>> Welcome everyone, and thanks for joining us today to learn
about salmonella illness in backyard chickens and ducks.
We're here in a real, live backyard coop and talking with CDC veterinarian Megin Nichols.
Megin leads a team of disease detectives who investigate outbreaks linked to animals.
And I'm Brittany Behm, your moderator.
We'll be here for 20 minutes to talk about your questions.
So, to get started, why are we even here today talking about this topic?
>> Well, Brittany, we're actually here for a pretty serious reason.
And that is we've had over 200 illnesses that have happened this year
that have been linked to contact with live poultry.
And about one out of every four of those illnesses has occurred among children.
So unfortunately, we are seeing people who keep backyard chickens getting sick.
Now the good news is it's actually a preventable issue.
Through some really, really simple prevention measures we can actually keep our families
and our flocks healthy.
>> Oh, wow.
How do people even get sick to begin with?
Are the chickens sick first and then pass it to us?
>> Well, I think that's a really great question.
And we get that a lot at CDC.
So, one of the things that is important to understand is that chickens can carry salmonella
and still appear healthy and clean.
It doesn't necessarily make chickens sick.
However, this salmonella germ can actually make people very sick and that's one
of the reasons we're here in a backyard coop today because the salmonella can be anywhere
where the chickens live and roam.
And that's why any time we're in this environment we want
to make sure we're washing hands and doing things to keep ourselves safe.
For example, I actually have a bottle of hand sanitizer that I keep nearby the coop.
So that when I don't have an opportunity to run in and wash my hands right away,
I can still use it to keep my hands clean.
>> Got it.
Are there any other practical tips to keeping your family safe?
>> Absolutely.
Well one of the other things I have here today are actually my gloves.
You can see that these are gloves that I use
when I am cleaning the coop and doing other activities.
I keep them right here near my rake.
And on top of that, I don't know if you can see this in the camera,
but I also wear boots that are very easy to clean.
And they're boots that I do not wear inside.
I only wear then when cleaning the chicken coop so I don't track any germs into the house.
>> Gotcha.
Well, what about tips for cleaning the coop or equipment outside?
>> Well, when you are in this area, you have to keep in mind, there's the potential
for there to be salmonella germs.
Chickens live outside, it's not something that we want to bring into our house.
In fact, we have a great coop here, it keeps the chickens very safe
from predators and also very warm.
We make sure that any tools, feed, water dishes or other things like that,
we clean those outside and we don't bring them inside.
>> Got it.
So... what would you say, parents of young children that might be thinking
about getting a backyard coop for a chicken?
>> Well again, one of the things we have seen this year is that young children are some
of the ones most affected in this outbreak.
A little over 25%.
So we recognize, it's really important for parents to be aware of this because children
under the age of 5 years are ones that can get really severe salmonella infection
and that can even require hospitalization in some cases.
It's really important for all parents to supervise their children when they're
around chickens or any other animals.
And... make sure they're washing their hands really, really well with soap and water
and drying them with a paper towel afterwards.
It's a great thing for us to be able to share this experience with our children,
we just have to be sure we do this in a way that's safe.
>> Right, Right.
Those are really good tips.
For those who are just joining, we're talking with CDC veterinarian Megan Nichols
about salmonella as it relates to backyard chickens and ducks.
We're going to start taking your questions and while we wait for some questions to pop up,
you mentioned there's outbreaks going on, illnesses, people getting sick.
Can you tell us more about that?
Are people still getting sick?
Is it ongoing?
>> Yeah, this is an ongoing outbreak, we continue to see people who get sick.
One of the things we want people to know, it's always important when you're going
to bring any animal into your household that you make sure it's the right animal for you.
So... we don't necessarily recommend chicken ownership if you have a weakened immune system
or if you're an older adult or have really young kids in your household.
Just because those are the people who are at greater risk
for really severe salmonella illness.
Also... we want people to remember that chickens can actually be a seven to ten year commitment
and they can require a lot of things like a coop, like cleaning equipment and food.
So... it's really important to take
that into consideration before you bring chickens home and into your backyard.
>> Wow. Who knew it was such a commitment?
That's crazy.
We have a question from Roger.
Do you recommend people in suburban areas keep chickens and why or why not?
>> Hey Roger, it's great you're asking this question.
One of the things that we think is actually a good first step is to make sure that your county
or local authority actually allows you to keep backyard chickens.
Because there are some local or county ordinances that don't necessarily allow it.
Now if they do, I think it can be a really great and positive experience for you and your family
to learn a little bit more about backyard agriculture
and even maybe to have some fresh eggs.
>> Great! And Willie asks, is there anything we can do to give the chickens
to kill the salmonella if you know they have it?
>> Mm hmm...
yeah... one thing that we have seen in some cases,
some people give their chickens antibiotics.
Since the salmonella doesn't necessarily cause the chicken to get sick,
it's not something we recommend, however...
we know that it's important to keep your chicken coop clean, and dry and it's a really good idea
to make sure you store the chickens food in a closed container
so that the mice don't get after it.
