Newbie question: chickens catching "human" illness?

[eggsontoast]

My 7 year old has the stomach flu. She's home from school today and wants to hold our new 8 week old pullets. Can I allow that? Can chickens catch "human" illnesses?

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

The vast majority of chicken illnesses won't pass to humans, human colds and flu bugs won't pass to chickens. Exceptions are out there like virulent avail influenza but thats rare and serious so Id' be 99.9% sure that there is no worry.

 

[ND]

Your average flu isn't zoonotic (meaning it doesn't cross species), and there's absolutely no risk of your daughter infecting your birds at all. Very rarely, avian flu is zoonotic (going from birds to humans without an intermediate host), but avian flu isn't exactly your everyday school yard flu.

I'm not even sure birds can be infected by a human (if they WERE infected with avian flu), or if it's only bird to human.... hmmm, I'd have to look that up. Honestly, though... you're *not* dealing with that.

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

Greater concern is just to be extra careful washing up after, being your little ones immune system is already taxed fighting of one bug it might be a little extra suseptable to the regular germs Ecoli, Samonela, Campylobacter ect. that chickens can carry.