Some problems with backyard poultry. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
Image by Annebel146/DepositPhotos
More than 400 cases of salmonella across the country have been linked to backyard poultry. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported over 100 people have been hospitalized. Texas and Missouri have the most cases, followed by Minnesota, Washington, Michigan, and Oklahoma. Almost 70 percent of those who’ve gotten sick say they had contact with backyard poultry.
Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Backyard poultry like chickens and ducks can carry Salmonella germs even if they look healthy and clean. You can get sick from touching your backyard poultry or anything in their environment and then touching your mouth or food, thereby swallowing Salmonella germs.
- Always wash your hands with soap and water immediately after touching backyard poultry, their eggs, or anything in the area.
- Keep your backyard poultry and the supplies you use to care for them outside of the house.
- Always supervise children around poultry and make sure they wash their hands afterward.
Listen to Sabrina Halvorson’s This Land Of Ours program here.
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet News Hour and The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.