Someone told DH chicks could...

[kfisher]

make my kis sick and they wer disease ridden animals

I have 6- 41/2 week old chick living in my garage and DH came home from work today complaining about how nasty they were and that a guy at his work told him we shouldnt have them because they can make our kids sick. I have a 2 y/o and a 4 month old, my 4 month old doesnt go near them and the most my 2 y/o does is feeds and waters them (does the same with our dog

). I have already moved them to the garage for DH because he didn't like them in the "extra" area in our kitchen that we put animals in, dog food/water and crate etc.
I told him as soon as he builds me a coop Ill put them out back! Its already in the 80's/90's during the day, we're in Florida and they have been free ranging for about a week now.

 

[b.hromada]

First off,

from S. Florida, to another Floridian!

Just make sure you wash your hands well after handling them. Just as you would after handling most animals. I think you will really enjoy them, and maybe change the hubby's mind too.

Have fun!

 

[ginger c.]

just make sure everybody washes their hands with anti-bacterial soap after handling the chicks. the diseased chickens are the ones in the over-crowded in-humane large commercial chicken houses where diseases spread. backyard flocks tend to be cleaner, healthier chickens, that lay better eggs. keep doing your research on BYC these folks are wonderful for providing great info! remember the more you know the better off you are!!! good luck!!!

 

[kfisher]

b.hromada :

First off,

from S. Florida, to another Floridian!

Just make sure you wash your hands well after handling them. Just as you would after handling most animals. I think you will really enjoy them, and maybe change the hubby's mind too.

Have fun!

Thanks! We're in Northwest Florida

DH hasnt had a problem with them until now, lol other then them being in the kitchen! This guy told him their feathers could make us have breathing problems

No they aren't the cleanest animals but like I said my LO's dont even touch them! Ugh, just some things people say!​

 

[Taylorhens]

The issue with chickens is that they can carry salmonella. Generally, children under 5 shouldn't handle them (much) and should definitely wash up very thoroughly after being around their coop, feeders, waterers, etc. Salmonella is transmitted through feces, so don't forget if they walk in chicken poop and then try to put on/take off their own shoes, they could be transmitting the disease...though i'm not saying it's likely...just possible. Just practice good handwashing a cleanliness in the coop and all should be fine.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Other than the Salmonella issue, some people are allergic to the dander. But then some people are allergic to cats. Not everyone is, but some people are.

 

[mshirk]

Believe me, if chickens were nasty disease carrying critters I wouldn't have gotten a few.... I take medication that suppresses my immune system. I am more prone to any illness, however mild, turning into a serious infection. I researched backyard chickens for 18 mo. before getting ours. My son had wanted a parakeet for 2 yrs, but due to the illness they can carry I had to say no. Happily, chickens are a much lower risk option!

 

[AinaWGSD]

Ask your DH just how much personal experience this guy has with chickens and diseases spread by chickens. It's a common belief that chickens are "disease ridden animals" and cause widespread illness among humans, yet there is a lack of medical reports to support this idea. "Chickens are dirty, disease ridden animals that will make you sick," is a line often spouted by those who have only ever seen a live chicken in a petting zoo, if at all, and when pressed couldn't tell you any of the specifics of which diseases exactly they will spread to your family.

Yes, the chicks could make your kids sick. So could your dog. In fact, the dog is more likely to carry and transmit diseases to your children at this point than 4-5 week old chicks that came from a clean hatchery, especially with their limited contact. Dogs can carry mange mites which are transmissible to humans, ringworm, intestinal parasites, and they lick their butts then go and lick your face. The biggest concern with chickens (and reptiles) and disease is salmonella, which they aren't very likely to have due to a lack of exposure to it and is easily enough avoided by good general hygiene (ie wash your hands after you handle them). Yes, their feathers, more specifically the dust created by their feathers, can cause breathing problems for people and the chickens themselves. That's why you keep them in a well ventilated area. And for the record, dog hair and dander and the dirt and dust they carry in on their fur can cause breathing problems in people too.

Ask DH to do some in depth research on exactly what diseases backyard chickens (not chickens kept by the thousands in crowded barns which are a potential health risk due to the conditions they are kept in, not because they are chickens) can spread to people and how that spread occurs. I think he'll find that there aren't really that many bugs out there that people and poultry can share and in most cases you have to be downright disgusting about your housing and hygiene conditions for there to be a significant threat of transmission. My DS was about 9 months old when we got our chicks. He wasn't allowed to touch them, mostly because we didn't want him accidentally hurting them, and we were sure to wash our hands thoroughly after handling the chicks before touching our son. We still try to practice frequent hand washing when it comes to chickens, but we are a little more lax about it. And while I certainly discourage it, I also know for a fact that he has managed to grab a piece of chicken poop and pop it in his mouth

on at least one occasion. He's fine and now at 20 months he loves the chickens and asks to go out and see them often.

 

[GiddyMoon]

Before everyone had so many grocery stores around their houses..most kids dealt with chickens or chicken poo / farm animals quite often. Kids have been living on farms since the dawn of man and it is this last 20 years our govt has tried to demonize home produced food so we would rely on mass production..how do we get people to do that? Put fear in them. Antibacterial soaps have BEEN PROVEN to do MORE HARM than good both on us, our children and the environment. The more we put our kids in bubbles the more easier it is for them to get sick. The chance of anyone getting anything is very slim...think about it people. Farms were the norms for the masses and still are for many. Don't fall for the fear tactics..

 

[FuzzyButtsFarm]

If you have a functional immune system this should not be a problem. In fact is has been proven children exposed at an early age to germs and bacteria develope a better immune system than those that have not.
It seems we are raising a generation of immune deficent children by placing them in a bubble.

If hospitials are supposed to be soooo clean, why are some of the most verilent strains of bacteria and virises originating from them. Think about it.