There isn't a heckuva lot to be allergic TO in poo, that'd be airborne. The smell is mostly ammonia, and outdoors is in such infinitesimal amounts that I'd really suspect other things as a source for allergies.
Top suspect would be chicken dust (dander). The BYCers with serious chicken allergies mostly either use sand (or shredded paper, if you are in a climate where mold isn't an issue and don't have any existing mold sensitivities) and try to avoid going into the coop as much as possible, e.g. by having exterior hatches for accessing nestboxes for collecting eggs and by having someone else do the cleaning; or they go TOTALLY open air as much as climate permits.
Alternatively it is not impossible for you to be allergic to the hay or straw you're using as bedding -- they not-uncommonly have enough mold spores to cause problems in sensitive individuals.
You could test this by sticking your snout right into a brand-new bale fresh from the feedstore (never been in the coop) and taking a few good lungfuls, and see if you have an asthma attack. If you do, switch to another bedding (shavings, sand, paper, etc) and you may solve the problem; if breathing the never-chicken-exposed bale does NOT bother you, then the problem is almost conclusively chicken-dander rather than bedding.
Best of luck,
Pat, who gets mild asthma/bronchitis type problems from excessive chicken dust but it's not that bad, I just make sure to wear a GOOD mask and have all doors open if I'm going to be doing something dusty in there (which I seldom do), and just kind of plan to be wheezy for the next few days -- but there are plenty of people with much worse allergies than me.
Top suspect would be chicken dust (dander). The BYCers with serious chicken allergies mostly either use sand (or shredded paper, if you are in a climate where mold isn't an issue and don't have any existing mold sensitivities) and try to avoid going into the coop as much as possible, e.g. by having exterior hatches for accessing nestboxes for collecting eggs and by having someone else do the cleaning; or they go TOTALLY open air as much as climate permits.
Alternatively it is not impossible for you to be allergic to the hay or straw you're using as bedding -- they not-uncommonly have enough mold spores to cause problems in sensitive individuals.
You could test this by sticking your snout right into a brand-new bale fresh from the feedstore (never been in the coop) and taking a few good lungfuls, and see if you have an asthma attack. If you do, switch to another bedding (shavings, sand, paper, etc) and you may solve the problem; if breathing the never-chicken-exposed bale does NOT bother you, then the problem is almost conclusively chicken-dander rather than bedding.
Best of luck,
Pat, who gets mild asthma/bronchitis type problems from excessive chicken dust but it's not that bad, I just make sure to wear a GOOD mask and have all doors open if I'm going to be doing something dusty in there (which I seldom do), and just kind of plan to be wheezy for the next few days -- but there are plenty of people with much worse allergies than me.
