Does keeping chickens pose a health risk to our fids?

GreatBlue320

New member
May 5, 2015
771
0
Parrots
Baxter - Illiger's Macaw (hatch date 5.1.15);

Taylor - Black capped Conure (RIP 3.14.15 - miss you every day little "Girlie")
Last weekend, my family attended the Northeastern Poultry Congress which is, essentially, a chicken show. Well, we fell in love with the chickens and my son is now asking if we can keep chickens. I told him I just wasn't sure if I wanted to make the big commitment to buying a coop, the chickens, feed and taking care of them daily.

Today I discovered you can RENT chickens! The company brings you the chickens, coop and everything you need for 4 weeks, 3 months or 6 months and provides you with 24/7 support.

So my question is this, does anyone here know if chickens carry diseases that can be dangerous to parrots? I read about diseases they can pass to humans, but can't find anything specific on chicken to parrot diseases.

Thanks!
 

Birdman666

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2013
9,904
258
San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
Short answer: YES IT CAN.

Not so easy answer. Yes, but, a lot of chicken/poultry diseases come from poor animal husbandry.
 

henpecked

Active member
Dec 12, 2010
4,858
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18
NC/FLA
Parrots
Jake YNA 1970,Kia Panama amazon1975, both i removed from nest and left siblings, Forever Home to,Stacie (YN hen),Mickie (RLA male),Blinkie (YNA hen),Kong (Panama hen),Rescue Zons;Nitro,Echo,Rocky,Rub
Yes you can bring very bad things into your yard. That said, I used to have many chickens and still have many turkeys. But I only brought eggs into my flock. Hatching my own eggs didn't introduce new diseases and pest. Yes worms can be an issue, but any outside Birds will have to be treated for worms. Including the parrots. An annual fecal exam, is relatively cheap and no big deal. Spend a few bucks on an incubator and raise your own chicks. Just my two cents worth.
 
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littleredhen77

New member
Aug 30, 2015
134
0
maine
Parrots
cockatiel ((Jake))
eclectus ((ziggy))
i have owned many chickens over many years and ive never encountered anything. of course i do wash my hands each and every time ive touched either one of the hens, or after i get done washing their eggs, i also do not bring my birds out in grass that chickens ((or my geese)) have walked in. i do no use any commercial wormers but instead i put 1 drop of shaklees basic H soap concentrate in their water dish every morning when the water is changed. this is a type of worm control ive been trying lately, since ive read that the soap breaks down the oily coating on worms and allows a chicken to digest the worm itself. where they are outside eating whatever they find on the ground, including wild bird droppings, i realize its impossible to keep them all 100% worm free but i feel like preventative measures will keep them under control enough to pevent harm. my hens are all healthy at the moment. ive had hens in the past that have had a few random issues and none of those have ever been passed on to my indoor birds. ive owned Jake my cockatiel for 18 years now and hes been disease free that entire time! i believe the easiest way to be sure everyone is safe is to make sure your coop is clean, and also to avoid spreading anything from the outdoor areas to your indoor areas. wash hands, wash anything you bring inside, dont use anything as dual puropse..i have a green scrubby i use for washing off eggs and i obviously would never use that to clean my birds water dish. do not bring sick chickens inside to nurse them back to health..i have an enclosed front porch that would be my temporary chicken hospital so anything would still be kept away from my indoor birds.

with this being said, i find chickens to be so much joy! theyre just so adorable, they each have personalities like any other bird ive known. theyre easy to entertain, they dont require lots of attention during the day and they live a surprisingly long time if well cared for. i had a bantam hen who lived to be 17 and she wouldve made it longer but we had an unfortunate fox attack that took her from us. she was still healthy and laying at that age! ive had chickens for 21 years now and ive never once encountered a disease that ive either caught myself or spread to another animal.

i hope this was somewhat helpful! :D
 

Taprock

Member
Oct 22, 2015
279
2
Northern l.p. Michigan
Parrots
Buzz - CAG,
Ziggy - Nanday/Sun Conure,
Jasper - Goffin
Loki - Starling
Gloria - Foster CAG
Beside the disease issue please look into the renting further.

Why do you want the chickens? Eggs, pets. When chickens are moved they can stop laying because of stress so don't plan on eggs. The age and breed of the chickens also make a huge difference. What happens to the hens when you are done with them? Butchered, rehomed? Your son will get attached. Make sure the coop your getting is going to provide the ventilation and safety needed. Not all prefab coops are made with the chickens in mind.

