Is it bad to pick up chicken poop with your bear hands?

[Chihuahuamom444]

Yuck

 

[kuntrygirl]

I think it is bad to pick up chicken poop with your bare hands. I always wear gloves when I am in the chicken yard cleaning and piddling around in the coops. It's a must for me. And because I have OCD. I'm afraid of germs, bacteria, etc.

 

[chicmom]

OK, I ADMIT IT....Sometimes......I do pick up chicken poo without a glove.......But mostly I use a kitty litter scoop to do "turd duty"

 

[7L Farm]

Blah, blah!! If you have chickens you've picked up poop. I started using sand in my coops. Its easier to clean. I just rake it up throw it in a bucket & dump it in the compost pile.

 

[rickerra]

Quote:

Good one. My first thought was "don't use your Doritos hand to pick up poo". You'll waste all that delicious orange goodness on your finger tips!

Haha. I use my hands for everything... probably even stuff I shouldn't. Nothing like a little axle grease on your turkey sandwich!

Cheers!

 

[sourland]

Only if you forget to wash your hands before you eat.

 

[bigoakhunter]

When i clean out my chicken coops, i use scoops and small shovels etc. But there is no way I don't get poop on me or my clothes. I just use caution and take clothes of in basement and get them to the washer. I then wash up good with hot water and soap.

As previous posters have said, don't put yur hands in mouth or around eyes.

Chicken poo is a fact of life on the farm.

Dave

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
I wish that I could say that I have shared that joyous activity with you but sorry, I can't. I use gloves to protect myself and others around me. I don't want any cross contamination.

 

[featherbaby]

And how many thousands of years have people been raising chickens? And how recently have latex gloves been invented?

Humans develop immunity to what we are exposed to. If we are not exposed to the usual things, then we are at risk for illness/disease from ordinary things. I don't feel that picking up poo barehanded is dangerous if we use common sense (don't lick yer fingers!) and don't get bacteria in an open cut (Tetanus is on virtually everything...it just needs ideal conditions to make you sick).

Now, with that said, there are people with special circumstances who need to be more bio-conscious. I am one of them because of my elderly mother whom I care for in my home and my pet birds indoors.

I am not obsessive about germs, but I'm pretty darn careful because I have some VERY expensive Cockatoos as indoor birds. I can't afford to contaminate them with ANYTHING, chicken related or not. Therefore, I've just made it a habit to use disposable gloves when I clean out the poo, and change my dirty clothes when I come in and wash up. After gardening and digging in the dirt, I do the same thing. I get the gloves very inexpensively at Harbor Freight or Wal mart and keep a box by the back door. As I go out, I pick up a pair and keep on going. Making good habits keeps us from having to think about every little thing each time we do an activity.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
I happen to be obsessive about germs, so this is why I have to wear gloves. I understand exactly what you are saying.