Keeping chickens while pregnant - any risks?

[Tangle]

I've a friend that's pregnant and thinking of keeping chickens. She's been told that pregnant women shouldn't even touch a live chicken, but neither of us can find any explanation.

Any one any info?

Never heard of that. Think a lot of us would be in trouble if we had to give our chickens away every time we got pregnant

Were they thinking of salmonella risks in badly cooked or uncooked chicken and eggs?

Haven't got a clue! The only thing google turned up with a possible toxoplasmosis connections (although I'm not sure the study in Iran is a) that relevant or b) actually found toxoplasmosis in chickens at all).

She was going to check with the vet and the Dr, but I thought I'd try on here as well - if she turns anything up I'll let you know

I honestly believe that as long as she is hygenic about it (i.e. washing hands well after dealing with them, and cooking everything properly) then she should be fine. Good luck

Well, neither the vet nor the Dr could come up with anything specific, so the chickens were meant to be arriving yesterday evening. I suspect their cat is more of a risk than the chickens!

Thanks for replying

It's sheep you should avoid when pregnant. Well, lambing really, as you may catch toxoplasmosis, listeriosis etc. Chickens are no more risk than stroking a dog - just wash hands well after handling hens or collecting eggs and especially after cleaning out the henhouse.

I keep chickens and am 7 months pregnant. I just make sure that I wear gloves when cleaning them out/handling them and wash my hands thoroughly afterwards.

The MW wasn't at all concerned when she heard we keep chickens

oh good! im glad, we have chickens, and dogs, and we looked it up, it just said to make sure wear gloves when cleaning them out, like ud want to do it with out gloves! and to wash hands! ours are injected to, not sure if that helps!

hello. not scaremongering here. I think the risks are probably very wee, but you can get two types of respiratory disease from chickens, mainly their poop i think. they can be nasty, from experience, and you would be more at risk if elderly, already sick, probably us as reduced imune system. anyway, it is recommended to keep house clean and not let mould grow on poo, ie clean regularly (we don't do this as we have a deep litter system where we pop clean shavings on top, keeps extra warmth in for the winter... and you can wear a dust mask while cleaning the girls out, as it's the mould dust stuff that spreads the illness. anyway like i say probably really rare but thought I would mention it. I am probably buggered as we put the old chippings and poo on the composter which goes on the veg! by the way our girls are fab, they are laying throughout the winter bless them..x