Question about children and chickens

[terricksa]

Hopefully this is the right spot but I wanted to get this out there and get some advise.

We have been talking about getting 6 pullets to start with, but my wife has one concern. Our daughter has cystic fibrosis and my wife has a concern with the droppings and people telling her how dirty chcikens are. I tell her that as long as we maintain the coop and clean regularly we will be fine and our daughter would be at no more risk that any other children. Of course with proper hand washing after touching them.

Any advise or further re-enforcement that we will be fine getting the chickems would be greatly appreciated, the kids are excited and am I.
Thanks
Shane

 

[silverbird]

I think I would be concerned by airborne particles from the birds. Can you keep them in an area where she won't have to breathe that in? I doubt that short term interaction with them would be detrimental...but I am no doctor. I think practicing good hygiene, and a separate space for them would be a good idea. In addition, if they are in the house, perhaps a hepa filter in that area?

 

[terricksa]

Thanks for the input.

Yes, I plan to keep them in the heated garage till they are big enough to go outside to the coop I am building.

 

[Dixiedoodle]

I have a 2 yr. old grandson (but he has no health problems) he has been handling, feeding and gathering eggs for almost a yr now. He has had no problems from them. we wash our hands and use Purell (hand sanitizer) as extra precaution. He LOVES them. He seems to enjoy the hens more than our dogs. I use shavings on the floor and a dropping board and clean it up every morning--takes about 15 minutes total. to scoop up all the poop and ck feeders and waters that I filled the night before.

Why don't you ask your daughter's doctor about what to be concerned about.. Tell him they will be pets and she will be handling them.. See what he says..

 

[Zahboo]

It should be fine. I would allow more room than the minimum in the coop and brooder to cut down on dust. I would go 6-8 sq foot in the coop instead of 4 sq foot each. and I would make sure the run wasn't right beside the house. Ventilation is KEY. Inside have a large brooder and keep it clean.

 

[Badlatitude]

My Ex has Cystic Fibrosis. Their mother kept a considerable amount of chickens. The Ex was also a horse trainer for about 10 years and is still living happily.

Id just make sure their area is open and airy. The lil girl can easily wear a dust mask and the run can be misted in the summer to keep the dust down. As with anything else life has to go on. We always find ways to cope with what life has dealt us.


BTW you didnt mention where you live. That information could help members in the area to share their information more accuratly.

 

[terricksa]

Quote:
Excellent news, and I didn't even think of the dust mask. We live just north of Pittsburgh, PA.

 

[NYREDS]

A better source of information on this subject might be your daughter's Pediatrician.

 

[sotelomary]

I can't comment about children with cystic fibrosis but I will share my experience. I have a daycare/preschool with 6 children. We have 5 chickens that are our pets. I clean the coop once a week and the chickens are allowed to free range in a narrow run between my flower bed and our fence. Though they do take dust baths the dust flying does not seem to be a problem. The run is sandy so the sand doesn't fly very much. Cleanliness is very important to me. We have never had a smell or fly problem even though chickens do poop alot.

The children did touch and pet them when they were chicks but do not do this anymore. They love to dig for worms and give them to the chickens. They also love to throw lettuce and greens to them. We all enjoy them very much and it has been a great learning tool. We get organic eggs every day and the children always want to touch the egg to see how warm it is. This never seems to get old. Our state licensing and city has appoved them and we are fortunately that none of our neighbors complain about the noise. We live in the city and have good relations with our neighbors.

I hope this helps.

Mary