Salmonella is a bacteria that can cause nausea, fever, abdominal and severe diarrhea. Symptoms develop 12-72 hours after infection. Typically, Salmonella is a food-borne illness that makes over a million people sick annually. While most Salmonella infections are from food, it is also linked to live animals such as reptiles, birds, and live poultry.
Most people with healthy immune systems get well within a week without medical treatment. However, each year around a quarter of the chicken owners exposed to salmonella from backyard flocks need inpatient hospital care to get better. A weakened immune system combined with Salmonella can be debilitating and even lethal.
Chickens, ducks, geese, turkey, and other live poultry can carry Salmonella germs in their guts. Live poultry can have Salmonella germs in their droppings and on their feathers, feet, and beaks, even when they appear healthy and clean. These germs can spread to the environment where poultry live and roam, including their coops, cages, hay, soil, and feed and water dishes. People can get sick from contact with anything in the bird’s environment, even if they don’t touch the bird directly. Backyard poultry flocks are an increasing and important cause of Salmonella infections in people in the United States.
Safe Handling of Live Poultry Flocks
Safe Handling of Eggs from Poultry
Egg shells may become contaminated with Salmonella from poultry droppings or the area where they are laid. Follow the tips below when collecting and handling eggs from a backyard flock:
Most people with healthy immune systems get well within a week without medical treatment. However, each year around a quarter of the chicken owners exposed to salmonella from backyard flocks need inpatient hospital care to get better. A weakened immune system combined with Salmonella can be debilitating and even lethal.
Chickens, ducks, geese, turkey, and other live poultry can carry Salmonella germs in their guts. Live poultry can have Salmonella germs in their droppings and on their feathers, feet, and beaks, even when they appear healthy and clean. These germs can spread to the environment where poultry live and roam, including their coops, cages, hay, soil, and feed and water dishes. People can get sick from contact with anything in the bird’s environment, even if they don’t touch the bird directly. Backyard poultry flocks are an increasing and important cause of Salmonella infections in people in the United States.
Safe Handling of Live Poultry Flocks
- Live poultry should be kept outdoors at all times. Do not allow poultry to roam or live in your home, especially in areas where food is prepared or served. Salmonella germs can spread to surfaces in the home and people can get sick from contact with these surfaces.
- Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water right after touching live poultry, their eggs, or anything in the area where they live and roam. Adults should supervise handwashing for young children. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not readily available.
- Do not snuggle, kiss, or hold live poultry close to your face. Do not eat or drink around live poultry or in the areas where they are kept.
- Children under age five, adults over age 65, and people with weakened immune systems should be very cautious when around live poultry.
- Set aside a pair of shoes to wear while taking care of poultry and keep those shoes outside of the house.
- If poultry have access to gardens, properly wash any produce before eating.
- Install a droppings board under night roosts and clean it daily. Reduce contamination by cleaning coops regularly.
- Rodents can harbor salmonella, which can then infect the birds if rodents contaminate their food. Controlling rodents is very important for reducing Salmonella in the birds’ environment.
Safe Handling of Eggs from Poultry
Egg shells may become contaminated with Salmonella from poultry droppings or the area where they are laid. Follow the tips below when collecting and handling eggs from a backyard flock:
- Always wash your hands with soap and water right after handling eggs, chickens, or anything in their environment.
- Maintain a clean coop. Cleaning the coop, floor, nests and perches regularly will help to keep eggs clean.
- Collect eggs often. Eggs that spend more time in the nest can get more poop on them, or break. Throw away cracked eggs.
- Clean eggs that have dirt and debris with fine sandpaper, a brush, or cloth. Don’t wash eggs with cold water, because colder water can pull Salmonella on the egg shell into the egg.
- Refrigerate eggs after collecting them.
- Cook eggs thoroughly so that yolks are not runny and whites are firm. Raw and undercooked eggs may contain Salmonella bacteria that can make you sick.