That said, I love my chickens and think everyone should have a coop fill. They are a big commitment but all animals are.
 

littleredhen77

New member
Aug 30, 2015
134
0
maine
Parrots
cockatiel ((Jake))
eclectus ((ziggy))
taprock makes some very good points! please be sure that your rental hens will be treated fairly by whoever is renting them out when you choose to return them! and the coop factor is also to be very well thought out! i see so many 'cute' tiny coops posted online but theyre really only practical for like 2 hens. my coop is 10'X8' and i have 14 hens. ((8 new hampshire reds and 6 ameriucanas)) and even though everyone who sees it makes a comment about my coop being huge and something along the lines of 'spolied chickens' i still feel it isnt large enough for them. keep in mind that if you live in a cold climate they will be inside most of the winter even with their door open, ive had some that dont mind walking in snow but most of them would rather not. this leave them with only that 10'X8' area to spend their days in while they wait for spring.

the stress/egg production thing is also accurate, i adopted 2 reds earlier this winter and they did not lay regularly for about a month after being introduced to their new home. of course, that may have been also because they were trying to make their place in a new pecking order and they had never had a coop in their old home, these rental chickens might have already gotten to know eachother and the home that they will be set up with at your place.

chicken attachment is also a thing for adults as well as children! they are such fun little critters! ive always grown attached to mine and i name them all, and tears are defiantly shed when they are lost!
 

Mallory

New member
Jul 31, 2015
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YNA hen "Greenleaf", Black Capped x Green Cheek Hybrid "Eva", CAG (hatched 1/1/2016), European Starling "Koda"
Definitely treat the chickens as you would any new bird in quarantine. Your parrots should be relatively safe as the only way they would truly get exposure is through you (your clothes, shoes, etc.) as they shouldn't really be in direct contact with the coop or chickens. You also need to make sure your chickens are protected from wild birds. Not everyone does this, in fact free range hens would have virtually no protection from wild birds and usually have no issues, but the wild birds and their droppings can transmit disease to your chickens which can effect your flock and rarely even your family. It will be up to you and your research to determine what level of quarantine/disease protection you feel comfortable with. Some of it will depend on your area and the population density of the wild birds and the chickens.

I don't know anything about this rental company but I do want to say that renting chickens sounds like a good idea for one main reason. It lets you get a feel for chicken ownership without committing fully. I've seen a lot of people jump into chickens thinking it's a way to get free eggs/meat and it's so much more. Chickens are great for your land if you have farmland or even a large garden, and they are great for teaching your children responsibility. They can be trained and quite cuddly, and they do provide you with fresh eggs. They also can be quite demanding! You will have to make ethical decisions about how much of a "pet" they are, how much vet care they will receive, what you will do when they are no longer laying or if you get a cannibal or egg eater. Will you keep a rooster? If you hatch your own eggs, are you able to rehome or cull any male chicks? And of course, will you be comfortable using these as meat animals and are you willing to butcher poultry?

All things to think about. Renting chickens might save you from making the potentially troubling decisions. You can get a taste for it without buying a coop or owning your own birds. You will also see how your neighbors take to the chickens! As others have said, proceed with caution in terms of the rental itself and their treatment of the birds.
 
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GreatBlue320

GreatBlue320

New member
May 5, 2015
771
0
Parrots
Baxter - Illiger's Macaw (hatch date 5.1.15);

Taylor - Black capped Conure (RIP 3.14.15 - miss you every day little "Girlie")
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Thank you all for your input! Good things to think about and questions to ask the rental company. We live on 2 acres and one of our neighbors keeps chickens so I don't think we will have any issues there. We will not have a rooster as I do not want to hatch and raise babies. We are mostly interested in chickens as "pets" and a way for my son to learn some responsibility, the eggs are a bonus.
 

ToMang07

Active member
Jul 14, 2015
1,012
17
Maine, USA
Parrots
Willow the Umbrella Cockatoo
IDK about "renting" chickens, but mine are raised from day 1 on, and although they do get some indirect wild bird contact, (Blue Jays and Crows) I'm not overly worried about it. If I've been handling the chickens, I just wash my hands before I handle Willow.
 
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GreatBlue320

GreatBlue320

New member
May 5, 2015
771
0
Parrots
Baxter - Illiger's Macaw (hatch date 5.1.15);

Taylor - Black capped Conure (RIP 3.14.15 - miss you every day little "Girlie")
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I just found out that my town's continuing education program is offering a class called Keeping Backyard Chickens in March! Very excited!
 

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