Since December 2021, the price of eggs in grocery stores has increased by almost 60% due to inflation and diseases. This substantial increase in price has inspired more Americans to buy chickens and create their own backyard coops. Although a fun hobby in theory, backyard coops are extremely susceptibleto pathogens and foodborne illnesses. If one chicken in a backyard coop gets sick, often the disease spreads to all the chickens in the coop (and is not always detected by inexperienced coop owners). Salmonella and Avian influenza are the most common foodborne illnesses that spread in chicken coops. In 2022, The CDC found that cases of Salmonella were found from backyard chicken coops in 49 out of the 50 states. The popularity of backyard chicken coops surged during the pandemic and the Salmonella outbreaks linked to backyard chicken coops have also increased as a result.
What are certain things to keep in mind when handling chickens?
After handling the chickens, it is extremely important to properly sanitize hands before touching anything else and especially before touching food. It is also highlyrecommended to change clothes and footwear after being in the coop and handling the chickens. Any children assisting with the chickens should be monitored and educated about proper sanitation. 45% of people infected with Salmonella from a chicken coop are children.
Oftentimes, people underestimate the amount of money and hard work that it takes to uphold a chicken coop and allow the cleanliness of the coop to rapidly decline. The coop must be kept dry and should constantly be cleaned. The waste generated from the coop needs to be properly disposed of, especially if used later as garden fertilizer.
Eggs need to be collected often and immediately refrigerated. There is a debate about whether or not to wash the collected eggs, however, to avoid the germs from seeping into the egg, the dirt/fecal matter should be simply rubbed off with a cloth or sandpaper rather than run under water. Properly cooking the eggs and poultry before consuming is essential to avoid an infection.
