Question for the Chicken Pro's: How Real is Salmonella Risk in Handling Your Chickens?

Back when I was a child raising chickens we never gave a second thought to the risks of Human Salmonella infection, and never did I or any member of my family become ill because of it.  However, now that I am reading everything I can get my hands on about raising chickens again, I keep seeing articles telling me how risky handling chickens can be for humans.

I just read an article on TractorSupply.com about Poultry Handling Safety Guidelines and they make it sound like chickens are practically toxic.  The article says that children under the age of 5 should not touch chickens at all.  They also said to not let Chickens inside your home, especially in bathrooms.  Not that I planned on having chickens in my house hanging out like my cats do, but I would have baby chicks inside if it were to be too cold for them outside.

An article on the CDC website seems to be saying that the high risks are related to baby chicks (and ducklings). However is says that these baby chicks can contaminate the coop and the grounds where they roam.  They didn't specifically say adult chickens, however if the babies contaminate everything, wouldn't the adults be able to carry and pass on this infection? 

So one question I would love an answer to from you chicken pro's is how do you clean out the coop and use that material in your garden/compost if everything that comes in contact with the chickens has a potential risk of contaminating you with Salmonella?  

Also, both of these articles say to not snuggle or kiss your birds....well I have fond memories of having my favorite chickens sit in my lap quite often and I have read many of your blog posts sharing stories of your chickens being sociable and sitting in your lap.  So are we expected to wear a HazMat suit when handling our chickens so they don't get Salmonella germs on our clothes???

Is Human Salmonella Infection really so much more of a higher risk these days?   Are chickens more Salmonella-ridden then they were several decades ago or have our immune systems become more susceptible to it?  Or are people just more paranoid about things these days?

Please share what you know about this issue and how you have dealt with it.

Keeper of 1 husband, 2 grandkids, 3 dogs,
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 

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Researching Cool Chicken Coops

As I prepare for my future backyard chickens I have been doing lots of research on chicken coops.  The hubby is a house builder so he has agreed to build me what ever coop I want, if I can find him the plans or some really good pics.  He has never raised a chicken, or even seen a live one up close for that matter, so he has no idea what a chicken needs in their coop.  So I have to educate him on a few things.

We could have a basic utilitarian style coop but I have seen some really cool ones that look like miniature country towns or kids playhouses.  They are so cute!  I want to find something that will look great in the yard while still being functional for the chicks as well as allow me easy access to the eggs and for cleaning.  Look at this one that was featured on the cover of the Backyard Poultry August/September 2012 issue.  I am already thinking about how much fun I would have painting and decorating the fronts with different chicken themed buildings.  

Speaking of the Backyard Poultry Magazine (I love that magazine), while visiting their online site I discovered an awesome giveaway going on called the Chick House Peepstakes sponsored by Nutrena .  There are several prizes that you can win including a Grand Prize of a Chicken Coop worth over $2,400!!  I have entered and to be fair I thought I would share the contest with you too.

If you have a really cool coop tell me about it.  Send a picture and I may include it in a future post!  If you have plans for building a cool coop I'd love to hear about them too.

Keeper of 1 husband, 2 grandkids, 3 dogs,
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 

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Did this post stir something inside of you? If so, Please leave me a comment, I would love to know what you're thinking!!!

Coming Soon...The Backyard Chicken Lady Blog

This is the future home of

The Backyard Chicken Lady Blog

This blog is currently under construction.  I plan to use this blog to keep share my journey back in to raising chickens in my backyard.  I have always had a bit of an abnormal attraction for chickens of all kinds.   As a child I grew up on a small family farm where we had Chickens, Cows, Goats, Pigs, grew our own food in a large family garden.  This part of my roots has stuck with me for my whole life as a positive time in my life.  Now that I am over 50 I want to bring back the peace, calm, and contentment I felt in my life with Chickens...Please follow me on this journey.

The inspiration came from Ellie, a Hen belonging to Tammy over at "Our Neck of the Woods" blog...

If you subscribe to my posts below, you will get an email whenever I have new posts to share.  You  can find me in several places online such as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and more, that I will post a link to below as I get them set up.

Thanks for stopping by!

Keeper of 1 husband, 2 grandkids, 3 dogs,
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 

I would love it if you 'Liked' me on Facebook too!

Did this post stir something inside of you? If so, Please leave me a comment, I would love to know what you're thinking!!!