Safety Habits?

[Chicken Judy]

I've been reading about taking off the clothes you wear after leaving the coop area. Is this a practice I should adhere to? Seems like a little overkill to me. I wear plastic gloves while cleaning every day and wear special boots that I never wear into the home.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Everybody has their own routine and reasons for it. *I* personally don't enjoy making the whole thing more work than it has to be and for my little hobby/home flock it isn't something I am overly concerned about. I have "chore shoes" (one pair each rubber boots and tennis shoes) that sit on the back porch. When I go out to the barn or chicken coop I put the pair on that is appropriate for that day's weather - when I get back to the house I take them off and leave them outside - I then go inside and wash my hands, done. On days when there is no mud to worry about I've been known to just go out there straight out of the truck when I get home from work in my good clothes and shoes - for me it just isn't a huge point of concern.

 

[Chicken Judy]

That's pretty much my routine too. Always give my hands a good wash. Thanks for your input.

 

[Blooie]

Many years ago when my first child was about 3, I left her with my mother while I ran some errands. It had been raining, but the clouds cleared out and the sun was shining brightly by the time I got back. I turned the corner and there was my 3 year old daughter, out in the front yard with her gramma, digging in the flower beds. She was a mess! I got out of the car and walked up to them. At exactly the same moment Ma and I looked at each other and said, "There's nothing she can get on her that won't come off with soap and water!" We had a good laugh over that because when any of us kids came in gross and dirty that's what she'd tell us. Here I was, only 3 years into motherhood and already sounding like my Ma!

Soap and water. I have coop shoes, and so do my grand kids. Katie just turned 9 and Evan is almost 10, but they have been the caretakers for my chickens whenever my husband and I have to go out of town, which we do frequently. I didn't have coop shoes for them at first so they tied grocery bags over their regular shoes to do "chicken chores", but then we got the coop shoes - rubber knock- off Crocs for Evan, rubber boots for Katie - and we all change shoes to go out to the coop, then back into regular shoes when we're done. The feet are the only thing I get totally paranoid about because Katie's 3 year old sister Kendra has Spina Bifida and spends a lot of time crawling on the floor. Don't want her getting stuff we can't even see on her hands and then putting her hands in her mouth. She has enough issues without carelessness making her sick.

Other than changing shoes, good hand washing is mandatory here. No change of clothes when we come in, no special routine. Just a good dose of common sense is all we need.