Storms and chickens

[BridieLou]

I heard a bit about this in the USA, and wondered if anyone was aware?

 

I must admit that I was surprised it could be transmitted this way, since we always cuddle ours! They don't come into the house (well, they're not invited at least), and I do wash my hands when I come inside, but I'm not about to stop cuddling the little beauties. Anyone else changed what they're doing?

 

 

Llink here: click

Edited June 29, 2017 by Guest

[Olly]

It's common sense to wash your hands after handling any animal but I'm sceptical that it's a big risk. I've never allowed my chickens into the house and I never will, but handling them - whether it's snuggling or checking their health - is part of keeping hens. I won't be changing anything I do!

[mullethunter]

Me neither. I think there's way too much fuss about how important it is to keep everything 'disinfected' and avoid bugs all the time.

[Blackrocksrock]

I agree - as long as you wash your hands afterwards when you come into the house you will be fine - and I cannot stand those gel hand disinfectant things - they are so not right. You need an immune system building up to be able to deal with any bugs you may come across and soap and water is the best of all.

[The Dogmother]

Totally agree with all of you - simple common sense to wash your hands, but a speck of dirt...

[Cat tails]

I had an American colleague who had family with some easter chicks. Kids got salmonella poisoning from kissing the chicks.

Personally I'm not overly hygienic with the chickens. And hand gels are absolutely pointless and can even promote bacterial resistence to the chemicals used in the gels. They are your worst option in keeping clean.

[Egluntyne]

I can't understand why anyone would want to kiss their chickens, or let them into the house. Not what they are for.

[The Dogmother]

I can't understand why anyone would want to kiss their chickens, or let them into the house. Not what they are for.

 

Me neither, but I am asked countless times - 'do they like watching TV?', 'can they come upstairs?'

 

There was one lady on a course, who was also wanting to get a teacup piglet to 'share their sofa'. You can imagine my response

 

Noooooo!!!! Get a kitten if that's what you want

[grahamrhind]

I wonder if Americans have opened themselves up to this by their overly cautious attitude to germs, so not building up any resistance. I go to California a lot for work, and when any colleagues have a new baby, they bring it to work to be cooed over, but first everybody has to disinfect their hands with that alcohol gel stuff. I was told that's quite normal in the States. I don't know quite what they think their babies are going to catch from us ....

[The Dogmother]

Haha to that - we used to encourage babies being handed around to build up their immunity.. like measles parties.

[LAB]

I wonder if Americans have opened themselves up to this by their overly cautious attitude to germs, so not building up any resistance. I go to California a lot for work, and when any colleagues have a new baby, they bring it to work to be cooed over, but first everybody has to disinfect their hands with that alcohol gel stuff. I was told that's quite normal in the States. I don't know quite what they think their babies are going to catch from us ....

 

Do you not get RSV season? I worked in a small town hospital prekids doing xrays. We had 6 babies die from RSV that winter. 6! My across the street neighbor nearly lost her baby boy a few years ago from RSV. It's usually transfered by adults who "have a light cold" and it is deadly! He was hospitalized for a month and barely made it. It is a serious disease and I think everyone knows a baby that has died or been hospitalized. Add in the flu and whooping cough and I'm shocked that anyone would bring in an infant to a crowded environment, especially in the winter months. Wooping cough in adults is so mild, but again kills infants. We get a huge WC outbreak every winter and the government goes on about vaccines. The strain is the wild strain not in the vaccines though and all the vaccinated kids get just as sick.

 

My twins were born late October and preemie sized. They came home on oxygen from the NICU. I quarantined the kids over the winter. Getting anything with underdeveloped lungs could have set them up for life long issues. I've always been cautious, but that was a frightening time. I can't imagine not washing my hands before picking up an infant, but we don't use that gell stuff often. I do have a hand size in my diaper bag if needed, but can't remember the last time I used it.

 

How do backyard chickens get Salmonella? We cuddle them all the time, but everyone is sent to wash their hands after playing outside. I can't imagine what my walls would look like if they didn't get the dirt off!

