The backyard chicken renaissance has become widely popular here in Wisconsin. Understandably so, since chickens are easy, inexpensive pets with nutritional benefits for country and urban folks alike. Yet a recent outbreak of Human Salmonella infections in seven states, including Wisconsin, is cause for taking extra care when managing your backyard flock.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has several helpful articles related to this outbreak and keeping backyard poultry. Here are its suggestions for reducing the chance of acquiring Salmonella from your flock:

• Always wash your hands with soap and water right after touching live poultry or anything in the area where they live and roam.
• Adults should supervise hand washing for young children.
• Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not readily available.
• Do not let live poultry inside the house, in bathrooms, or especially in areas where food or drink is prepared, served, or stored.
• Don’t let children younger than 5 years, adults older than 65, and people with weakened immune systems handle or touch chicks, ducklings, or other live poultry.
• If you collect eggs from the hens, thoroughly cook them.
• Don’t eat or drink in the area where the birds live or roam.
• Avoid kissing your birds or snuggling them, then touching your mouth.
• Stay outdoors when cleaning any equipment or materials used to raise or care for live poultry, such as cages or feed or water containers.
• Buy birds from hatcheries that participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Poultry Improvement Plan (USDA-NPIP) U.S. voluntary Salmonella Monitoring Program[279 KB]. This program is intended to reduce the incidence of Salmonella in baby poultry in the hatchery.

If you have any questions on whether raising backyard chickens affects your homeowners insurance, feel free to contact Forward Mutual.