Can You Get Salmonella From Your Chickens?

A lot of people ask “Can you get Salmonella from your chickens?” You can, but it’s not very likely. The conditions have to be just right. Most of the Salmonella cases are contracted by eating undercooked food. You can also get it from touching something contaminated with Salmonella and then putting your hands in your mouth. 

Salmonella is a common bacteria that lives in the gut of animals and people. Your gut contains good and bad bacteria. I’m sure you’ve heard all the talk and seen commercials on “good gut health.” 

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If you keep your coop and run clean, you will reduce your chances tremendously. Salmonella is transmitted through poop, soil, waterers, wild birds, and rodents.

Those most susceptible to Salmonella are:

• Immunocompromised 
• Adults over 65
• Children under the age of 5
  

Healthy people may have Salmonella and never exhibit any signs or symptoms. The majority of Salmonella infections come from contaminated food and water but the CDC page on Salmonella outbreaks, list a few other sources: 

• Pet turtles 
• Cut fruit
• Ground beef
• Pig ear dog treats 
• Papayas
• Pet hedgehogs
• Butterball ground turkey
• Pre-cut melon 
• Frozen raw tuna
• Backyard poultry 
  

Generally, symptoms occur within 8 hours to 48hours and can last up to 10 days. The most common symptoms are:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Headache
• Stomach cramps
• Fever
• Bloody diarrhea
• Dehydration 
  

Healthy people may have a light case and just think they have a “stomach bug.” If you go to the doctor for any of these symptoms, be sure and let them know you have backyard chickens. 

It’s estimated that there are 1.35 million cases of Salmonella each year which include 26,500 hospitalizations. In 2019, 1134 people were sick from poultry with 219 hospitalized, which is less than 1%. 

Although it is not impossible to get salmonella from your chickens, it’s not very common. 

I believe most chicken-related Salmonella illnesses come from battery hens

Battery hens are housed in cages and many of them can’t even stand up. Sometimes the cages are a little larger, but then there will be several chickens in each cage. Under these conditions, the birds are stressed which weakens their immune system. Most pictures I see of battery hens have pale combs and they are losing feathers.

Additionally, how can a poultry worker that’s caring for battery hens tell if they are lethargic or unable to stand when they never leave their cages!? Many of these birds will have salmonella for a while before the worker notices. I’ve even read horror stories where dead birds are found with other birds pecking it. Who knows what happened to those eggs. 

I could get really upset about this but unless everyone has backyard chickens, it’s not going to change. In 2018, 95.3 billion eggs were produced. That’s a lot of eggs! 

So how do you know if your chicken has Salmonella? 

• Lethargic
• Increased thirst
• Decrease in appetite
• Decreased activity
• May isolate themselves
• Purplish comb
• Yellow/green diarrhea
  

Just by spending a little bit of time with the chickens, most of us know when our chickens are sick. Each of our girls has a personality and I can always tell when one is “off.”

If you suspect your chicken is ill, isolate it immediately. Illness spreads quickly in a flock. Anytime our birds have been sick, I immediately give Nutri-Drench and follow up with electrolytes.  If your bird’s comb is blue or purplish, contact your vet. Our local feed store, which is a great resource, has a list of vets that care for poultry. I would probably dispose of any eggs. 

A fun fact about eggs. They have several layers of defense. When an egg is laid, it has a protective coating on the outside, called the bloom. This protects it against bacteria getting in. Then there is a membrane between the shell and egg that gives another layer of protection. 

To help maintain gut help, I give our girls apple cider vinegar once a month in their water. Some people do it more often. I put a splash in their waterer for three days. There are probiotics that you can buy, but I haven’t given any on a routine basis.

Recently, I’ve given our girls yogurt as a treat and they loved it! Yogurt is great for gut and crop health and also for yeast (vent gleet). If you give yogurt, use plain and not flavored with sugar. I sprinkled the top with mealworms and they devoured it. 

To protect yourself and family from getting Salmonella from your chickens:

• Wash your hands after handling your chickens. If you are outside for a while and don’t have access to water, use hand sanitizer. I also wash my hands after gathering eggs. 

• Once a month (or so), I do a chicken check-up and check them over from beak to toe. When checking their bums, I wear gloves. 

• Clean the coop and monitor their poop for anything unusual. 
  
• Make sure the nest box is clean. 
  
• Don’t kiss your chickens (although I’ll admit, I sometimes do this)
  
• Have a specific pair of shoes you wear in the coop. I don’t wear these other places so I’m not tracking germs into our coop or yard. 
  
• If you visit other farms or friends that have chickens, be extra vigilant about your clothing and shoes. Last year I went on a coop tour in Dallas, which was so much fun! When I got home I changed my clothes and shoes, which was probably not necessary but I didn’t want to take any chances.
  
• When cooking chicken or eggs, make sure it’s cooked thoroughly. This will kill any bacteria. 
  
• Be sure and wash your hands with soap and water after handling raw chicken. 
  
• Use a bacteria-killing cleaner on countertops. 
  

Overall, I think backyard chickens are getting bad publicity for causing Salmonella. By putting a few biosecurity measures in place, you can keep everyone healthy. This is our third year having backyard chickens, they bring so much joy (and great eggs) to our life, I can’t imagine not having them.