Risks to Humans

[Chicken Woman]

My apple trees attract flies more than my chickens !

I hang a container that we get from TSC in the tree next to the coop. It has an attractant and then the flies cant get out. My husband empties it out now and then and puts new attractant in and it's good for a few weeks.

I see few flies by my coop as they are going to the attractant and dying. I also keep my coop cleaned out and clean the poop board everyday. Treat run with lime a few times a year and spread some stall dry now and then.

We don't have alot of moisture as it's pretty dry climate here in Montana.

The one sickness is a serious one though !!!! It's called addicted to chickens !

You will want more and new kinds all the time !!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE my chickens !

 

[ncchick]

Thanks for all the helpful info and encouragement to go for it. I'll check the links provided and then check into the next steps.......acquiring chicks or fertilized eggs.

 

[Starwalker Fallen Angel]

Just remember one thing. Chicken poop isn't bad or horribly stinky unless it gets WET!

Then the ammonia is activated. I use auto waterers now and that has cut the "stink" down considerably. They can't spill or have much on their face feathers to fling.

I started with 6 chickens. I am now at over 500.

 

[whatsup chickenbutt]

oh man, youre lucky then, because when my chickens poop, it stinks BADDDDD!!!!!
the only good thing is the smell goes away soon.

 

[Chicken Woman]

Using dry stall keeps the odor and moisture down. I use granular and sprinkle lightly on poop board and coop shavings every 4 days.

 

[Chicken Boo]

I remember seeing an article last year stating that the research shows that chickens that catch avian flu die so fast, the possibility of them passing it on is miniscule. However, ducks and other birds live long enough to pass on the infection.

 

[willowcol]

Are you in NC? If so what part I have a few chicks I just hatched, I would sell you a few for $2.00 each. Depend on the type of chicks you want, I only have Silkie's and silkie Cochin mix, and 2 little ones that might be Serma's or serma mixed. They were ordered eggs so not to sure on the 2 little ones.

 

[LynneP]

One other thing (you're getting good info!) is never to allow pigs/hogs contact with chickens. The flu epidemic circa WWI started when pigs and chickens acted as complementary hosts to the virus. West Nile is a greater concern at this time, you need to avoid contact between jays and crows and poultry so that they and you do not get it. Lyme disease requires attention too. Hubby and I are also very careful about tossing our barn/coop clothes in the laundry and washing them immediately to avoid carting potential pests/microbes back and forth- such as wild bird contaminants into the coop. We're careful about footwear too, and use DE on the porch floor of the coop as added precaution. I know this is a little off-track of your original questions. As a health professional you're already cognizant of good practice.

These strips are good, too, they contain dichlorovos. We always have 2-3 in the barn and coop area and we never have fly, gnat or mosquito problems. Keep away from the birds ( maybe wrap in hardware cloth cage) and don't hang directly over food/water:

 

[ncchick]

Great ideas. Thanks. I'll hunt for some of the fly bait hangers. We've tried some fly bait granuals but still get thousands of flies at certain times.particularly when its wet out. I get a LOT of exercise in the house even, swatting flies. I really hate flies too.

My husband remembers his grandmother raising chickens when he was a kid visiting her, and of course he wasn't aware of any precautions she took a far as clothing, shoes, other animals or birds, vaccinations or diseases.

He doesn't remember that she washed the eggs either. He remembers she had a box in the kitchen now and then with chicks in it kept warm near the woodstove....... I've gotten a lot of good info on this site. So when we're ready can do it right.

 

[mastiffsinky]

Quote:
If your neighbors raise for a place like Perdue (that is who I work for) each house has 10,000 birds in it, that is why they smell so bad. When you put that many birds in a small place for 12 to 16 weeks, it is going to smell really bad. Backyard raising of chickens is not smelly, especially in very small flocks.

Katie