The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Poultry The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Poultry
Showing posts with label Poultry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poultry. Show all posts

Sunday, August 15, 2021

10 Of The Most Popular Pets In The US That Aren't Cats Or Dogs



It makes sense to assume that dogs and cats are the most common pets in the United States; after all, they make up a significant number of our favorite animal accounts on Instagram, attracting thousands of followers each day and taking over social media feeds.

While it would seem that something equally as soft and cuddly would come in as third runner-up, the next most popular pet in the US isn’t quite what you’d expect. Below are the most popular pets in America besides cats and dogs.

To read more on this story, click here: 10 Of The Most Popular Pets In The US That Aren't Cats Or Dogs


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Saturday, August 15, 2020

Pet Travel - Bringing Five or Fewer Pet Birds into the US


The USDA APHIS Veterinary Services (VS) defines a shipment of pet birds as five (5) or fewer birds brought into the United States (U.S.) that are not intended for resale. This does not include birds classified by VS as poultry (chickens, doves, ducks, geese, grouse, guinea fowl, partridges, pea fowl, pheasants, pigeons, quail, swans, and turkeys).

If you are bringing six (6) or more pet birds or any number of birds classified as poultry into the U.S., view the requirements for importing commercial birds and zoological birds and importing live poultry.

To read more on this story, click here: Pet Travel - Bringing Five or Fewer Pet Birds into the US




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Wednesday, October 24, 2018

The CDC is Asking Pet Owners to Refrain from Dressing Up Their Chickens This Year Due to a Particular Strain of Salmonella


Louisiana resident Stephanie Morse treats chickens like family, and like any other family member, Morse’s chickens get costumes every Halloween.

"Their bare skin is exposed, I just like to put a sweater on them to keep them warm and comfortable, and some of them have more personality," Morse told CBS affiliate KNOE-TV.

But people like Morse are being told not to trick-or-treat with their chickens this Halloween. The CDC is asking pet owners to refrain from dressing up their chickens this year due to a particular strain of salmonella.

At least 92 people in 29 states have been infected with a strain of multidrug-resistant salmonella after coming into contact with raw chicken products. No deaths have been reported, but 21 of the sick patients have been hospitalized.

The CDC warned that people could be infected by handling live chickens. When dressing a chicken, whether in a Halloween costume or a sweater, it is easier for a person to come into contact with harmful bacteria that live on poultry, including salmonella.

The agency also warns, "Don't kiss your birds or snuggle them and then touch your face or mouth."

Despite this, Morse said that her chickens will continue to strut their stuff.



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Keeping Backyard Chickens and Other Poultry


Backyard chickens and other poultry can carry germs such as Salmonella. After you touch a bird, or anything in the area where birds live and roam, wash your hands so you don’t get sick!

Owning backyard chickens and other poultry can be a great experience. However, children and other groups of people have a greater chance of illness from handling live poultry or anything in the area where they live and roam. Even handling baby birds displayed at stores can cause a Salmonella infection.

There Are Many Ways You Can Get Salmonella from Live Poultry
Live poultry might have Salmonella germs in their droppings and on their bodies (feathers, feet, and beaks), even when they appear healthy and clean. The germs can get on cages, coops, feed and water dishes, hay, plants, and soil in the area where the birds live and roam. Germs also can get on the hands, shoes, and clothes of people who handle or care for the birds.

People become infected with Salmonella germs when they put their hands or equipment that has been in contact with live poultry in or around their mouth. Young children are more likely to get sick because their immune systems are still developing and they are more likely to put their fingers or pacifiers and other items into their mouths.

People who have contact with items, like coops or water dishes, in the area where poultry live can get sick without actually touching one of the birds. Germs on your hands can spread easily to other people or surfaces, which is why it’s important to wash hands immediately with soap and water after touching poultry or anything in the area where they live and roam.

To read more on this story, click here: Keeping Backyard Chickens and Other Poultry


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Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Chickens Are Becoming A Popular Option for An Emotional Support Or Therapy Animal


Chickens are more than something to eat. They are intelligent and social animals. The chatty bird has even won the hearts of many people who now keep them as a pet. Chickens are becoming a popular option for an emotional support or therapy animal.

Social animals make great therapy animals. Their need to connect and desire to be around family helps people suffering from anxiety, depression and loneliness. While dogs, cats and horses have been the traditional therapy animals, chickens are pecking their way in.

