How long are chicks carrying salmonella bacteria???

[sharone]

I am trying to find out how long new chicks carry the salmonella bacteria. I am getting an order in a day or two and I have a 1 year old. I would like to know how long to quarantine the chicks from the 1 year old. Has anyone seen a date for how long they carry the bacteria before it dies? Thanks!

 

[Jessika]

I believe all chicken carry some salmonella....but I don't know for sure. I'll do a lil research for ya....I'm up late anyways.

edited for horrible spelling....it is pretty late

 

[HuestisFarm]

... actually it's quite early (for me, anyway)....

 

[Jessika]

Quote:
LOL I totally forget that time difference thing....Good Morning!

Many chicks carry Salmonella bacteria in their intestinal tract and shed these bacteria in their feces. Although Salmonella bacteria may not cause illness in chicks, it can cause serious illness in people.

Contamination

Salmonella bacteria are easily spread from chicks to humans. Humans may become infected when they touch and consume food after handling objects that have been in contact with the stool of chicks. For example, a baby may be infected by drinking infant formula from a bottle prepared by someone who did not wash hands after touching a chick. The Salmonella bacteria must be ingested in order to spread from chicks to humans. Simply touching or holding a chick will not result in the spread of bacteria.

http://egov.oregon.gov/ODA/AHID/animal_health/import_birds.shtml

towards the bottom........

 

[jhm47]

I don't think I'd worry too much about Salmonella, unless your child has some kind of immune disorder. Just a simple hand washing and normal hygienic procedures will protect the child in most cases. It's pretty hard to protect any person from all types of bacteria, and a child is the worst. They pick up things from the floor and put them into their mouths dozens of times a day. All of us survived, and I suspect that your child will too. Good luck with your new chicks!

 

[Jessika]

A person with salmonella can spread the
infection by failing to wash their hands after
having a bowel movement. Good hand
washing is vital! Salmonella cannot be
contracted by simply being around someone
who has it. You must ingest the organism from
either undercooked meat and meat products,
undercooked eggs and egg products, or having
contact with reptiles, birds, or feces.

http://www.sedgwickcounty.org/healthdept/fact_sheets/Salmonella.pdf



Salmonella infection begins when you ingest one of the various types of salmonella bacteria — with S. enteritidis, S. typhi and S. choleraesuis responsible for most salmonella-related illnesses. Those bacteria that survive the acidic environment of your stomach then travel to your small intestine and adhere to its lining, where they begin their life cycle. Fresh bacteria are shed in your feces, where they remain highly contagious.

You can contract salmonella infection by touching or ingesting anything contaminated with salmonella bacteria. Reservoirs for the microorganism include pet reptiles, dogs and cats, pigs and cattle, infected humans, contaminated water, raw dairy products and chicken eggs. Salmonella can survive for months in water, ice, sewage and frozen meat.

Most frequently, humans come in contact with salmonella through food sources such as contaminated poultry, meat, eggs and egg products.

http://health.yahoo.com/infectiousd...nic--16A05EDE-E7FF-0DBD-11CCBD03A1FF6AC7.html


It still doesn't exactly answer the question...ut it is a good start!

 

[kinnip]

From Damerow's The Chicken Health Handbook:

"Salmonella bacteria can be found almost everywhere...An estimated 3 to 4 million cases of salmonellosis occur each year. No one knows the exact number, since not all cases are reported. Only about 5 percent of all cases can be traced to chickens."
"An infected hen won't always lay salmonella-contaminated eggs, and a hen that usually lays normal eggs may occasionally produce a contaminated egg. According to the Centers for Disease Control, only about 1 in 5,000 to 10,000 eggs is contaminated."
"Despite all the press coverage of salmonella poisoning, experts claim your chance of getting salmonellosis from eggs is only about 1 in 2 million. In a healthy person, poisoning requires eating a large number of bacteria."


For a chick to carry the disease, it must first be infected, usually by its mother. The bacterial load can't be too high either, or the chick itself would likely be ill. If you touch poo, wash your hands. If you've just touched a chick and are about to handle food, wash your hands. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry too much. Just petting a chick isn't likely to transfer enough of any bacteria to cause illness, not even in a child. There are more dangerous things on the soles of your shoes.

 

[sharone]

There is another posting in this Forum from a woman who contracted salmonella from her chicks.

THIS IS THE INFORMATION SENT TO ME FROM THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL:

Thank you for your inquiry to CDC-INFO. In response to your request for information on diseases that can be transmitted to people from chickens other than avian influenza (bird flu), we are pleased to provide you with the following relevant information. Although birds can spread germs to people, illness caused by touching or owning birds is rare. However, different types of birds can carry different diseases. For example, baby chicks and ducklings often carry the bacterium Salmonella. This germ causes salmonellosis in people. Please also keep in mind that some people are more likely than others to get diseases from birds. A person's age and health status may affect his or her immune system, increasing the chances of getting sick. People who are more likely to get diseases from birds include infants, children younger than 5 years old, organ transplant patients, people with HIV/AIDS, and people being treated for cancer.

The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is the primary federal agency working to keep poultry in the United States disease-free. Please direct questions about the care and safe-keeping of poultry to the APHIS at: USDA: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service -1-866-536-7593http://www.aphis.usda.gov

You may also get useful guidance about keeping chickens by contacting your nearest
U.S. Department of Agricultures Cooperative Extension office. The Cooperative Extension System is a nationwide, non-credit educational network. Each U.S. state and territory has a state office at its land-grant university and a network of local or regional offices. These offices are staffed by one or more experts who provide useful, practical, and research-based information to agricultural producers, small business owners, youth, consumers, and others in rural areas and communities of all sizes. A link to finding Cooperative Extension System offices is at:http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/index.html

For further information, please visit these CDC websites: Diseases from Birds -http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/animals/birds.htm Salmonella -http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/

 

[Ms. GrnJeans]

I always make grandaughters wsah hands after touching chicks. After reading this info I may just install a hand sanitizer next to the coop.

Thanks for the info.

 

[dntd]

Wash your hands and keep the chick area clean, We have 5 kids not one yet has gotten sick from our chickens and we have house chickens, actually since getting the chickens
we have had no illnesses.