The high cost of eggs may be inspiring some people to add a chicken coop or two to their backyard or property.
However, feathered pets carry serious health risks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), so people should approach that endeavor with their eyes wide open.
“Raising any type of animal or bird is always potentially fraught with communicable disease transmission,” Dr. Aaron Glatt, chief of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital on Long Island, New York, told Fox News Digital this week.
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“Adequate care must be taken to maintain the good health of these creatures, as well as to prevent the spread of microbes they may harbor,” Glatt added. He is also a spokesperson for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
Last year, there were 1,230 illnesses, 225 hospitalizations and two deaths in 49 states and Puerto Rico as part of a CDC investigation into poultry-related outbreaks, according to its website.
“Farming any kind of animal or bird is always potentially fraught with the transmission of communicable diseases,” said one infectious disease expert.
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“In 2022, CDC investigated 13 multistate outbreaks of salmonella infections linked to backyard poultry,” Dr. Kathy Benedict, a CDC veterinary epidemiologist, told Fox News Digital.
“Backyard poultry can be a reservoir of many diseases, which can transmit disease to birds and/or humans,” added Maurice Pitesky, a cooperative extension specialist at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Davis, California.
“Backyard poultry can be a reservoir for many diseases.”
“It is our responsibility to raise the birds in such a way that the potential for disease transmission is reduced,” he added.
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The CDC provides tips on how to stay safe from harmful germs that chickens can spread.
Chickens are carriers of germs.
“Chickens can carry germs like campylobacter, E. coli and salmonella,” the CDC’s Benedict told Fox News Digital.
These are all bacterial infections.
Chickens can look “clean and healthy, but still spread germs to people.”
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Chickens don’t usually get sick from these germs, he said, so “they may look clean and healthy, but still pass the germs on to people.”
People who use a chicken coop can also get an infection known as histoplasmosis, Benedict said.
Histoplasmosis is caused by a fungus found in soil contaminated with bird droppings.
It is caused by a fungus found in soil contaminated with bird droppings.
Experts stress the importance of knowing the health risks of a particular bacterial infection, salmonella, associated with having a chicken coop.
Learn the facts about salmonella
“You can get sick by touching your backyard poultry or anything in your environment and then touching your mouth or food and swallowing salmonella germs,” ​​the CDC notes on its website.
Patients who are sick with salmonella often have a fever and symptoms of diarrhea with stomach cramps, the CDC says.
Symptoms often start six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria, but most people get better on their own within a week.
Eggs that stay in the nest for too long can get cracked or dirty, so collect newly laid eggs as often as you can, health experts advise.
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Children under the age of five, adults over the age of 65, and immunocompromised individuals are more likely to have severe salmonella illness and may require treatment, including hospitalization.
Wash your hands
The agency emphasizes that people should always wash their hands with soap and water after the following: handling chickens; touch their eggs; and touch any place where chickens live and roam.
Children should also be supervised any time they are around backyard poultry.
But hand sanitizer is a good second-line option if soap and water aren’t readily available.
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The agency suggests that people keep a ready supply of hand sanitizer near the chicken coop.
Don’t kiss the chickens or snuggle with them.
Kissing or snuggling chickens can spread germs to their mouths, which is why the CDC recommends against doing so.
Also, don’t eat or drink around chickens, says the CDC.
It is best not to eat or drink anything around chickens.
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Store the chickens, their care supplies, such as feed bins, and the specific shoes you wear when keeping chickens away from home.
“You should also clean up supplies outside the home,” the CDC adds on its website.
supervise children
Children should also be supervised any time they are around backyard poultry.
Parents and caregivers should remind them to also wash their hands after handling chickens.
Children under the age of five should not touch the chickens. That’s because they’re at higher risk of getting sick from germs like salmonella.
Handle eggs wisely
While “eggs are one of nature’s most nutritious and inexpensive foods,” notes the CDC, “eggs can make you sick if you don’t handle and cook them properly.”
Eggs that stay in the nest for a long time can get cracked or dirty, so collect the eggs as often as possible.
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Cracked eggs allow germs to enter the egg more easily through the cracked shell. Eggs with broken shells must be discarded.
For intact eggs, “rub dirt on [these] eggs with fine sandpaper, a brush, or a cloth,” the CDC notes on its website.
Once you’ve cleaned the eggs, it’s best to refrigerate them to keep them fresh and slow bacterial growth, says the CDC.
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For warm, fresh eggs, avoid washing them with water, “because colder water can attract germs to the egg.”
Once you’ve cleaned the eggs, it’s best to refrigerate them to keep them fresh and slow bacterial growth.
While some people believe that fresh, unwashed eggs can be safely stored at room temperature, refrigerating them will help them last longer.
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The CDC adds: “Cook eggs until both the yolk and white are set, and cook egg dishes to an internal temperature of 160°F to kill all germs.”
Benedict told Fox News Digital: “The CDC website has information on how to stay healthy with backyard chickens and how to keep your chickens healthy.”
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She noted that the agency also includes FAQs and “a printable infographic for people who own chicken coops.”