Chickens are entertaining and talkative animals. They have over 24 different types of vocalizations. Aside from their vocals, they have unique personalities. “The talker, the complainer, the bossy one and the placid and the dopey and the eagle eyed smarty pants,” states Psychology Today. There is a perfect chicken for everyone.

On top of the entertainment they provide, chickens are a perfect choice for people who are allergic to dogs and cats.

The feathered animal has been introduced to nursing homes and senior living communities with great success. Therapy chickens have helped people with mental illnesses, children with autism, and give the elderly a reason to live. Having an animal to care for gives them a reason to wake up every morning.

Studies done on facilities that have used therapy chickens have shown, “chickens at nursing homes can reduce resident-to-resident altercations, reduce antipsychotic drug use and increase the number of visits residents receive from friends and family,” according to Sheboygan Press

Therapy animals spark conversation about the patient’s past pets and brings back memories. This helps patients that are suffering from memory loss. The therapy animal also initiates conversations between the residents.

“They can make good therapy pets for people who live with a backyard because they cost much less than dogs. Care-taking is good for you, when it’s not overwhelming and a chicken can provide an “un-anxious example of how to live without worry,” reports Psychology Today.

While some chickens like to be handled and cuddled, they still need their outdoor time. Chickens need time outside to search for worms and bugs.

“Researchers at the University of Northumbria found that “poultry therapy” in nursing homes can reduce feelings of depression and loneliness in patients — and can be especially helpful in getting male patients to be more social.”

Chickens are affordable and entertaining therapy pets that are changing the lives of many people. These intelligent feathered animals are finally being seem as something more than food.





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Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Yes, This is a Real Chicken


This was originally posted by Fitim Sejfijaj, a member of a Kosovo-based poultry-enthusiast group on Facebook called "Shpeztaria Dekorative," which translates to "Decorative Poultry," the video went viral this week after it was reposted on Twitter.

"Am I the only person wondering why this chicken is so big?" Twitter user @LifesBook_CEO asked the internet. He is definitely not alone. The video of the amazing-looking creature already has 40,000 retweets, 54,000 likes and thousands of comments, so TODAY Food had to get the real deal about this huge bird.

"It's an example of a real breed called the Brahma chicken," Emily Lhamon, a poultry health educator for Penn State Extension http://extension.psu.edu/animals/poultry, told TODAY.

"I'm short, and these birds come up tall on me," Lhamon said, noting that most males top out at 2½ to 3 feet, max. "They grow to be quite large, but not Great Dane-sized. They are more feathers than they are meat. They're fluffy and look heavier than they actually are."

Weight-wise, they range from about 11 to 18 pounds, in the most extreme cases, Jeannette Beranger, senior program manager for The Livestock Conservancy, told TODAY.

"They are great birds — a laid-back, wonderful breed," Beranger assured us.

In case you're wondering, Brahma chickens are not the result of modern-day GMOs or antibiotics. They've been around since about 1850, through old-fashioned breeding of large birds from Asia. "They bred the two biggest chickens back then to create what they wanted to stylistically," Lhamon explained.

Popular for eating back then, the breed has since fallen out of favor — not because it's not tender enough, but because the birds are expensive to raise because they eat a lot. But they also take longer to mature and get to market than newer breeds of chickens, Lhamon said.

"You could lose your shirt feeding a flock of Brahmas," Beranger agreed. Because of their size, they don't do well in warm climates, and they can be hard to care for. Their feathered feet don't mix well with muddy conditions, for example.

Brahma chickens are considered endangered, but people do eat their eggs (which are a normal size in case you're wondering) and some of the chickens become dinner too.

"As we always say, 'you have to eat them to save them,'" says Beranger. "They are chickens after all and need a job beyond being someone's pet or lawn ornament. For those that are not breeding quality, that job is to be food for the table."

Funnily enough, much like the reaction the birds got on social media this week, the Brahma chickens actually set off "hen fever" in the United States and England, after they were introduced in Europe in the mid-1800s.

"It came to be considered quite trendy to be breeding chickens. It was a gentleman's farmer-type activity to get your name associated with creating something new," Beranger said — not unlike the     hipster obsession with urban farming we're seeing today, we might add.

Curious to get a look at one yourself, in real life? Our experts suggested seeking out poultry shows such as the Ohio National Poultry Show in Columbus, which Lhamon likened to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show of chicken shows. Or you can likely find a show in your own area, nationwide.

"Throughout the country, you're always going find a Brahma chicken at a poultry show," Beranger said. "They're real show stoppers."

With their feathered feet and larger size, Brahma chickens like this one are "show stoppers" at show like the American Poultry Association's, Jeannette Beranger of The Livestock Conservancy says.

