Chickens with Salmonella: Should You Worry?

The recent recall of eggs has caused much concern among egg lovers everywhere. It's actually the treatment of chickens in large factory farms that led us to get our own backyard flock. Our chickens are pets, and we do not eat them, but we do love the eggs they give us.

Thelma Lou, Butterball, and Cream Puff

Do we have reason to worry that our chickens might come down with salmonella and pass it on to us through their eggs? 

According to what I'm reading, my chickens have less chance of becoming infected than those in the large farms. Our chickens are our pets, and they roam free in our yard and garden all day. But, we do have some cleaning to do. Barney, Thelma Lou, and the rest of their family sleep in the greenhouse every night to be safe from predators. It's been a while since I've cleaned it. 

Factory raised chickens usually get salmonella when rat droppings get mixed in with their food. We have frisky cats to keep rats out of the greenhouse, so hopefully we don't have to worry about the chickens accidentally eating rat droppings. However, food and water can get soiled with droppings from the chickens too. We do keep the food and water containers clean, but I think it's time for me to scrape all the bedding and soil from the floor of the greenhouse. This material makes wonderful fertilizer when sprinkled in my flower beds, since it is full of chicken manure. That's a chore that is long overdue, so I'll be tackling it later this week.

If you'd like to read more on this topic, there's a wonderful site with much information on raising chickens. I found some useful suggestions about about protecting chickens from salmonella on this site: My Pet Chicken.

Cocoa Mulch: Poison to Pets

Cocoa mulch smells heavenly, just like chocolate, which is why you should not use it if you have a dog. Dogs, like many of us, love chocolate, but chocolate is toxic to them.

Shadow loves sweets

Cocoa Mulch is advertised as a method of keeping cats out of the garden. Cats usually are not attracted to candy, chocolate, or other sweets. 

Lady eats anything!

Cocoa Mulch is manufactured by Hershey's and sold at many home and garden centers in the United States. While Hershey's claims that 98% of all dog's won't eat it, most dogs I know will taste of anything that smells like chocolate. Our beagle pup, shown above, eats plain mulch, so I'm sure she'd eat it if it smelled like chocolate.

For more information, read the entire report on the trusted website for the ASPCA: Cocoa Bean Shell Mulch.