It has become a very common act for most homes to have backyard chickens. According to Smith. et.al, backyard chickens are domestic gallinaceous birds, it doesn't include exotic pet birds, introspective of their location. In simple terms, those chickens that are kept and raised on residential properties are known as backyard chickens.
Keeping chickens in urban areas consistently raises serious concerns and problems, issues concerning odor, noise, pest and waste management, as well as diseases are often raised.
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Major concerns of diseases that can be caused by chickens are avian influenza, campylobacteriosis, salmonella, and chlamydophylosis.
Chlamydophilia Although it is a rare condition, it spreads quickly upon contact with the feces or respiratory secretions of a sick bird.
Salmonella and Campylobacter usually happen through the consumption of contaminated food that hasn't been appropriately cooked. They can exist in the gut of the chickens and get transmitted to their feces.
CDC found that the number of human salmonella outbreaks from handling live poultry has greatly increased over the years.
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It is strongly advisable that people especially children learn to wash their hands before and after coming in contact with a live poultry.
Close contact with a bird like kissing and hugging should be warned against, studies reveal that some percentage of sick patients were found to have been in close contact with birds.
Avian Influenza is a respiratory disease in birds. Most subtypes of the disease are not zoonotic but a few are, and we cannot particularly tell the exact strain of the disease that is or will affect our backyard chicken.
Thorough washing of hands with soap and water is significant to reduce the possibility and spread of the disease, Children also need to wash their hands, but it can only be achieved properly through the supervision of an. Adult.
Children younger than the age of five, have no business with you hugging or playing with backyard chickens. Ensure that your eggs are thoroughly cooked as bacteria could move from an infected healthy-looking hen into the interior of normal eggs.
Before you introduce chickens to your backyard, make sure you understand the bye-laws guiding your territory/environment. This way you are safe from the harassment that comes with breaking government laws.
Live birds have no business inside your home, especially in the areas where you keep your food and water and where they are prepared. All materials used for caring for poultry need to be kept outside the premises of your home and not inside.
Having the expertise of a veterinary doctor is important for the well-being of your best neighbors (the chicken), it is expected that they feel unwell sometimes, and you must be ready to take care of them to limit the spread of infection as well as achieve the economic value you have in mind.
Backyard chickens are good and they add a lot of economic importance, but we must be careful because they can also cause infections and diseases.
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