Those are some things that can really help to keep the germs down in your chicken coop.
However...
you don't necessarily need to treat the birds, because they don't get sick.
>> Right. So...
we have a great question here from Sarah about the handwashing and what
about using hand sanitizer if you're not able to use soap and water right away.
>> Sarah, that's a really good point.
I keep hand sanitizer near the coop so that I can use it.
Before I have the opportunity to wash my hands.
However...
the first thing I do when I'm ready to go inside is I remove any clothes, especially my shoes,
that I was going in to work in the coop and then I go inside and I wash my hands, first thing,
with soap and water and dry them with a paper towel.
This is actually a great activity you can do with your kids
and sing the happy birthday song twice, kids love that.
>> That's awesome.
Kelly asks, how frequently should we clean out the whole coop?
>> Kelly, I think it probably depends
on how many birds you have and how quickly it gets dirty.
One of the things you want to make sure you're doing is preventing any excessive build
up of chicken manure and make sure they have a fresh layer of bedding.
One good rule of thumb, is if you can start to smell things in your chicken coop,
it's probably a little past due time to clean it up.
>> Got it.
So what about people who have chickens for egg collection.
Is there advice for collecting eggs?
>> Absolutely, the way I remember this, is actually what I call the Five Cs.
So the first one is to collect the eggs often, you don't want to leave these eggs
in your coop where they're getting dirty.
When you go to bring them inside, make sure you're cleaning the eggs.
This doesn't mean washing, it means wiping off the outside
of the egg to remove dirt and debris.
The next part is to cool your eggs, bring them in and make sure you refrigerate them.
You don't want them sitting on the counter.
Next, cook your eggs thoroughly, no runny eggs here, because we do know
that salmonella can even get on the inside of the egg and lastly, if the egg is cracked
at all, make sure you throw it away.
That's not something you want to eat.
>> Great tips.
So Avril is asking, her school is considering getting some backyard chickens
to be sustainable, I've heard something about salmonella, should we be concerned?
What do you have to say about schools who might have chickens?
>> Yeah...
I think, Avril, it's really great that you guys are considering having a backyard
poultry experience.
One of the things I will say is that we don't recommend that in the event there are children
under the age of five that go to the school.
This isn't recommended for preschools or daycares.
Just because those kids are more likely to put their hands into their mouth
and we know that's how they can get salmonella.
However...
if they're older kids that can wash their hands and especially supervise and can learn more
about caring for animals, I think that's a great idea.
You just have to be careful and take those prevention steps.
>> Sarah's asking, are some of these prevention steps applicable
to pigs, cows, other barn animals?
>> Absolutely, Sarah, you are spot on with this.
Any time you are around farm animals, including chickens, goats, pigs, cattle or even others,
they can actually carry some germs that don't make them sick, but can make us sick.
If you're at a petting zoo this summer or this fall and enjoying time with the family,
you want to make sure that after you're
around those animals you're washing your hands very, very well with soap and water.
>> Great - and so Deborah's asking, what about campylobacter.
Is that another type of illness you can get from these types of animals.
>> Yes... campylobacter is another type of germ that chickens and other poultry can carry.
And so by taking a lot of the measures to actually prevent getting sick with salmonella,
handwashing, wearing dedicated shoes and making sure you're not tracking any germs inside
and cooking chicken or eggs thoroughly, those will also help prevent a lot
of the other germs that we can get sick from.
>> Joshua's asking for any advice for people who might be starting their own backyard flock.
What's the first step?
>> I think the first step, Josh is when you go and consider setting up a backyard coop,
you want to make sure you have information first.
So... go to your local library, talk with any friends, the U.S. Department
of Agriculture actually has a great website about this.
Maybe get a couple books and learn a little bit more
about what it takes to keep backyard chickens.
I know I was surprised and Josh, you might be too.
>> All right, few more questions here.
Laura's asking if there's any advice for county fairs and animal handling
that people are going to this summer or fall?
>> Yeah...
with county fairs and other animal venues,
we don't necessarily recommend chickens in those environments.
You can see that here in the backyard coop,
our chickens are actually very comfortable hanging out in the shade.
They don't necessarily want to be held or touched.
And we want to make sure that any venue that has animals, has hand washing nearby
and post some signs that tell parents, make sure you wash your hands after you're in this area
and as you can see from us, no food or water in the animal areas.
>> Got it.
Okay, so Christina is asking, when cleaning the coop,
should you wear a mask or any other protective gear?
>> I think that's something that is up to you.
If you have another reason to wear a mask and have talked with your doctor about that,
then that may be appropriate or if you're worried about dust and debris.
However...
ordinarily, if you're cleaning the coop out on a regular basis, you may not necessarily need
to wear a mask to do this, however...
it's something that's a good idea to talk
with your Health Care provider or others about, if it's needed.
>> Great. And just a reminder for those joining, we're talking to CDC veterinarian Megan Nichols
about salmonella illness as it relates to backyard chickens and dusks.
