There’s a need to know the common diseases caused by poultry animals before going into homesteading. Self-sufficiency is more than setting up a survival garden & rearing poultry. It includes staying safe while at it.
Some of these diseases are easy to deal with, while others are difficult & can lead to fatal consequences if left untreated. It is in your best interest to know what you may face beforehand, so you’re adequately prepared for whatever comes forward.
4 Common Diseases Caused by Poultry Animals
Below, we look at diseases to be wary of as you rear and care for your fluffy chickens. Here we go.
Salmonella
Salmonella is a germ usually carried by avian lives. Domesticated poultry birds by chickens & turkeys, be it organically reared chickens, backyard chickens, or commercially raised chickens, are all at risk of carrying & transmitting salmonella. This bacterial strain is tolerant of poultry birds and won’t hurt your chicken. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for humans. Salmonella has time and time again, proven to be harmful to humans.
How is Salmonellosis Transmitted?
Salmonellosis can attach itself to anything or anyone that touches the carrier chicken. Sometimes, it is even indirect contact, like say the affected chicken rubs against a wall. The salmonella gets attached to the surface. Then, you contract it when you touch this surface — much like how parasites get into your body. Usually, the entry point for this bacterium is the mouth, so you must disinfect your hands after contact with chickens, directly or not.
Some of the symptoms of salmonella are intense weakening & diarrhea. This can be even worse if you do not attend to the condition on time. If there’s no soap to wash hands after going near or touching chickens, you can make do with scrubbing the hands thoroughly for that moment. That improves your chances.
Urinary Tract Infection
To worsen man’s pre-existing problems with the urinary tract, animals like turkeys, chickens & other birds have decided to be a part of the picture too. Without a doubt now, it has been established that there’s a bacterium in the intestines of a chicken that is transmittable to humans. This strain is called the Enterococcus faecalis, and this was already recognized as the strain behind UTI.
How Enterococcus Faecalis Gets Into You
Just like salmonellosis, E. faecalis is spread through the feces of your bird or chicken. With this unhealthy bacteria in feces, it is only a matter of time before the entire surroundings are contaminated, especially the water source.
It is spread directly as well if you touch the poultry or items that it has attached to. Failure to take care of this contamination immediately is dangerous. Remember you’ll soon want to eat and are most likely to ingest the disease. With time, a urinary tract infection is developed. As we said before, wash hands after contact with poultry and be careful when drinking from an outdoor source.
Histoplasmosis
Histoplasma capsulatum is the fungus responsible for causing histoplasmosis. The pathogen is mainly reflected in the lungs, but it doesn’t mean symptoms can’t be witnessed in other body parts. Other susceptible parts to this fungus are the liver, eyes, adrenal glands, skin & nervous system.
How is Histoplasmosis Contracted?
This fungus is happy to live in every moist place, but it is mostly found in places where poultry is kept, especially their coops. This particular pathogen is released by chickens through their droppings, after which they fill the air as spores & invade the human body via respiration.
Initially, the symptoms of histoplasmosis are barely noticed as they are not severe. But for real, this is a dangerous disease that may manifest when it is too late. The illness shares several similarities with tuberculosis, meaning that it causes the growth of harmful nodules in the lung tissues. What’s more, histoplasmosis is contagious.
To avoid infection, put on protective gear before going close to poultry animals. Face masks are especially emphasized. Another preventive method is to maintain and clean the coops regularly.
Campylobacter Infection
Campylobacter affects humans just as salmonella does. When infected, you’ll suffer chronic symptoms like fever, diarrhea, vomiting & abdominal cramps. A person suffering from these conditions will have a weakened immune system, which may cause even worse diseases.
Just like salmonella, campylobacter is a rich presence in chicken, turkey, or bird droppings. You can contract this by eating meat or eggs of an infected bird, whether chicken or turkey. However, thorough cooking will eliminate the bacterium causing the ailment.
Protect Yourself from Campylobacter
The first step to prevent campylobacter is to ensure that you only eat chicken that is cooked until crispy. If you have chickens or turkeys, antibiotics should be an ever-present part of your first-aid toolkit.
Precautions to Note
While it is true that the four diseases looked at above are mostly contracted from poultry animals, whether in domestic or commercial settings, you have to keep in mind that there are other lifeforms of avian that carry these diseases too. For example, bats, owls & other wild birds can pass similar or even worse diseases to humans. Let’s not forget that the Ebola virus was associated with bats.
These bacteria will be contracted either by inhaling air contaminated with them or touching an item that they have come in contact with. Note that the symptoms of diseases caused by wild birds are typically much worse than ordinary poultry birds.
Therefore, it is advisable to be on your guard at all times, but most especially when you’re appreciating the unique ambiance of the wilderness. There are no available vaccines to combat the diseases discussed above, but they can be relieved using antibiotics.
Concluding The Common Diseases Caused by Poultry Animals
There is always the risk of contracting a disease if you raise chicken or turkey. However, you should not be discouraged from rearing birds because of this. An attentive & cleanliness-inclined farmer should be safe from the common diseases caused by poultry animals. Wash your hands often, drink water carefully & keep to other precautionary measures advised, and that’s all to do.