[sjp]

found this http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/salmonella/symptoms-causes/dxc-20314799

[grahamrhind]

I wonder if Americans have opened themselves up to this by their overly cautious attitude to germs, so not building up any resistance. I go to California a lot for work, and when any colleagues have a new baby, they bring it to work to be cooed over, but first everybody has to disinfect their hands with that alcohol gel stuff. I was told that's quite normal in the States. I don't know quite what they think their babies are going to catch from us ....

 

Do you not get RSV season? I worked in a small town hospital prekids doing xrays. We had 6 babies die from RSV that winter. 6! My across the street neighbor nearly lost her baby boy a few years ago from RSV. It's usually transfered by adults who "have a light cold" and it is deadly! He was hospitalized for a month and barely made it. It is a serious disease and I think everyone knows a baby that has died or been hospitalized. Add in the flu and whooping cough and I'm shocked that anyone would bring in an infant to a crowded environment, especially in the winter months. Wooping cough in adults is so mild, but again kills infants. We get a huge WC outbreak every winter and the government goes on about vaccines. The strain is the wild strain not in the vaccines though and all the vaccinated kids get just as sick.

 

My twins were born late October and preemie sized. They came home on oxygen from the NICU. I quarantined the kids over the winter. Getting anything with underdeveloped lungs could have set them up for life long issues. I've always been cautious, but that was a frightening time. I can't imagine not washing my hands before picking up an infant, but we don't use that gell stuff often. I do have a hand size in my diaper bag if needed, but can't remember the last time I used it.

 

How do backyard chickens get Salmonella? We cuddle them all the time, but everyone is sent to wash their hands after playing outside. I can't imagine what my walls would look like if they didn't get the dirt off!

 

I admit, I've never heard of RSV (perhaps we have a different name for it over here) but I have never personally known anybody to die in infancy in my 50 + years, of anything. I don't have children so I'm not up with this - maybe we vaccinate against it. Me, my siblings and all of my classmates had whooping cough as children - we were all expected to get it and get it over with - it wasn't a big deal. In any case, if it is rife in the USA and it causes that many deaths, then I can certainly appreciate the caution shown, though then, as you say, as it's an airborne virus, I wouldn't bring the babies to work at all. I'm not trying to reduce the seriousness of your experiences - it just seems that we have different experiences and ways of dealing with it over here.

[Blackrocksrock]

Usually called Broncholitis here - it is from the RSV virus and yes its common here but not many deaths as far as I now - we all prob carry the virus but only those with lowered resistance would have problems with it. Infants would be very sick if they got it.

I just had friends from the States on holiday and yes they had the regulatory bottle of hand gel which they kept asking me if I wanted to use. the answer was NO! To me it does nothing but I do keep a packed of water baby wipes in the car if my hands get dirty or at the petrol station get diesel on them = I would rather wash my hands. I would love to see a test where hands were swabbed before gel and after it to see what good it had done.

[Cat tails]

is a video on hand sanitizer. I hate the stuff. My workplace suddenly replaced the normal handsoap by antibacterial soap...

[Blackrocksrock]

That is not good - do you have to take your own - you should show them the video or change the soap in the bathroom and dont tell them!!

[Cat tails]

That is not good - do you have to take your own - you should show them the video or change the soap in the bathroom and dont tell them!!

 

Haha I wish it was that easy! It's one of those dispenser thingies. Although I think they haven't changed them in the students bathrooms yet, so will just use those.

[The Dogmother]

We have both hand soap and sanitising gel in our loos at work. Personally, I prefer a good lather up to the elbows with soap when I have been working with animals. I always teach children to wash their hands thoroughly. I have hibiscrub at home, but only really use that for washing out wounds, or if I have been gutting chickens or rabbits.

[Lewis]

I'm always picking up the chickens and had a house chicken at uni but I wouldn't go as far as kissing them

 

I'm probably far too lax when it comes to hand washing after handling my pets but am always washing my hands at the clinic. Hibiscrub has it's uses but quickly dries out your hands so I prefer not to use it for hand washing.