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Thursday, September 15, 2016

Centers for Disease Control: Why You Should Never Kiss Your Backyard Chickens


The backyard chicken trend that has taken hold of America has a lot going for it, occasional neighborly disputes notwithstanding. The eggs are fresh, it’s clear where they came from, and raising fowl is educational for children.

But it’s also causing an “emerging public health trend” in the form of increasing salmonella outbreaks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday.

It doesn’t help that, according to the available data, a not-insignificant share of poultry-keepers kiss their chickens and allow them into the living room. These head-scratching findings are among the “high-risk practices” occurring as what once were production animals “are increasingly being considered household pets,” a new CDC study said.

Salmonella infections can make people very ill and, in rare cases, cause death. They originate with bacteria that hang out in animal intestines, enter the world via their feces and are usually transmitted to people through contaminated water or food. But recent outbreaks in the United States have implicated contact with live poultry as a growing source, and healthy chickens are known to shed salmonella bacteria, so the CDC scoured various databases and studies to determine the role of all those crafty coops in the problem.

Here are some of the basic findings:

  • From 1990 to 2014, there were 53 “live poultry associated salmonella” outbreaks that sickened 2,630 people, hospitalized 387 and killed five.
  • About one outbreak occurred each year from 1990 to 2005.
  • That rose to about four outbreaks a year from 2005 to 2014.
  • About 6 in 10 patients said they’d been exposed to baby poultry, and 74 percent said that exposure happened at home.

And here are some of the more surprising figures. Of those exposed to baby poultry, these are the percentages of patients who reported:

  • Snuggling baby birds: 49
  • Kissing baby birds: 13

Nearly half — 46 percent — of patients said they allowed live poultry in the house. Of those, these are the percentages who kept fowl:

  • In the living room: 22
  • In the kitchen: 12
  • In the bedroom: 10
  • In the bathroom: 10

No word, unfortunately, on whether cuddling and kissing took place in the bedroom.

About half of those who took the “mi casa es su casa” approach to their chickens reported having owned their birds for a year or less, the study said, which suggests inexperience might have something to do with their unfamiliarity with “appropriate husbandry practices” (though a slightly greater percentage said they knew about the link between poultry and salmonella). The authors of the study also surmised that some people might bring chicks inside in the winter out of fear their fluff will not stand up to the cold.

But the authors were also categorical in their opposition to this practice: “Poultry should never be allowed inside the house,” they wrote.

They stopped far short of warning people off keeping backyard flocks. All in all, the study concluded, poultry owners, especially children, who most often get salmonella, need to regularly wash their hands and be aware that even robust-looking birds can shed salmonella. And health-care workers, veterinarians, pediatricians, hatcheries, feed stores and other key players in this field need to spread the words about the risk.


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Monday, December 14, 2015

Woman Knits Colorful Sweaters For Rescue Chickens


In Cornwall, England, Nicola Congdon and her mother, Ann, are really getting into knitting. After all, it’s the season for it.

But instead of knitting human-size sweaters, their projects are a bit smaller…

That’s because their sweaters aren’t made for humans at all! They’re for about 30 of the 60 hens that live on Nicola and Ann’s property.

These 30 chickens are rescued battery hens, meaning they spent much of their lives in tiny cages producing eggs.

These hens, raised in captivity indoors, have trouble acclimating to living outside. Many of them also lack the feathers they need to keep warm, which puts them at risk during the cold months.

So to help them stay cozy in the winter, Nicola and Ann decided to help them out by knitting chicken-size sweaters in all different colors. And they really help, just like how on the other side of the world, one kindly man creates sweaters for penguins in need.

See how these two women are helping chickens, as well as humans, and let them inspire you to help someone in need today!

The chickens that have come out of captivity are ill-prepared for the cold, and many of them lack feathers entirely.

“We are doing it for the ex-battery hens for when they come out of their poor conditions for them to put on in the cold weather,” Nicola explains.

She and Ann, her mother, have been knitting chicken sweaters for the past six months.

“It’s important to make people aware of the poor conditions the hens live in and the fact that they have no feathers when they are retired,” Nicola says, but she’s also pleased with the practical aspects of the sweaters: “They keep them warm and makes the chickens easy to identify.”

As for the chickens, they seem to like the sweaters, too. Nicola says that they have no issues getting the sweaters onto the chickens, and that the chickens don’t try to remove them.

She and Ann have an extensive collection of the tiny, sleeveless sweaters. As the world has taken notice of their creations, chicken owners all over the world have sent in requests — and are willing to pay for them.




