The Truth About Bird Flu in Backyard Birds

 "Backyard birds are more immune to the Bird Flu than factory birds. Really not a worry if your birds free range most of the time."  - Statement found on Chicken Whisperer Facebook page in response to information posted about the dangers of backyard bird feeders on March 26 2016.

There are no breeds or strains of domestic poultry that are resistant or immune to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).  That being said there are breeds (most famously the Egyptian Fayoumi) that are known to have greater disease resistance than other breeds.  For example, the Fayoumi breed has greater resistance to coccidiosis but conversely they appear more susceptible to infectious bursal disease.  Fayoumi also have lower hatchability rates.  The point being that there is no perfect breed or strain of chicken.  Researchers may identify local breeds of chickens or cross-breed different breeds of chickens that have unique traits including disease resistance, but to believe that backyard and free-range birds offer a "genetic panacea" that would allow us to ignore biosecurity as the primary method of reducing mortality related to HPAI is unfortunately not accurate.

Answer provided by Maurice Pitesky DVM, MPVM, DACVPM
Veterinarian/Assistant Specialist in Cooperative Extension
Poultry Health and Food Safety Epidemiology
School of Veterinary Medicine
University of California

The Truth About Getting Sick with Salmonella

"People get sick from Salmonella because they have no immunity to it. Getting Salmonella will help build my immunity to Salmonella so in the future I won't get sick from it."  - Statement posted as a reply to a post on the Chicken Whisperer Facebook page on October 17, 2015.

Getting an infection with Salmonella does not mean you will never get an infection with Salmonella again. Some immunity may be formed after infection with the germ, but it may not be effective if you subsequently receive a high dose of the germ and immunity may not last your whole life.  Also, there are many different types of Salmonella that can make you sick, so it is possible you may not get infected by the same type. Salmonella can cause serious illness or even death. Children younger than age 5, people older than 65, and those with weakened immune systems are at a higher risk for serious infection. Advice from CDC to help prevent getting sick with Salmonella can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/general/prevention.html

Answer provided by Megin Nichols, DVM, MPH, DACVPM
Enteric Zoonoses Team Lead
Outbreak Response and Prevention Branch
Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Truth About Salmonella

"You only get salmonella from chickens that are sick with it themselves. You would typically notice a salmonella problem in your flock."  - Statement found on a Facebook chicken group posted on April 30, 2015.

Salmonella can come from multiple sources, not just chickens.  You can get it from fruits and vegetables, as well as from your flock.  Cross-contamination in the kitchen is also another way to get sick with Salmonella, or any other bacteria for that matter.  If you do not keep certain foods refrigerated and then undercook the food,  then that is yet another way to get sick with Salmonella.  The blame is not always on the chickens!  Salmonella has lots of ways to get into us if we do not know how to safely handle foods in the kitchen.

Now that that is out of the way, let’s talk about the chickens.  You said “"You only get salmonella from chickens that are sick with it themselves.”  That statement is correct.  Salmonella on the inside of chicken eggs typically comes from the chicken that is sick with the organism.  However, you can get Salmonella on the outside of the egg if the coop that the egg is kept in contains Salmonella.  That means another chicken could be sick with Salmonella and be spreading it around in the coop.  Dirty bedding, dirty nest boxes, dirty egg collections baskets, or other surfaces in the coop can be a source.  We all know that our chickens tend to share nest boxes, so think about it.  If the infected chicken uses the same nest box as a healthy chicken, then the outside of a good egg can be contaminated just through contact.  That is why we wash our eggs, so that the bacteria does not work its way in through the eggshell’s pores to contaminate the inside (or our hands as we crack open the eggs).

You also said “You would typically notice a salmonella problem in your flock."  This is not as accurate as your previous statement.  Salmonella has several hundred different serotypes, very few of which cause the chickens to show symptoms of illness.  Instead the chickens can become carriers of Salmonella.  That means that they randomly shed the bacteria in their feces, and their eggs, without showing signs that they were ever sick.  Salmonella is famous for this feature in humans too.  Ever heard of Typhoid Mary?  Same bacteria, just in humans rather than chickens.  The only way we know if our chickens have Salmonella is to test them regularly, because if we lapse in our biosecurity, then our chickens can pick up Salmonella at any given time.

Response provided by Dr. Brigid McCrea, Ph.D.

Associate Professor and Extension Poultry Specialist

Delaware State University