Piggy chickens?

[MohicanHase]

So I was talking to my uncle, and I found out he hates chickens!! He went on to tell me they are dirtier then pigs, or are the pigs of the bird world, and will give you disease. I did not believe him, but are chicken truly dirty animals? never knew any bird to be really dirty, and disease riddled. Where would he have gotten that chickens are dirty and carry disease? Maby he is a little bias against chicken. lol

 

[boskelli1571]

So I was talking to my uncle, and I found out he hates chickens!! He went on to tell me they are dirtier then pigs, or are the pigs of the bird world, and will give you disease. I did not believe him, but are chicken truly dirty animals? never knew any bird to be really dirty, and disease riddled. Where would he have gotten that chickens are dirty and carry disease? Maby he is a little bias against chicken. lol

Hello & welcome!

Any animal will become 'disease riddled' if not cared for - perhaps he wasn't a careful 'house keeper'..... Chickens can be messy, but definitely not dirty! Yes, you can catch diseases from chickens, but if you practice good hygiene, frequent hand washing etc. you should be ok. It's certainly no worse than caring for sick people!! Some people like to 'kiss' their chickens on the beak, I caution against it because it is a good way to catch something from your birds.
Keeping the hen house & run clean, fresh bedding, washing food/water containers should be done frequently to ensure the optimal healthy environment. Enjoy your 'dirty' birds!

 

[GuineaFowling]

I disagree with your uncle. Any animal can be as he described if not given proper care, even dogs and cats. Chickens tend to enjoy dist bathing and that is the only thing that will make them dirty. They always shake the dirt out though. They are not dirtier than pigs. Your uncle probably never kept pigs or chickens and if he did they were probably in bad condition. I kiss my birds often and never have gotten diseases from them. My birds are healthy and fed organic feed and have a clean environment. They are wormed twice a year and dust bathe often enough to not catch mice or louse from the local jays. If I do happen to notice a bird is sick it is quarantined until it is healthy again. Also as Boskellu mentioned it is advised to wash your hands after handling any pet, whether it be a bird or dog. I think your uncle just had a bad experience with chickens and if you plan on getting them you should raise them well and healthy and show him that they are wonderful. He will probably end up liking them. Chickens are about as dirty as ducks and geese. Although from my own experience with ducks, the ducks were dirtier as they would leave their pond to go play with the hose and end up getting really muddy.

 

[Michael OShay]

All birds can be dirty if not cared for properly, but chickens are cleaning than some other forms of poultry such as ducks, and as far as other animals go, chickens are pretty clean. You won't find them rolling around in the mud like pigs do. I don't know if your uncle reads or believes the Bible, but in the Old Testament, chickens were considered "clean" animals, while "pigs" were listed among the unclean animals. Tell your uncle that he can keep his pigs, and you'll keep your chickens.

 

[theoldchick]

Any living creature can be dirty and carry disease. That's a fact of life. However, if you take proper care of your flock you will have clean and disease free birds.

 

[MohicanHase]

I don't think he has ever kept chickens or been around them to much as an adult, maby he has always been told that? not really shure lol I love chickens but keep ducks and rabbits, and I agree ducks are way dirtier than chicken!! lol I don't think he hates them, but had a pretty strong opinion about them. lol