[LAB]

I wonder if its just that more common here or just the circle I'm in with children in this period of my life. That year we had more deaths then normal, but it is very common. Its only deadly for tiny infants. Older babies usually fair just fine. My twins got RSV and the flu at the same time and did fine at home, but they were older. The drs. did want to hospitalize them, but they were doing just fine at home. I think it was just both diseases at once that scared them.

 

When I was a teen a baby nearly died from the mom bringing the baby to church and passing her around. They had a 2 week old baby fighting for her life. RSV is the only disease that I have personally known infants to die from. Its really common and spreads so easily! I know that I personally would never want to be in that situation. My husband always washes his hands immediately upon coming home when we have an infant at home. The kids get plenty of outside play and dirt on a daily basis, but they wash up when they come inside from playing. Just normal soap though.

[mullethunter]

LAB that sounds terrible and completely different to here in the UK. Like grahamrhind said in my 36 years of life I've never known of a baby dying if this.

[sjp]

I wonder if its just that more common here or just the circle I'm in with children in this period of my life. That year we had more deaths then normal, but it is very common. Its only deadly for tiny infants. Older babies usually fair just fine. My twins got RSV and the flu at the same time and did fine at home, but they were older. The drs. did want to hospitalize them, but they were doing just fine at home. I think it was just both diseases at once that scared them.

main difference is you have to pay for your health care We in the UK have the NHS which is 'free at the point of service' and is nearly bankrupt so you only get hospitalized if all other option have basically failed

what We have to do for (non emergencies) first is go to the GP (family doctor) mine unless I'm prepared to go up by 8am and sit around until they have a free slot (could be 25-20mins or it could be 3hrs ) takes upto 2 weeks for an appointment that's convenient parking is limited as my van is to tall for the car park's height barrier so I have to have the first or 2nd appointment' then if the Dr thinks you need to go to the hospital (non urgent) you get referred or get sent for tests

referred:- some you have to phone up for an appointment the others you have to wait for an appointment this can take upto 6 weeks that's just to see the consultant

urgent you get sent to A&E you also go there if you've had and accident walking wounded or by meat wagon or you think it's an emergency or just out of hours for the GP

tests can be a walk in service or a booked appointment depends on what you need. the vampires at my local hospital operate an 8am - 8pm walk in service you need a blood form from the GP,it's supposed to be 7:30am start but by the time they've had a gossip,coffee and a smoke then walk across the site from the labs to the blood room it's at least 8am xray is the same walk in service but shorter hours

[Blackrocksrock]

In Scotland up to18 weeks wait for an initial referral appointment. Then if any procedure requires doing, yet another few months waiting! Good old N H S

[LAB]

People here complain if they have to wait a day or two for medical care. Here people get upset and claim malpractice if they aren't treated immediately! The same people want NHC, but don't understand how it works. My DH had a friend in Australia who broke his leg right above the ankle. Went to the Emergency room. Took an xray and said "Yup, it's broken. Come back next week and we'll set it for you". I spent many afterhours times doing xrays for called in specialists to set bones. They wanted a quick xray after the cast was on to make sure it was set properly. So I hung around with a portable machine to take a quick shot, develop it and get them out quickly.

 

My MIL is Canadian. Many "death by waiting list" stories in her family. DH's grandpa died in the treatment list for early caught cancer. He died several years later before his treatment ever got started sadly. He probably would have lived in the US.

 

"You get what you pay for" saying holds true. Not that our system doesn't have it's issues.

They have just been made so much worse by the government putting in their 2 cents and making it worse. Health insurance is so expensive now that the people are starting to demand NHC. It is the middle class that is getting raked over.

 

Ah, so back to chickens! Mine love their Eglu and it is so easy to clean! We have dry heat and it makes the droppings dry out quickly and just slide off the tray! Love it! Still need to research about Salmonella from our chickens though. I've never been concerned about it before. Cookie dough is always sampled. Speaking about cookie dough, my daughter made cookie dough frosting on Sunday! It was amazing and egg free. I ate 3 cupcakes just for the frosting!