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Monday, May 4, 2015

Keeping Chickens As Pets: A Growing Trend For City Dwellers


Maybe it’s a growing trend of getting back to basics, maybe it’s the economy. Whatever the reason, keeping chickens as pets is a growing trend even for city dwellers. There are even clubs for those who fancy poultry as pets, and competitive shows where owners can show off their beautiful Bantams. The clubs and shows are generally overseen by the American Poultry Association.

While regulations vary on chicken ownership from town to town, even many urban communities allow for a small number of hens. Many towns see roosters as too noisy (hello, annoying alarm clock) and/or aggressive to be kept in a residential setting.

Marci Riseman, mom of two, has kept chickens in her San Francisco backyard for three years.

“I consider our chickens to be somewhere between pets and farm animals,” she said. “It’s a strange relationship that I’ve never had before, and I find it leaves me with different expectations. We feed our cat and all we expect is love and a full litterbox; we feed our chickens and we expect them to produce eggs.”

Don’t expect to start a roadside egg-selling stand (which is probably also regulated in your town, by the way) with just a few hens.

“Right now we have three chickens, and are getting two eggs a day,” said Marci. “This means that someone is not laying. We can’t tell who the freeloader is, since they all spend time in the laying box; without a strategically-placed ChickenCam we’ll never know who isn’t pulling her weight egg-wise.”

“I love having these creatures in our yard,” said Marci. “They are beautiful those weird spindly feet are actually very graceful in motion … and the feathers, oh the feathers! and funny, and friendly, and they are a great live-action science experiment every day in our own back yard.”

Marci describes herself as “an urban homesteader at heart” who makes her own jam and sauerkraut and cooks or bakes most of what her family eats. She and her family also grow fruits and vegetables in a small garden.

“I would totally have a goat and an orchard and acres of blueberry bushes if we had the land and my husband wouldn’t divorce me over it,” jokes Marci. “Especially the goat. Just being with the chickens while I pull weeds or hang out with the kids or friends in the yard makes me happy. Chickens are a small way to bring nature closer in to our noisy, urban lives.”

I asked Marci if she and her family eat the chickens or just the eggs.

“We don’t eat the chickens. Partly because of the part-pet thing; the kids would be beyond horrified. And partly because it would be disgusting to slaughter our own animals, though I’m sure I could get over that part with practice. At first it did freak me out to eat something that came out of the rear end of something that lives in our backyard. It made me realize how disassociated we are from our food; I don’t mind eating something that comes out of the rear end of a chicken I can’t see? I got over it, though, and now I adore eating their eggs.”

If you’re considering keeping chickens, the first and most important step is to find out what your community’s regulations are. Your town’s public health department can help you with that. If chickens are allowed, you can use a tool like the “Which Chicken?” Breed Selector Tool at mypetchicken.com to help find breeds that are suitable for your climate and your interests.

For example, in my fantasy world in which I have chickens, I want a cold-hardy chicken that is docile and produces lots of fun-colored eggs. The chicken chooser tool recommends a chicken called an Easter Egger that lays four large bluish-green eggs a week.

A particularly helpful resource is backyardchickens.com, which includes lots of ideas about coops, owner reviews of a vast number of breeds, and a thriving online community in which to discuss and ask questions about laws, breeds, problem solving, and other issues. Their Learning Center section has great information for those just getting started, as well as long-time chicken owners.

The most amazing thing about chickens is that there’s a huge variety that are suited to backyard raising.






The following are just a few of the nifty birds out there:











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Sunday, January 18, 2015

Meet Miracle Mike the Colorado Chicken Who Lived for 18 Months Without His Head


Mike meet everyone, everyone meet Mike. No, no, don’t wave. He can’t see, you’re just making this awkward.

Also known as Miracle Mike, Mike the Headless Chicken was a plump, five-year-old cockerel when he was unceremoniously beheaded on 10 September 1945. Farmer Lloyd Olsen of Fruita in Colorado did the deed because his wife Clara was having her mother over for dinner that night, and Olsen knew she’d always enjoyed a bit of roast chicken neck. With that in mind, Olsen tried to save most of Mike’s neck as he lopped his head off, but in doing so, he accidentally made his axe miss Mike’s jugular vein, plus one ear and most of his brain stem, and to his surprise, Mike didn't die.

To read more on this story, click here: Meet Miracle Mike the Colorado Chicken Who Lived for 18 Months Without His Head FOLLOW US!
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