“We are new to keeping chickens and I have a question; is it safe for me to interact with my chickens when I am pregnant? We think we have 5 hens, none of them are crowing anyway. They are 14 weeks old and I’ve really enjoyed taking care of our little flock. We were very excited to find out that we are expecting our first child but we’re concerned about my contact with the chickens. Any advise would be appreciated. Thank you,” ~ Marissa Crittenden
Marissa,
Congratulations to you and your husband on the upcoming birth of your baby.
It’s an exciting time, enjoy it and sleep as much as possible now because you’ll never get enough sleep again!
Seriously though, this is a great question.
Yes, it is safe to handle chickens while pregnant.
There are very few diseases that effect chickens that humans are also susceptible to. Those that are would present risk whether you were pregnant or not. So as not to scare anyone, these diseases are rare and should not deter anyone from enjoying their chickens.
However, good sanitation should be practiced whether you are pregnant or not. Always wash your hands after handling your chickens, collecting eggs or handling their feed or water stations.
If possible, cleaning out the coop should be left to hubby or someone else.
I tend to advise very conservatively in this newsletter. With that in mind, I’d suggest that you wear a dust mask if you have to be around any manure. This may be a completely unnecessary precaution but again, I’d rather ere on the side of conservatism.
With that said, let’s remember that pregnant women have been around chickens for a very long time with no ill effects.
So Marissa, enjoy your chickens, enjoy your pregnancy and best of luck to you.
