ducks and salmonella

upert · « **on:** January 08, 2013, 10:00 »

there's a retired gp at our allotments that claims all ducks carry salmonella all the time.

i don't believe him. do you?

joyfull · « **Reply #1 on:** January 08, 2013, 10:10 »

he is quite correct - ducks along with chickens tend to have salmonella (in fact most birds do), however this can be minimised by vaccination and encouraging good gut flora in your birds. I sometimes give mine avipro plus which is a bird friendly pro biotic.
It is because of salmonella that you shouldn't give babies, the infirm or the elderly products that contain raw eggs.
Also please wash your hands after handling your birds and cleaning them out. My run has a bottle of liquid sterilizer attached to it.

RichardA · « **Reply #2 on:** January 08, 2013, 10:15 »

joyful is spot on, we have 8 ducks and eat their eggs every day as do our children and grandchildren, we have two vets in the family who with respect to GPs probably know more about animal/human health interfaces than most people - it is part of their specialisms. The two vets and their daughter usually greet us "with "did you bring us any duck eggs". if we visit.
We have no doubts about the healthiness of duck eggs if properly cooked
R

upert · « **Reply #3 on:** January 08, 2013, 17:00 »

I look after my fowl, regularly worming as well as providing garlic and apple cider vinegar in their drinking water. They occasionally have pro-biotic yoghurt and overall seem in fine fettle. yet could I still catch salmonella off them or their undercooked eggs?

They free range so come into contact with all sorts of nasty things. I'm aghast that all this time they have been waiting to kill me.

Kate and her Ducks · « **Reply #4 on:** January 08, 2013, 19:10 »

All the general advice regarding hand washing is very sensible but before you lose too much sleep over the murderous intent of your ducks, relax and remember that have failed so far!

I have had ducks for years and have never worried about them in the slightest. I regularly eat the eggs soft (if not raw as I definitely fall in the licking the bowl camp of bakers!). Obviously people with impaired immunity (the young, old and the pregnant) need to take sensible precautions.

I tried finding some actual fact on the incidence and prevalence of salmonellosis which wasn't very easy. This provides some but not the prevalence (the chance of your ducks carrying it).

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/1154/salmonella-in-livestock-production-in-gb-2007-report

The best I could find from various reports from Vietnam, Poland and the States seems to be about 7-8%.

Definitely NOT all ducks, all of the time.

Sassy · « **Reply #5 on:** January 08, 2013, 19:19 »

When I had ducks and chickens I did take more care with the duck eggs because they were always dirty despite trying to keep the ducks clean on a daily basis. But mine laid where they slept and pooped. Also duck eggs don't keep for as long as hens eggs and this should be taken into account as well. However, my family and customers have never reported any tummy upsets. Just be sensible and pay attention to hygiene.

upert · « **Reply #6 on:** January 08, 2013, 20:14 »

Thanks all, especially Kate as she agrees with my initial (healthy) gut reaction.

Elvira · « **Reply #7 on:** January 10, 2013, 18:18 »

Apologies for hijacking the thread but along a similar vein does anyone know if there is a link between chicken keeping/eating soft eggs and campylobacter? My OH is on his third dose of campylobacter in 6 months and we are really racking our brains as to what the cause can be. I haven't really been affected but he has been quite ill. It is normally caused by uncooked meat (particularly chicken) shellfish untreated water or poor hygiene - like that outbreak in Preston caused by contaminated meat products. I just wonder if our chicks could be infected - we don't keep them for meat though and are very careful about hand washing.

Sassy · « **Reply #8 on:** January 11, 2013, 08:41 »

It sounds as though he did not clear the infection from his system the first time rather than re-infection. As campylobacter is a serious infection and difficult to clear I would seek medical advice on this. It is known for re-occurring.

I hope he is better soon as it is nasty.

Elvira · « **Reply #9 on:** January 11, 2013, 09:22 »

Thanks Sassy. He has been to see the doctor a couple of times now and she has said just wait for it to clear from his sytem but that it is a repeat infection rather than something staying in his system from the time before. I've looked on the Internet and apparently the incidence of campylobacter in eggs themselves is extremely low even if the chicken is infected. They do shed the bacteria in poop but once it dries apparently this kills the bacteria. Also storage of eggs below 7 degrees C kills the bacteria. So provided we continue to hand wash/practise good hygiene carefully it is unlikely to be from the girls. The search continues for the culprit!

yacks · « **Reply #10 on:** January 13, 2013, 12:44 »

When my dad worked on chicken farm he had to wash down completely as cbmpylorbachtor was the cause of my brother being ill ... My dad was immune but a carrier for working years with poultry ... It is the only infection that can be treated successfully with meds though x

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ducks and salmonella

upert

ducks and salmonella

joyfull

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RichardA

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upert

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Kate and her Ducks

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Sassy

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upert

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Elvira

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Sassy

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Elvira

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yacks

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