Kissing your chickens is bad for your health

[gallusdomesticus]

I'm glad the CDC is on top of this dangerous phenomena

http://tinyurl.com/npjws6s

 

[Akrnaf2]

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I'm glad the CDC is on top of this dangerous phenomena
http://tinyurl.com/npjws6s

Why a normal human being will even consider to kiss his chickens !?

 

[Sabz]

LOL I do it all the time, except if I am sick or really tired.

I guess my immune system gets stronger and stronger I'm not really into paying too much attention to that. If a person is healthy, salmonella, E coli and many other diseases is not a major big deal. Not enough to keep me from doing that anyhow.

If you want to restraint from kissing chickens because you are afraid of disease, you must consider wearing gloves when you pick them up, a mask and gloves when cleaning the coop and the food bowls, etc. It is certainly not just a kiss that con contaminate, but many other things.

IE have you ever thought about when you clean the coop with water and get a tiny splash in the face or the eyes? This also can transmit diseases. And if your dog plays with the chickens? Then he can carry salmonella, and many people pet their dogs.. even sleep with them!

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

I think I am doomed! I hug and carry and put chickens by my face all the time, just today I was snuggling with my Barred Rock bantam cockerel.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

You can get awful sick kissing some humans too...

Just saying....

 

[dawg53]

LOL I do it all the time, except if I am sick or really tired.

I guess my immune system gets stronger and stronger

I'm not really into paying too much attention to that. If a person is healthy, salmonella, E coli and many other diseases is not a major big deal. Not enough to keep me from doing that anyhow.

Dont push your luck Sabz. I've seen very healthy humans get deathly ill and die from the unseen.

 

[Akrnaf2]

To all the chickens and pets "kissers" !
You should know that in every animal lives an
Giant army composed from trillions of ,bacteria, protozoa, viruses, and fungi( yeasts), The biologist call it the natural microflora or microbiota. Almost all of them are essential to the animal health, because they provide very necessary vitamins, and They prevents the establishing of pathogenic in the animal. In fact if you count the number of cells that compose the human body for any human cell there is approximately 9 cells from the microbiota, so in fact we are 10% humans and 90% bacteria!
The benign influence of the microbiota is very dependent if the bacteria of the microbiota remains in there natural place. For example in the large intestine populate the major part of the human microbiota, that is very important for our health, we gain this benefit as long the microbe remains in the gut, but if it enter to outer places in the body, like when the appendix erupts, or some feces enters the blood stream trough a wound, the same microbes can cause death du to peritonitis or sepsis. The sam case when microbiota of one creature invade to other creatures, see foe exampel the Ebola virus, most of biologist agree that this virus live peacefully in fruit batts in Africa causing no visible damage to the bats, but if this virus travels to Primates like Chimpanzee or Humans it can cause almost 80% of death. So if you want to kiss your chicken,your dog,your cat or your african elephant pet again,you should consider the fact that they are in fact bacteria production factories, and that some of this bacteria,viruses or Protista have the capacity to make you and your children very very sick, or even kill you!
I wrote it as a zoologist not only as a BYC member.
Benny.

 

[theoldchick]

Don't forget what our village of viruses, bacteria, fungi can do to our target of affection . A human cold virus can kill a whale.

 

[Akrnaf2]

Don't forget what our village of viruses, bacteria, fungi can do to our target of affection .  A human cold virus can kill a whale.

A very good point!
(My view was to much Anthropocentric!)

 

[Sabz]

Dont push your luck Sabz. I've seen very healthy humans get deathly ill and die from the unseen.

I know. You are right and I am well aware of that but can't help it! Arg. I couldn't stop petting my dogs, kissing them, holding my chickens, etc. I guess that's why I wanted to be a vet since I was 2 years old lol!

But again, a big part of this is knowing your body and knowing the signs. If we consult at the first sign of sickness, the chances to die are lower. Also, I tend to think that the fact that I keep the same flock and/or hatch my eggs makes it a little less prone to diseases. I keep thinking that if my chickens would have salmonella, I would have seen at least a little symptom in the last 2-3 years. Sure, some diseases might be asymptomatic, but.. I'm not a fan of being extra careful. Heck sometimes I even eat a carrot directly from the garden without washing it!! The soil can be contaminated with a bunch of different things also..

I don't know, it's like I am aware of those facts but just can't live in a sterilized life like some of my friends. I'm virtually never sick, versus a guy I work with who is CRAZY about cleanness, Purell, alcool, scrubbing, never eating at restaurants, etc.. I've worked with so many sick animals in my life, many which had zoonosis (a disease that can be transmitted from the animal to us, not sure of the way to write that in english) and never caught a single one.

It doesn't mean I won't catch a deadly one and die next year, I know! But I love my garden, I love my pets and I doubt I can change my habits now, after 30 years.