Salmonella Poisoning

[M_Clucker]

So I just recently got over a case of salmonellosis this past week. I had the fever, aches, chills, diarrhea, nausea and abdominal pains. Symptoms lasted 3 days. It’s also not Covid because I was tested twice; once with a serology test and second with a nasal swab. Both came back negative. My girls are 3 months old and I clean their coop weekly. I wear a mask when I scoop their poop from the sand floor and I take apart and scrub down their hen house (plastic) with soap as water. I also ALWAYS wash my hands after handling them and refilling their water or feed. How many of you have gotten salmonella from your chickens? Is this common?

 

[DobieLover]

How do you know you got if from the chickens?

 

[BonNuit]

So I just recently got over a case of salmonellosis this past week. I had the fever, aches, chills, diarrhea, nausea and abdominal pains. Symptoms lasted 3 days. It’s also not Covid because I was tested twice; once with a serology test and second with a nasal swab. Both came back negative. My girls are 3 months old and I clean their coop weekly. I wear a mask when I scoop their poop from the sand floor and I take apart and scrub down their hen house (plastic) with soap as water. I also ALWAYS wash my hands after handling them and refilling their water or feed. How many of you have gotten salmonella from your chickens? Is this common?

Where you tested for salmonella? Did they do contact tracing for the source?

 

[333113]

FYI, if you are worried about salmonella, you may want to sign up for the (scary) emailed USDA Food Safety alerts:
https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USFSIS/subscriber/new?preferences=true#tab1

I've had salmonella twice, once in 2003, along with about 400 other people who ate at the workplace cafeteria that day, and once in 2011 at a church picnic in Springfield, Illinois. Never caught it from my chickens, probably because my chickens don't have it.

 

[BonNuit]

FYI, if you are worried about salmonella, you may want to sign up for the (scary) emailed USDA Food Safety alerts:
https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USFSIS/subscriber/new?preferences=true#tab1

I've had salmonella twice, once in 2003, along with about 400 other people who ate at the workplace cafeteria that day, and once in 2011 at a church picnic in Springfield, Illinois. Never caught it from my chickens, probably because my chickens don't have it.

Really stupid question: how can one be sure their chickens do not have it? Can I treat them for it as if they do -- so to be certain they aren't carrying it in their digestive tract? Must I do a fecal smear -- or should we just always assume that all our flocks carry it, and just wash our hands meticulously. (BTW, I already do -- but my 80 year old mother, I am sure, isn't as careful as she should be.)

 

[M_Clucker]

How do you know you got if from the chickens?

I don’t. Just wondering if anyone has gotten it from their backyard flock. I’m not blaming mine, but I also can’t rule them out.

 

[M_Clucker]

Really stupid question: how can one be sure their chickens do not have it? Can I treat them for it as if they do -- so to be certain they aren't carrying it in their digestive tract? Must I do a fecal smear -- or should we just always assume that all our flocks carry it, and just wash our hands meticulously. (BTW, I already do -- but my 80 year old mother, I am sure, isn't as careful as she should be.)

I’m pretty sure salmonella bacteria naturally lives in the gut and fecal track of all poultry and water fowl. I’m very careful about washing my hands, just wondering if anyone has encountered this with their chickens and you can’t blame it on something else. My husband and I have eaten almost all the same meals last week and he had no symptoms. He also never takes care of the girls, they are my responsibility.

 

[M_Clucker]

Where you tested for salmonella? Did they do contact tracing for the source?

They did not. They thought it was Covid and waited until results came back, which took awhile. No tracing was done, so it’s not a definite, but I was told it was likely from my NP. Not blaming my girls, just wondering if anyone has come across this with their flocks.

 

[333113]

Really stupid question: how can one be sure their chickens do not have it? Can I treat them for it as if they do -- so to be certain they aren't carrying it in their digestive tract? Must I do a fecal smear -- or should we just always assume that all our flocks carry it, and just wash our hands meticulously. (BTW, I already do -- but my 80 year old mother, I am sure, isn't as careful as she should be.)

It's a very good question. You can have your chickens tested for salmonella. My flock is NPIP-certified, and the main two tests they do for chickens are for pullorum and avian influenza, which cause chicken fatalities. I have to ask for salmonella enteritis testing in my state (Missouri), because I don't have a meat or egg-producing flock.

Here is the NPIP link to approved Salmonella tests:
http://www.poultryimprovement.org/Salmonella.cfm

And here is the information on salmonella enteritis from the CDC:
https://wonder.cdc.gov/wonder/prevguid/p0000003/p0000003.asp

 

[333113]

I’m pretty sure salmonella bacteria naturally lives in the gut and fecal track of all poultry and water fowl. I’m very careful about washing my hands, just wondering if anyone has encountered this with their chickens and you can’t blame it on something else. My husband and I have eaten almost all the same meals last week and he had no symptoms. He also never takes care of the girls, they are my responsibility.

Actually salmonella enteritis is not that common. And I am glad of that!

However, that does not stop me from washing my hands and practicing good biosecurity!