Salmonella, do I kill the whole flock?

[RM18]

My family contracted salmonella a few days back. (I had it for a day, my husband has had it for a week now, and my son had it for about 5 days)
The bird we culled was lethargic and dirty. We killed it and got rid of it but now I’m wondering if the whole flock needs to be culled... they are all living in the same coop and acting healthy but of course still move around in their own feces.
I am devastated thinking that 26 birds will have gone to waste. Does anyone have any information?

 

[DobieLover]

My family contracted salmonella a few days back. (I had it for a day, my husband has had it for a week now, and my son had it for about 5 days)
The bird we culled was lethargic and dirty. We killed it and got rid of it but now I’m wondering if the whole flock needs to be culled... they are all living in the same coop and acting healthy but of course still move around in their own feces.
I am devastated thinking that 26 birds will have gone to waste. Does anyone have any information?

Why are they moving around in their own feces?
How often is their coop cleaned? How do you manage them?
I've been around my birds for years and no one has gotten sick.
Each and every time I come in from tending the birds, I thoroughly wash my hands. ALWAYS.
I have a dedicated pair of "coop shoes" that I wear into their area that stay at the door.

 

[RM18]

Why are they moving around in their own feces?
How often is their coop cleaned? How do you manage them?
I've been around my birds for years and no one has gotten sick.
Each and every time I come in from tending the birds, I thoroughly wash my hands. ALWAYS.
I have a dedicated pair of "coop shoes" that I wear into their area that stay at the door.

They aren’t free range so they spend the majority of their time in the coop or the run, they poop regularly so they walk in their own poop. Coop is cleaned every other day to every 2 days. I’m new here so I’m not sure what you mean by “manage”. We wash our hands religiously when taking care of birds and don’t bring shoes into the house.
The chicken in question was lethargic and dirty from being stepped on overnight. It was found the next morning and removed. Then we all got sick shortly after that.

 

[DobieLover]

They aren’t free range so they spend the majority of their time in the coop or the run, they poop regularly so they walk in their own poop. Coop is cleaned every other day to every 2 days. I’m new here so I’m not sure what you mean by “manage”. We wash our hands religiously when taking care of birds and don’t bring shoes into the house.
The chicken in question was lethargic and dirty from being stepped on overnight. It was found the next morning and removed. Then we all got sick shortly after that.

When did you get the salmonella diagnosis?
Meat birds do poop A LOT. That is one reason why most people manage them in tractors that can be moved twice a week or so to fresh areas of grass.

 

[RM18]

When did you get the salmonella diagnosis?
Meat birds do poop A LOT. That is one reason why most people manage them in tractors that can be moved twice a week or so to fresh areas of grass.

Ah I see, that probably would have been a smarter route than a stationary coop. Diagnosis was given 10/31/2020 so yesterday.

 

[iwltfum]

There's no way you could have gotten the salmonella from some food from your kitchen that you ate or prepared or from a restaurant? I too have never gotten sick from my birds after years of raising poultry. I'm always surprised to hear it when doctors automatically assume because someone keeps chickens and contracted salmonella that they definitely got it from their backyard flock. Do you pet or snuggle your chickens close to your face? I deal with chickens twice a day and have for years and, to be honest, I often times go and work elsewhere on the farm after having collected eggs or whatever without washing my hands afterwards and still have never gotten sick. That being said, my chickens are not pets and I don't handle them unless there is something wrong that I need to get a closer look at. I would look more closely into where you might have picked up the bacteria.

 

[RM18]

There's no way you could have gotten the salmonella from some food from your kitchen that you ate or prepared or from a restaurant? I too have never gotten sick from my birds after years of raising poultry. I'm always surprised to hear it when doctors automatically assume because someone keeps chickens and contracted salmonella that they definitely got it from their backyard flock. Do you pet or snuggle your chickens close to your face? I deal with chickens twice a day and have for years and, to be honest, I often times go and work elsewhere on the farm after having collected eggs or whatever without washing my hands afterwards and still have never gotten sick. That being said, my chickens are not pets and I don't handle them unless there is something wrong that I need to get a closer look at. I would look more closely into where you might have picked up the bacteria.

We are home bodies in a rural area. We don’t eat out much so I’m not sure where else we could have gotten it from. I’m skeptical as to where it truly came from but the only explanation is from sick birds. The bird we culled was lethargic as if it was sick anyway. We don’t treat our chickens as pets, they are only handled when they need to be.
I don’t want to spend the money to buy testing kits for all the birds on the property but I’m really at a loss for what to do from here.

 

[NatJ]

I don’t want to spend the money to buy testing kits for all the birds on the property but I’m really at a loss for what to do from here.

Was the dead bird tested? Chickens die of many things. And they can die of one thing while also carrying something else.

Given that they all live together, if one has it, they probably all do.
So it might be worth testing one or two.

Even one infected bird proves they are not ALL free of it. Or even one not-infected bird proves they do not ALL have it.

Are your chickens meat birds, or laying hens?

If they're meat birds, even if they do all have salmonella, you might be able to just butcher & cook them while being a bit extra careful. The usual guidelines for dealing with chicken meat are based on the idea that some WILL have salmonella, but that you don't know which ones. So knowing they have it might not change much.

 

[Acre4Me]

First, it IS possible you got it from the birds - sure, it can happen.

However, it is possible you got it from lunchmeat or other processed type meat you got from the grocery. Even ice cream or other dairy products can be the source. Look up sources of Salmonella and there is a whole list of common sources of the infection.

Glad you actually have a diagnosis, so you do, in fact, know you were ill from Salmonella and your nor doctor are speculating.

There have been Salmonella outbreaks linked to backyard birds...which were linked back to a hatchery. For example (not the only one), Mt Healthy Hatchery in Mt Healthy, OH (near Cincinnati) has been linked to 2 outbreaks in different years according to CDC info (pretty sure this is on the CDC website...maybe it is another website as I read this information a year or so ago). However, all birds do not have Salmonella, and all hatcheries do not have a problem.

You do not have location listed on your profile. It can be a general location or a state - but it can help with responses. Each state has a place to send a dead bird for necropsy. The Emergecies forum has helpful links, but does not include a state listing of labs for necropsy. I think @Kiki might have been the one to create a list of state labs that can receive and evaluate a dead bird, but I'm not sure. Of course, each state is different in cost, with some being a reasonable cost, others are more costly - but likely cheaper than culling your whole flock needlessly.

Two links for summary info on Salmonella:

CDC info on sources of infection:
https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/communication/salmonella-food.html

Poultry DVM website with chicken specific info
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/salmonellosis


Good Luck.

 

[CluckerFamily]

Fruits and vegetables can have salmonella also. Last month, there was a recall on onions white, yellow, and red because of salmonella. My first thought for salmonella isn't my chickens.