Tag: chickens

Salmonella Outbreaks Linked to Backyard Poultry

  • What you Need to Know if you’re Consuming Fresh Farm Eggs.
  • What You Need to Know as a Backyard Chicken Keeper

Whether you are raising backyard chickens or consuming fresh eggs from a local chicken keeper, there are a few precautions to be aware of. Salmonella is real, and a serious health threat that exists everywhere… even from local backyard chicken keepers.
What You Need to Know as a Consumer of Backyard Farm Fresh Eggs
Backyard poultry, such as chickens and ducks, can carry Salmonella germs even if they look healthy and clean. These germs can easily spread to anything in the areas where the poultry live and roam.
You can get sick from touching backyard poultry or anything in their environment, including eggs.
Your eggs should never be in a used egg carton. If you’re unsure if your supplier uses new cartons, transfer the eggs into a clean wire basket. It’s a good practice to transfer eggs to your own basket before they reach your kitchen.
Discard dirty or irregular eggs. Dirty eggs mean the nest box is dirty, and the eggs may have been exposed to bacteria.
Don’t wash eggs; eggs have what is called the *bloom that protects the egg from bacteria. Washing removes the bloom, allowing bacteria to easily enter the egg.
Ask to see the area where the hens that supply your eggs are kept. It should be dry and not foul-smelling. The hens should look happy and healthy.
Never crack open the egg on the same pan you’re cooking in.
Wash your hands anytime you handle eggs, especially when cooking.
Those at Highest Risk of Severe Illness from Salmonella
Young children, especially under 5 years old.
Adults 65 and over, or someone with a compromised or weakened immune system.
What You Need to Know as a Backyard Chicken Keeper
Eggs from a backyard chicken keeper should be collected daily. Cracked, dirty, or eggs that aren’t in the nest box should be discarded. Fresh eggs are better left unwashed as not to disturb the bloom, which protects the eggs from bacteria.
It is good practice to clean nest boxes weekly and have at least one nest box for every three hens.
Don’t re-use egg cartons; or sell eggs in used cartons. Use a wire basket when collecting eggs. Ask your customers to bring their own basket or container.
Transfer eggs to a clean wire basket or new carton before storing them in your refrigerator.
Wash hands immediately after handling eggs.
There should be a clean space between your living quarters and the coop. Shoes, gloves, or anything you wear to work in the coop should be left in a designated area away from your living quarters. Rakes, shovels, and all cleaning supplies that are used in the coop should STAY IN THE COOP or a designated area nearby.
If your birds are free-roaming, they should have an area completely separate from the family home. This includes a no chicken zone where children or pets are likely to play.
Don’t let children younger than 5 years touch chicks, or other backyard poultry. Young children are more likely to get sick from Salmonella.
Note: What is the Bloom? The “bloom” of an egg in an invisible coating that the hen’s body will “lay” on top of the shell of the egg. The bloom is also known as the cuticle of the eggs. It protects the egg from bacteria entering the egg.

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Salmonella Safety Practices for Backyard Chicken Keepers

Fact: People can get sick with Salmonella infections from touching backyard poultry, their feed, and the places where they live and roam.

Here’s What You Need to Know

Keeping chickens can be a healthy & rewarding hobby, but what we need to talk about is the proper management that will keep your family safe from the dangers of salmonella.
This isn’t talked about near enough and I feel too many chicken keepers are dismissing the fact that salmonella is found in bird droppings. If eggs are not handled properly, salmonella can be passed along to people. That’s the basic truth. But the facts are much broader than just safe egg handling, every chicken keeper should be well educated on proper housekeeping and coop management to safeguard against Salmonella.
Simple Rules for Good Chicken Housekeeping
Backyard poultry can carry Salmonella germs even if they look clean and well-kept after. After handling baby chicks, (especially children and people with weakened immune systems) should immediately wash their hands thoroughly.
There should be a clean space between your home and where your chickens roam. That means they must have their own space where people won’t be constantly exposed to their droppings.
Wear special shoes or boots when tending to your birds, and store them away from the designated clean space.
Never eat or drink where your chickens live or roam.
Keep your coop and where the chickens roam clean. Regular coop cleaning and fresh bedding should be at the top of your chore list.
Collect eggs daily and keep the nest box clean. Eggs should never lay in droppings.
Refrigerate your eggs, this slows the growth of germs.
Coop equipment such as water or feed containers should be cleaned outdoors only.
Chickens are not indoor pets and shouldn’t under any circumstances be allowed in your home. They aren’t to be cuddled and certainly not kissed.

