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The poultry industry in India has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons, from the huge amount of antibiotics being injected into the chickens, to the hormone injections being given to the fowls to induce quick growth in them. This has led to people wanting to set up their own little backyard poultry farms so that they can rear their own chickens and keep their families safe and healthy. But this seems far from the truth because according to the US Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, you must wash your hands after handling live poultry. This reminder came from them due to another outbreak of salmonella from backyard chickens.
This warning has come after 212 people became sick with salmonella since February, allegedly due to eating backyard grown poultry across the US.
Dr. Megin Nichols, a CDC veterinarian says that it is not necessary that chicken infected with salmonella will look sick. He says that the birds carry the bacteria on their feathers, on their feet and in their droppings.
CDC’s Best Practices to avoid getting infected
CDC and the US Department of Agriculture on its Biosecurity for Birds page offers best practices to avoid getting infected with a bacterial infection while rearing your own backyard chickens.
- Start with the basics, wash your hands well with soap and water after you touch the chickens and the equipment around them as well.
- Keep the birds out of your home and don’t wear the footwear you use to visit the poultry area into your home, this precaution ensures you dont carry the bacteria into your living space.
- Never allow kids less than five years of age unsupervised near the birds or animals, as they are very susceptible to infection.
- Wash the chicken’s eggs properly and cook them.
Sources : https://edition.cnn.com/2018/07/26/health/backyard-chickens-salmonella/index.html