Salmonella?! What do I do now????

[Holler Hens]

So, both of my kids (10 & 6 yo) have tested positive with the same strain of Salmonella. The CDC has done genome testing and it is a strain "common from handling live poultry." They will now be testing a stool sample from my flock for confirmation that is where they contracted it. We have 10 week old Wyandottes that we got from a reputable (we thought) hatchery. My husband is on the verge of getting rid of the chicks, I am not. I have done enough research to make my head spin, but wondered if anyone here has had a similar experience. Most of the articles I've read discuss the human side, but I'm worried about the animal side right now. The kids are under control and healthy. Do we have to cull the flock? Are their eggs going to be safe to eat? My kids are (sadly) banned from the birds for now. We stressed and stressed proper hygiene with them, but obviously something slipped passed us. Any thoughts/advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!

 

[Aunt Angus]

I'm so sorry you have to deal with this! But it isn't the chickens' fault, nor is it the hatchery's. Salmonella is everywhere there is poop. More people get salmonella from produce than chickens.

I'm sure you were super careful. It just happens sometimes. Kids are just more susceptible because they're, well, kids and they don't have the best hygeine practices yet and they don't have fully developed immune systems. The only thing I can suggest is up your hygeine game: dedicated chicken clothes and shoes, foot baths, frequent handwashing, maybe even gloves.

I do do hope your kids get better! Poor kids.... Salmonella poisoning is miserable. But it's not a disease chickens carry; it's a bacterium.

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

Sorry to hear about your kids! Hope they feel better! I do believe I'd consider getting rid of the chicks, especially if they made my kids sick. You should ALWAYS wash your hands after handling chicks and don't touch your face to them and all that. It's such a shame of how many problems chickens can have; diseases they can carry, which is why I'm planning on getting rid of my chicks. It's going to hurt me, and I'll cry my head off. But after seeing how many problems they truly have, it worries me into what problems I'll run into, and I don't have the heart to see them get sick.

 

[AlleysChicks]

So I'm just going to put this out there.

When I was a kid I had a pet turtle. They too can have salmonella. Anyways I had a cousin that got really sick and turns out she had salmonella. One of her parents got mad at us because supposedly she got it from my turtle. The thing is she had never even been to our house and we would only see her sometimes at family gatherings. Wanna know where she actually got it? A hamster that stayed at her grandparents house.

So what I'm saying is just because the chicks are a possible cause, they just might not be the actual cause. You can even get it at fast food places.

 

[Aunt Angus]

So I'm just going to put this out there.

When I was a kid I had a pet turtle. They too can have salmonella. Anyways I had a cousin that got really sick and turns out she had salmonella. One of her parents got mad at us because supposedly she got it from my turtle. The thing is she had never even been to our house and we would only see her sometimes at family gatherings. Wanna know where she actually got it? A hamster that stayed at her grandparents house.

So what I'm saying is just because the chicks are a possible cause, they just might not be the actual cause. You can even get it at fast food places.

Good point because salmonella is EVERYWHERE. The testing will tell OP definitively, but if it wasn't chickens, it'd be a turtle, or a hamster, or the dog, or the salad, or the potatoes, or the door knob, or the school restroom...

 

[Eggcessive]

You can get salmonella from eating an undercooked egg, chicken, or mayonaise that has been left out too long. Although most chickens nowadays are not carriers of salmonella, we should all assume that any chicken or egg could possibly contain it. Chickens with salmonella may show symptoms, and they can be tested for it by any NPIP tester in your state. But to get rid of your chickens for this would be a bit extreme, even if they are carriers. Mt. Healthy hatchery has had some outbreaks occasionally over the last 10 years, but again, it must be assumed that any chicken is a carrier. Salmonella is not a deadly disease usually, but the kids need to learn good handwashing. That doesn’t mean that they won’t ever get it again. I got it by eating microgreens on my salad at one of the best restaurants in our area a year ago. It is also why I order scrambled eggs when I go out for breakfast.

 

[Holler Hens]

So I'm just going to put this out there.

When I was a kid I had a pet turtle. They too can have salmonella. Anyways I had a cousin that got really sick and turns out she had salmonella. One of her parents got mad at us because supposedly she got it from my turtle. The thing is she had never even been to our house and we would only see her sometimes at family gatherings. Wanna know where she actually got it? A hamster that stayed at her grandparents house.

So what I'm saying is just because the chicks are a possible cause, they just might not be the actual cause. You can even get it at fast food places.

I am looking forward to the test results, although anxiously! The main reason it's thought to be from the chicks is that my kids contracted it about 5 weeks apart. They were not exposed at the same time.

 

[Kris5902]

I think the reasonable thing to do is clean things more thoroughly, and monitor the Hand washing process and handling of the chicks more carefully. Your chickens almost certainly do carry the salmonella, but as pointed out there are many other ways to pick it up. You mentioned “chicks” who doesn’t want to pick up and cuddle those cute little fluffy balls? They don’t “look” dirty...

 

[Henriettamom919]

You can get salmonella from eating an undercooked egg, chicken, or mayonaise that has been left out too long. Although most chickens nowadays are not carriers of salmonella, we should all assume that any chicken or egg could possibly contain it. Chickens with salmonella may show symptoms, and they can be tested for it by any NPIP tester in your state. But to get rid of your chickens for this would be a bit extreme, even if they are carriers. Mt. Healthy hatchery has had some outbreaks occasionally over the last 10 years, but again, it must be assumed that any chicken is a carrier. Salmonella is not a deadly disease usually, but the kids need to learn good handwashing. That doesn’t mean that they won’t ever get it again. I got it by eating microgreens on my salad at one of the best restaurants in our area a year ago. It is also why I order scrambled eggs when I go out for breakfast.

Ditto the scrambled eggs. I'm also super leery of salad bars. I've had food poisoning several times in my life and my chickens haven't poisoned me once

Things like salmonella and staph live all around us and can literally be picked up anywhere. That's not to say your chicks don't have the strain but getting rid of them only reduces one source several that could make a person ill.

I hope you make the best decision for your family, whatever it is and I'm sorry this happened

 

[Holler Hens]

You can get salmonella from eating an undercooked egg, chicken, or mayonaise that has been left out too long. Although most chickens nowadays are not carriers of salmonella, we should all assume that any chicken or egg could possibly contain it. Chickens with salmonella may show symptoms, and they can be tested for it by any NPIP tester in your state. But to get rid of your chickens for this would be a bit extreme, even if they are carriers. Mt. Healthy hatchery has had some outbreaks occasionally over the last 10 years, but again, it must be assumed that any chicken is a carrier. Salmonella is not a deadly disease usually, but the kids need to learn good handwashing. That doesn’t mean that they won’t ever get it again. I got it by eating microgreens on my salad at one of the best restaurants in our area a year ago. It is also why I order scrambled eggs when I go out for breakfast.

We actually got them from Mt. Healthy. They were recommended to us from the farm we currently get all of our meat and eggs from. And the kids will no longer be allowed to get over easy eggs! I am really hoping the results come back negative for my chicks!