Preventing salmonella and bacteria spreading to vegetable garden?

[Sky5678]

Apologizes if this is the incorrect place to post this.

I live in the city and my yard space is rather small (around ~150 square feet or so). I was thinking of getting quail and they'll be confined to a run. However my family does own a vegetable garden, and I'm worried if quail waste will be blown over to the garden? Vegetables from the garden will be eaten raw, and an elderly family member regularly tends to the plants.

I'm completely clueless about things like this as and I don't want to accidentally sicken anyone! Where does bacteria like salmonella even come from and how does it spread? I will regularly be cleaning out the enclosures, most likely with a deep litter system which turns waste into compost. Is this compost safe to use - and does it make the eggs more dirty? Thanks!

 

[azygous]

It's very wise of you to be aware of this issue. The fact is, salmonella is everywhere. It can live inside humans, pets, food animals, and wild animals without making any of them sick.

Salmonella becomes a dangerous threat when it grows and multiplies under the right conditions. A salmonella cell can be innocuous until that potato salad is left out on the picnic table for hours on a warm summer day. The warm conditions cause the bacteria to multiply, and when the family sits down to eat, grandpa and the three-year old are the first to get sick because each likely has an immune system that is not as strong and robust as the rest of the family.

The only way most people become infected with salmonella is when they fail to wash their hands after being around animals or after they themselves have been to the bathroom. This is how the salmonella gets into people - they ingest it.

Cooking food, washing your hands, taking care not to cross contaminate foods such as raw meat prepared on the same surface as the raw veggies for the salad will help insure the bacteria won't cause problems.

In the garden, keeping that deep litter and compost turned over to circulate oxygen will prevent the growth of not just salmonella, but other dangerous bacteria that is always present in the soil - botulism. Sunlight and oxygen are the two most important elements that keep dangerous bacteria in check in your garden.

So, wash hands frequently, cook raw proteins thoroughly, wash garden veggies and don't prepare them on the same surface as meats, and keep your garden and compost well aerated, and you shouldn't ever need to worry about salmonella making any of your family sick.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Interesting questions. Salmonella lives in the intestinal track of infected humans or animals, including birds. So it is possible that your quail are infected. You might consider getting a quail fecal sample tested for salmonella to ease your mind. It's not worth it to me but it might be to you.

Salmonella is spread by coming into contact with fecal matter from an infected critter. It can last for months outside critters. I guess it is theoretically possible it could be spread by the dust your quail produce and spread by wind, but I'd consider that a stretch. It's possible it could be spread by the compost from your deep litter method if it is present. If the compost heats up enough it should kill the bacteria bit in reality all parts are not going to heat up sufficiently for that. So again. theoretically possible.

As Azygous said salmonella can be practically anywhere in nature. A bird flying overhead or a four-legged critter just walking around can leave a deposit. Birds that take a dust bath do so in ground they've probably pooped in so salmonella can be in their feathers or down when you handle them. It sounds like humans should be extinct from salmonella but last time I checked we were not. Just because something can possibly happen doesn't mean it is all that likely. Azygous went through some of the things you can do to minimize the chances. The main ones for me is wash your hands, don't cross-contaminate veggies with meat products, cook meat products, and wash your veggies.

I'm pretty good about washing my hands after going to the bathroom or handling animals (including handling eggs) but I like my steak kind of rare. I wash veggies really well that I feed to others but I plant a cherry tomato next to my garden gate so I can grab a quick snack when I walk by. Those don't get washed. I know I should do better but I don't.

I would absolutely use that compost, that stuff is black gold to a gardener. I use it when I'm planting things, I don't spread it on things I'm ready to harvest. While many things are theoretically possible I don't obsess over them. I use what I consider to be reasonable precautions and get on with my life.

 

[Acre4Me]

I've read that quail do not carry salmonella. While looking for a reputable source for this info, all I can find is references for Chicken eggs, so it will take a bit more research to find a factual citation relating to quail. Still, bird poop is "hot" and needs to age before adding to any garden. If you have a compost bin, I would add it there. Then it ages and breaks down with everything else. Quail are a very nice option for small spaces. Good Luck.