Salmonella - I would love some info from you who would know best....

[newBonboard]

Ok - this has been on my mind now for a few weeks..I decided a few months ago that I wanted to raise a couple hens, I felt the experience would be beneficial to my entire family. I think it will give my children and yes, maybe even us adults a better appreciation of where our food comes from .. our hope is that in seeing our hens lay eggs it will give a much better understanding of a process that one can " grow " their own food that not everything just comes in a package- we are also putting in a garden with the idea of growing any food we can. Not to mention the fact that honestly I thought it would be fun

Here is where the question comes in... so here I was so excited on this decision and adventure and than two weeks ago I read an article saying NOT to get chicks if you have children because of Salmonella and other things they carry.. right away my reaction as a mom was " I can't do this " I didn't want to expose them to anything that could hurt them..after all this is suppose to be a great experience. I gave it some thought and than decided at 5 and 9 my children were old enough to wash hands and understand to do that and here we are at day 3 of being chick owners and that hasn't been an issue at all... they wash their hands great before and after.

Question.... do ALL chicks have Salmonella - is it something they are ALL born with ?? And I am not sure of the names of other harmful bacteria but are they just born with that as well.. I bought my chicks from another person, it's hard to know ( really know ) what they have. I know they look great and seem healthy and eat medicated food but I must admit I had no intention on taking them to the vet to get needles.. I myself since reading info on Salmonella - I am the main care provider for the chicks find myself washing my hands ALL the time...washing anything I may have touched....I'm pretty practical and would love to know the real scoop on this ... do I need to be afraid to cuddle the chicks and than strip down anything they may have touched in the process..

> Thanks in advance for your 2 cents !!

 

[crazyhen]

NO! All chickens do not have salmonella. You can have an agr. vet tech check them to be sure when they are 4 months old. You are more likely to come in contact with it from wild birds than well kept chickens. Also turtles and lizards are more likely to have it. Do realize as with all animals you have to use caution when caring for and using the feces. It should be covered in soil and well composted. It makes wonderful fertilizer. I just be sure to wash my produce. Also hand washing is a must for children and adults dealing with chickens and eggs. Dealing with chickens can be a great learning experience for children but care is always nec. and teaching should precede that experience. Enjoy gloria Jean

 

[newBonboard]

 

[newBonboard]

Thank You

There is LOT'S of hand washing going on here .. As mentioned the children are doing great and it's a non issue..they wash their hands before and after without any trouble but I think I myself might be going a little over board with myself as I am the one who is really handling them.. hand washing...hand sanitizer.. washing anything I may have touched before I washed my hands lol ... The articles warning of Salmonella freaked me out haha

 

[elmo]

Do you buy chicken meat at the grocery store? Meat from the grocery store is more likely to bring salmonella into your home that chickens from your back yard. Use sensible precautions as you do with raw meat in your kitchen, and your family will be fine.

 

[aggie9296]

All chickens CAN have Salmonella, as it lives in their gut. Just as all humans have bacteria in their gut. Are all of them dangerous strains? No. But you must assume all animals and their poop (humans, chickens, turtles, dogs) have bacteria in and on them. Wash your hands regularly and cook your food thoroughly.

Children that are raised around animals, eat some dirt, and walk outside barefooted probably have healthier immune systems than those who have everything sterilized around them.

I grew up barefooted on a farm and never got salmonella or hookworm.

 

[newBonboard]

Thank You Golden

I think this is just what I want to read .. all the people such as yourself who have experience with all this as I really am such a newbie. Many articles are VERY one sided warning of the worst !! At the end of the day I decided to go ahead with this adventure, I love my chicks and I guess I am just looking for that extra reassurance

 

[GiddyMoon]

We really need to start fighting what the media and govt scare tactics are doing to people. How many generations raised their own chickens with kids barely even using soap, and they did just fine? Seriously. These generations took baths once a week and many still lived to be 90...all my grandparents lived into their late 80s and they would laugh in our faces about masks, and massive soap and the fear used today. My grandfather was a cattle rancher / logger / fisherman and he would come home covered in grime, head straight to the trout pond, cut up old chicken livers with a pocket knife he rarely washed, feed them to the fish by hand and eat a sandwich right after , then go cut up trout for dinner with the same knife..never washing....... Sound gross? Yea, well to our indoctrinated brains it is. The man was 87 when he died.


All these scares are meant to bring on new regulations and standards by the govt and who gets the biggest contracts to sell their mass produced govt approved food. I was raised around body builders who ate raw eggs daily, I still let my kids lick the bowls. Yes, I have my kids wash their hands after being with the chickens, but that is a don't bring the AZ dust into the house thing, not a fear thing. Yes, salmonella can happen, but it is NOT as common as you think AND...if we ALLOW our kids to eat some dirt, play in dirt, don't force antibacterial junk on them all the time, they gain an immunity..their resistance grows. We are harming our bloodline by being germaphobes.

 

[gocrow77]

I agree, good animal husbandry is a must - and hand washing after handling any animal (dogs and cats included) is a must at our house. But, I think you are about 100 X's more likely to get salmonella from grocery store eggs and chicken meat than from any you raise yourself. Factory farming is nasty nasty business, and tests (watch the Polyface farms segment of Food Inc.) have proven that factory farm products are far higher in bacteria count per square inch. In all likelyhood if you maintain any semblance of a fairly clean coop you will be exposing your family to lesser quantities of harmful bacteria than you have over the years when you bought grocery store products.

that's MY 2 cents!

 

[newBonboard]

Thanks Aggie

I agree 100% with growing up free and not with everything sterilized

This is only day 3 for me so I think up to this point I have been a little over kill lol