Salmonella and BYC eggs

[Mac in Wisco]

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Wonder if i can take one to my vet and they can run a test?

Doesn't NPIP testing show if your birds have it or not?

The NPIP program does have s. enteritidis testing in addition to their usual tests for s. pullorum and s. gallinarum.

 

[redhen]

Something other than NPIP..
Vet maybe?

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Well, let me explain further. There are hundreds of different types of salmonella bacteria. They generally live in the gastro-intestinal tracts of animals and the diseases they cause are host specific. Salmonella Pullorum and Salmonella Gallinarum only affect the chickens and used to cause large losses in the poultry industry. They have been kept in check by the NPIP program.

Salmonella Enteritidis doesn't affect the chickens, but can have severe health consequences for people. It is thought that the rise in cases of SE contamination is because of better control and absence of S. Pullorum and S. Gallinarum bacterias in the birds.

The basic tests to participate in NPIP are for Pullorum and Gallinarum, but the test for SE is an additional test that can be requested.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

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Yes, a vet can take a sample and send it to your state veterinary diagnostics laboratory.

 

[redhen]

Thanks for the info!

 

[BlacksheepCardigans]

Salmonella is pretty much everywhere. Even perfect husbandry practices won't prevent it from being in eggs if your hen has it in her ovaries. And since rodents leave it behind in food - and which of us never has rodents? - the eggs can get it that way as well.

If you are a person who really needs to never come in contact with salmonella - if you're immunosuppressed or are feeding the very young or very old - it's a good idea to always hard-cook eggs no matter where they come from. If you can handle some of the normal slings and arrows of daily life, it's probably not going to hurt you to make the occasional hollandaise sauce.