sickness

[10PointChickens]

Im not sure where to post this. I have been terribly sick 3 times within six months with a stomach bug. Have any of you contracted anything from your chickens? I always wash my hands after handling anything to do with them. Are there better measures for making sure this doesn't happen again?

 

[cricco]

I'm having similar issues. I'm new to chickens, and these last few days I've had an on and off stomach bug. Cramps, bloating and a constant feeling of "needing to go". I'm wondering if it's from constant contact with my chickens.

 

[Folly's place]

I've had chickens for many years with no such problems, but that's not to say that something isn't going on here. Mt. Healthy hatchery had chicks with Salmonella this year (AGAIN!) , for example. Feed can be contaminated, birds can be carriers, other pets or people can bring things to you. Maybe just bad luck, multiple food poisoning episodes or something totally unrelated. Sorry you've been ill. Mary

 

[aart]

It's possible.....but I'd look very closely for other sources.
What have you eaten, where have you been...anyone else sick that's eaten the same things from the same places?

Often people first want to blame the chickens, but then find another source of food poisoning or it could be something viral.

There are germs everywhere. Many folks seem to think the 'anti bacterial' hand washes and 'sanitizers' will take care of everything, but in reality they're next to useless and give a very false sense of security. They can actually cause resistance in organisms, just like over use of antibiotic medications have.

The best way to get contaminants off your hands is to use regular soap, LOTS of water and vigorous mechanical action (rub all surfaces of your hands and fingers together under running water, after liberally soaping them, for at least 10 to 20 seconds-count them out, it's longer than you think). Use a brush around and under your fingernails.