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A trend in raising chickens in urban/suburban areas has led to a spike in salmonella infections:
The popular trend of raising backyard chickens in U.S. cities and suburbs is bringing with it a soaring number of illnesses from poultry-related diseases, at least one of them fatal. Since January, more than 1,100 people have contracted salmonella poisoning from chickens and ducks in 48 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Almost 250 were hospitalized and one person died. The toll was four times higher than in 2015.
The CDC estimates that the actual number of cases from contact with chickens and ducks is likely much higher. "For one salmonella case we know of in an outbreak, there are up to 30 others that we don't know about," CDC veterinarian Megin Nichols said.
A "large contributing factor" to the surge, Nichols said, comes from natural food fanciers who have taken up the backyard chicken hobby but don't understand the potential dangers. Some treat their birds like pets, kissing or snuggling them and letting them walk around the house. Poultry can carry salmonella bacteria in their intestines that can be shed in their feces. The bacteria can attach to feathers and dust and brush off on shoes or clothing.
But illnesses can be prevented with proper handling. The CDC recommends that people raising chickens wash their hands thoroughly after handling the birds, eggs or nesting materials, and leave any shoes worn in a chicken coop outside.
Salmonella is much more common as a food-borne illness. More than 1 million people fall ill each year from salmonella contamination in food, resulting in more than 300 deaths, according to the CDC. There are no firm figures on how many households in the U.S. have backyard chickens, but a Department of Agriculture report in 2013 found a growing number of residents in Denver, Los Angeles, Miami and New York City expressed interest in getting them. Coops are now seen in even the smallest yards and densest urban neighborhoods.
Earlier article from when only 900 people had been infected this year.
Related: Backyard Beekeeping Now Legal in Los Angeles
(Score: 4, Insightful) by t-3 on Friday October 20 2017, @05:31AM (11 children)
Birds are disgustingly dirty, especially chickens. Plus, chickens eat ANYTHING. I bet all those urban chickens are fattening up on city rats and pigeons. Combine this with hipsters who probably think their chickens are cuddly vegetarians rather than ravenous mini-dinos, and disease is sure to strike. I bet there's good money in wringing necks and plucking feathers for the squeamish ones.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by FatPhil on Friday October 20 2017, @06:17AM
So thank ${DEITY:-Science H. Logic} for this story. Maybe I finally have all the proof I need that my generation isn't the stupidest. (Like I needed any more, but it's nice to get each of the boxes ticked.)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @10:37AM (8 children)
Don't be ridicules. Chickens don't eat rats or pigeons.
Chickens eat bugs and frogs though. But they are smart and learn rather quickly not to try to eat wasps ;)
Also, chickens are no more dirty than other birds. And salmonella has nothing to do with them being dirty or not.
Ha! That's probably one of the bits of truth you wrote.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @04:26PM
And mice. Some chickens love mice, though they're hard to catch, and even harder to eat. The chicken has to bash the mouse into the ground repeatedly until the bones are broken enough, so it will fit down their throat, but apparently it's worth the effort.
I'm sure they'd love to eat rats as GP suggests, but the smash-and-swallow approach just doesn't scale, and they're simply not adapted for tearing animals into bite-sized chunks like raptors do.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday October 20 2017, @04:30PM (3 children)
I would love to keep chickens in habit trails in my garden to eat the slugs who eat my produce. They'd eat up the pests and fertilize the garden with their droppings at the same time. Alas the subdivision doesn't allow chickens.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by tfried on Saturday October 21 2017, @08:19PM (1 child)
You haven't ever visited a "garden" with chicken, did you? 'Cause you would have noticed that whatever area the chickens are allowed to roam in, invariably, is a barren wasteland. Chicken will destroy any existing vegetation below fully grown trees in no time at all. Or were you thinking about keeping the chickens caged, and feeding them hand-picked slugs?
Perhaps try ducks to keep the slugs in check.
(Score: 1) by helel on Saturday October 21 2017, @08:45PM
If your chickens have picked their cage baron you haven't given them enough space. With room to roam they will create a few dust baths but otherwise will leave plenty of vegetation alone. Mind you they're still not great in gardens because anything you eat they eat and so they'll devourer your lettuce, tomatoes, and melons while leaving your kale and chard alone.
(Score: 2) by t-3 on Sunday October 29 2017, @01:34AM
Ducks might be a way around that, they're quieter, more aesthetically pleasing, and easier on your garden too because they scratch less and will eat fewer of your veggies. They're messier than chickens (liquidy duck shit etc), but easier in most ways.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Freeman on Friday October 20 2017, @04:40PM (2 children)
The entire reason my Dad doesn't eat eggs anymore is, because he saw a bunch of chickens flock around a rat and eat it.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 3, Funny) by Phoenix666 on Friday October 20 2017, @04:47PM (1 child)
Tell your dad that's exactly why we need to eat chickens, to keep them from doing that to us. He must do his part to keep the dinosaurs down. Those little bastards need to pay for eating great (x10^20) grand pappy!
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 20 2017, @05:03PM
was he upset he didnt get a chance to get some rat himself?
gee even the plants we eat often are enriched with BS. that's worse from a gross out factor. i dont hear about people giving up plants because of the BS, and the BS is all around us as well as being in the food!
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday October 20 2017, @04:49PM
I wish chickens would eat rats and pigeons. I would much rather have a bunch of free range chickens to eat when civilization collapses than millions of free range rats and pigeons.
Washington DC delenda est.