Outbreaks of Salmonella Infections Linked to Backyard Poultry in 2020…

As of December 17, 2020, a total of 1,722 people infected with one of the outbreak strains of Salmonella were reported from all 50 states.
333 people (33% of those with information available) were hospitalized.
One death in Oklahoma was reported.
24% of ill people were children younger than 5 years of age.
Epidemiologic and laboratory evidence showed that contact with backyard poultry was the likely source of these outbreaks.
576 (66%) of the 876 ill people interviewed reported contact with chicks and ducklings.
People reported obtaining chicks and ducklings from several sources, including agricultural stores, websites, and hatcheries. Testing of backyard poultry and their environments (such as backyard coops) in Kentucky and Oregon found three of the outbreak strains.

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Backyard Chickens, Yes or No?

Is Having a Few Chickens Something You’re Considering?

Maybe you didn’t think about being self-sufficient before 2020, but what about now? Did you see shortages and empty shelves at the grocery store? Despite the grocery store’s shortcomings, at least I knew there were always gonna be fresh eggs right in my backyard. It was a nice feeling, real nice, but is keeping chickens for you? Let’s take a closer look…
Having backyard chickens is going to add to your chore list, and yes, they’re kinda messy, and yes, you’re gonna spend a little extra money just to have those “free eggs.” But, putting all that negative stuff aside, the question of whether or not it’s worth it is a simple one. Yes, and here’s why.
The flavor of a fresh egg is rich, the color is vibrant, and the texture is amazingly firm in comparison to grocery store shelf eggs. But here’s the best part, farm fresh eggs taste better, and hold more nutritional value than store-bought. Studies have found that fresh farm eggs have less cholesterol, contain the right kind of fat, and have more vitamins than conventional eggs.

Fact: By law, an egg can be sold for up to 30 days after the date it was put in the carton. And farmers have up to 30 days to go from when the egg is laid to the carton. That means those supermarket eggs can be two months old by the time you buy them. It only makes sense to assume after two months some nutritional value has been lost.

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Upkeep and What to Expect

Every morning I spend about 10-15 minutes tending to my birds. I use a pooper scooper, pick up the droppings from the nest box and coop, fluff up the pine shavings, fill the drinker, collect eggs, and…. that’s it. Once a week the coop gets fresh pine shavings and the feeder is refilled. My hens have a large turn-out space attached to the coop, however, if they were confined to a coop 24/7, a more rigorous cleaning regiment would be inevitable.
Probably the biggest mistake I made when getting my first backyard flock was how many birds to get. Lesson learned, I bought way too many and ended up with more eggs than my family could eat.
Keep it simple, if you want to feed a small family of four, six hens is just about right.

Start-up Cost, The Honest Truth

No matter how you slice it or dice it, no less than $1,000. A nice well-built chicken coop that will last is not cheap. You can buy a cheapy online, but you’ll end up buying another, usually because it’s too small, or poorly made with sub-par lumber. You’ll also need a brooder for baby chicks, a heat source, a drinker & feeder for baby chicks, a drinker & feeder for mature chickens, nest boxes, perches, shavings, feed, cleaning supplies, etc. These are costs that can’t be avoided. Keep in mind, you will be feeding those chicks for about 6 months before they lay their first egg.
As of March of 2026, a 40lb bag of layer pellets for adult hens averages about $27.00, organic is substantially higher. How long that last varies on how many birds you have and if it’s secure from wild birds accessing it.
The amount of feed an adult chicken consumes in one day can vary depending on several factors such as the size and breed of the chicken, the time of year, and the quality and type of feed provided. However, as a general guideline, an adult chicken typically requires about 4-6 ounces of feed per day.

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