We have a question from [inaudible name] about the risks of eating raw egg.
What are some other things that we can get sick from when we eat egg
that might not be cooked all the way through?
>> Well Salmonella is definitely a big one in terms of eating raw eggs.
We have seen some outbreaks in the past that have been linked to consuming eggs
that are undercooked or not fully cooked.
And so... we want to make sure any time that we consume eggs,
we are cooking those eggs thoroughly.
So... we don't want to eat those runny eggs.
>> Got it.
Lindsay's asking about other animals like pets, dogs, that are coming out,
being with the chickens, could the dogs carry those germs back inside?
>> Mm hmm.
>> Anything to do about that?
>> That's another reason I'm glad we're out here in the backyard.
You can also see that I actually keep my other pets separate from my chickens.
I think that reduces the stress a little bit, it's good biosecurity, which is something
that means that we're doing our best to keep the germs away
from our chickens and away from our other pets.
I don't let my dog in around to comingle with the chickens.
I just think it's probably better that he doesn't get in here
and track any of those germs around.
>> Got it.
What about if you have a child who maybe gets sick from salmonella and you think they got it
from the birds, is there anything you should do with the chickens
if you think they have salmonella?
>> Yeah...
I think it's important for us to think about all chickens
as potentially having the ability to carry salmonella.
If we think about it that way, we want to make sure we're always taking prevention measures.
Now, if your child gets sick from salmonella, always talk to your doctor
and it's not necessarily a reason to need to rehome or get rid of your chickens,
it's just a reminder of how important it is to wash hands and take those other simple steps.
>> What about chicken manure?
Is that good in a garden to help your crops grow?
Any advice on manure?
>> There are some really great resources out there from a couple universities
around composting of chicken manure.
That allows you to make sure that all the germs in the manure die,
but you still get the nutrients in your garden.
It's always a good idea to remember any vegetables
or fruits you're going to eat, you wash them first.
You don't want manure on your vegetables.
>> No, I don't.
Very good.
How about, from Aaron, mixing flocks like ducks and chickens in the coops?
Is that okay to kind of comingle poultry?
>> Aaron, great question.
I don't know if you have chickens and ducks,
but I find that it can be an actually cool experience to have both.
One of the things I would say, you certainly can bring them both in, however,
it's a good idea if you're going to bring new animals home, to isolate them for a little bit,
that way, if the birds that you're bringing home have any other diseases,
they're not necessarily sharing it with your existing flock.
There's more information about that on the USDA website.
That's the United States Department of Agriculture.
>> What about when we're thinking about going to buy you might have touched on this already,
when buying chickens, are some places better to get them than others?
>> That's a really common question that we get.
Where should I get chickens?
Sometimes people will even ask their feed stores, I think that's a great first step.
You want to make sure that when you go to the store to buy chicks,
you ask where did they come from?
And... you want to make sure they come from a hatchery that takes extra steps to try
and reduce the burden of salmonella that's in the environment.
And they can do that through things like testing the environment,
really making sure things are clean and sometimes even using a vaccine for salmonella.
You want to make sure that the hatchery has taken those steps too.
>> Got it.
What about organically raised chicken?
Is that any different than just normal chicken that's not organically raised?
>> When it comes to chickens in your backyard,
there isn't necessarily a difference that we see.
It's something you can consider, but not necessarily something we consider
when we're looking at salmonella and backyard chickens.
>> I think we are almost out of time.
I think we have time for one more question.
I think we kind of hit on this, but anything we can do with our chickens in terms
of vaccinating them or reducing the risk that they would have salmonella
so we can be sure that they're safe?
>> Absolutely, well, the first thing is making sure you're always taking precautions
as though your chickens could have salmonella.
Because again...
chickens can carry other germs that could make us sick.
The next thing is to make sure you're getting your chickens from a hatchery that takes steps
to reduce the burden of salmonella.
That's something you can always ask when you go to the feed store to buy the chicks,
do they source these baby chicks and other poultry from a hatchery that does its best
to reduce the burden of salmonella.
That's a really important question and it can help and of course when you bring them home,
and make sure everything is kept clean on a regular basis.
>> Great. So as we wrap up today, can you just give us a summary of what families should do
to protect themselves from salmonella?
>> Absolutely.
I think that raising poultry can be a fun and educational experience.
The reason we're here today is because sometimes things can go wrong
and people might not be aware that chickens
and other poultry can acutally carry germs that can make us sick.
What we want to do in the event
that we anticipate raising backyard poultry is wash our hands,
don't wear your coop shoes inside your house, don't kiss, cuddle or snuggle your chickens,
cause they can have these germs on their feathers and to make sure you're talking
to your kids and others about appropriate handwashing
and supervising them any time they're around the animals.
>> Wow. Well, I've learned so much today.
Thank you so much, Megin and thank you all for joining us today.
If we didn't get to your questions, we'll comment as soon as we can after this event.
Have a good one.
>> Bye.