this about 4 hrs too late but I will keep it in the back of my mind. I knew a guy who had this illness. He also developed sores all over his body before he went to the Dr. His job was maintaining the chickens of a woman with a very large farm. He was very, very ill and it sat him down for a cpl months but his illness progressed very fast because his immune system was very weak. Thanks for the info.

 

[Annasg]

I read this about 4 hrs too late but I will keep it in the back of my mind. I knew a guy who had this illness. He also developed sores all over his body before he went to the Dr. His job was maintaining the chickens of a woman with a very large farm. He was very, very ill and it sat him down for a cpl months but his illness progressed very fast because his immune system was very weak. Thanks for the info.