Can chicken make dogs sick

Can Dogs Get Sick from Chickens? (Possible Disease & Worms Risk)

As someone who lives in the countryside, plenty of our friends and neighbors keeps a range of animals, with chickens and dogs being a popular combination. But anyone keeps animals of different species in close proximity should always be aware of any health risks in this can case whether chickens can make your dog sick.

In this helpful guide I will explain how dogs can be sick from being around chickens. Whilst the risks are comparatively low, there are still things you need to be aware of as a dog owner regarding chicken feed, feces, and possible disease or contamination.

But first, the short answer as follows:

Can dogs get sick from chickens? Dogs will not get ill simply from being around chickens as cannot contract avian bird viruses. However, there are some cases where diseases can be transmitted between chickens and dogs, for example fecal contamination and fungal infections.

Can dogs get disease from chickens?

It is possible for dogs to get sick from chickens with various diseases that can pass from chicken to dog and vice versa. Most illnesses will be passed between the species when a dog eats chicken poop, but there are other scenarios which could spread disease too.

For example, germs and disease can be passed through the air, being inhaled by your dog when near a chicken coop. But this is very rare, and in truth, providing your chickens and hens are healthy, its unlikely that chickens can make your dog sick.

But there will always be a small element of risk, as chickens can give dogs diseases providing the environment and circumstances align. Here are some of the ways in which chickens can make your dog sick, albeit rare.

Can dogs get Mareks disease from chickens?

From my online research I have found that Mareks disease is purely an avian disease that only affects poultry such as chickens and turkeys (view source). As such, it seems that dogs cannot get Mareks disease from chickens and it should not jump between species.

Mareks disease is one of the most contagious diseases found in chickens, named after Jzsef Marek, a Hungarian veterinarian. It typically affects chickens from 12 to 30 weeks of age and is something more commonly found in poultry farms.

For most people who have a small number of chickens in a small coop, versus are farm environment, Mareks disease will be rare according to the Poultry Site.

The good news about Mareks Disease is that it is rare in small flocks. Personally, Ive never seen a case or even heard of anyone I know having a case. Its nearly completely preventable.

To conclude, Mareks disease is not something that can make your dog sick form being close to chickens (or turkeys).

Handy Hint: I also wrote a guide on how to introduce chickens and dogs to help reduce the risk of them not getting along.

Can chickens give dogs parvo?

Given that chickens can get parvovirus, it stands to reason that they can in-turn pass parvo onto dogs. Parvo is extremely contagious and typically passes through feces.

Therefore, if you have unhealthy chickens who have parvo, and your dog eats the poop, your dog could get parvo from the chickens.

I do not have any scientific evidence I could find online that backs up my assumption but seeing as parvo is something dogs can contract from eating feces, it sounds likely they could contract parvo from chicken poop too.

Can dogs get salmonella from chickens?

Salmonella is one of the more common illnesses and bacterial diseases that is possible for dogs to catch from chickens. Dogs can get salmonella from chickens when eating the infected feces and droppings around a coop or run.

According to the WagWalking.com websites, chickens with salmonella make dogs sick by:

Dogs can get Salmonella infection from chickens and other animals carrying the bacteria, by exposure to contaminated excretions (mostly poop!) or by eating contaminated meat.

In addition, the Scoop from the Coop website says:

When keeping dogs and chickens it is important that you dont give the dog free run of the coop or main housing area. This is mainly due to the fact that ingesting some germs that may be present in your birds droppings (think salmonella) could make them sick.

Of all the possible reasons for dogs getting sick from chickens, salmonella is probably the number one risk.

Can chickens give dogs worms?

Yes, chicken worms can infect dogs.

Many worms are passed out through fecal matter, so if the chicken is infected with parasites such as hookworms, roundworms, and tapeworms, and the dog eats the poultry feces, theres a risk of illness.

Can dogs get giardia from chickens?

Dogs can get giardia from chickens, primarily through the ingestion of feces. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website says this about this particular disease.

Anything that comes into contact with feces (poop) from infected humans or animals can become contaminated with the Giardia parasite. People and animals become infected when they swallow the parasite. It is not possible to become infected through contact with blood.

There is also documented evidence of dogs contracting giardia from playing in dirt and earth where the parasite is present. This presents the possibility of a dog getting sick when playing near chicken coops if the chickens have giardia of course.

Handy Hint: Heres a guide to follow if you want to stop your from killing chickens.

Can chicken feed make a dog sick?

Most dogs will eat anything that they come across and this includes the feed you give your chickens. I also wanted to investigate whether there was a risk of chicken feed making dogs sick and it turns out that is unlikely to make them ill.

Unless the feed has medication in it, your chickens food probably wont harm your dog. Heres another quote from the Scoop from the Coop website on the matter:

The un-medicated food that you feed your chickens likely wont cause any harm to your dog unless they eat a huge amount of it. If you are using a medicated food for your chickens, the medication is not approved for use for dogs. The tougher chore will be to keep your birds away from your dogs food. This food is high in protein and often becomes a flock favorite once they discover where the food bowl is kept!

Can dogs be allergic to live chickens?

Its very common for dogs to be allergic to chicken meat, but whats not so well documented is whether dogs can be allergic to live chickens.

I found some great information on the VCA animal hospital website which mentioned how dogs living in close proximity to chickens can develop allergic reactions in certain circumstances. Heres what they say:

Aspergillosis begins when susceptible dogs inhale mold spores often found in compost piles, stables, and barns. In some dogs, the spores trigger an allergic reaction. In others, the spores cause an infection. Most infections localize in the nose, while some dogs develop mild to serious lung infections.

As you can probably imagine, this fungus will develop in damp chicken pens and coops, so could be the cause of an allergy in your dog.

Another fungal pathogen that could put your dog at risk is histoplasmosis again it can be found near chickens as it grows in soil made rich from chicken poop.

Conclusion

To wrap things up, if your keeping a small number of chickens in your yard or garden, then its very unlikely that your dog will get sick from being close to them.

The key here is to keep your chickens healthy and keep their coop and run clean and disease free. By doing so, you can help reduce the slim risk of a dog getting a disease from a chicken.

If your dog does really like the taste of chicken perhaps you should just peel the batter off some nuggets for them?

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Is Chicken Poop Bad for Dogs to Eat? (How Harmful Is It?)

Many friends of mine have started to keep chickens in recent years, setting up small coops in their yards and gardens. Thats all well and good, but a lot of these friends also own dogs; having both animals comes with challenges and risks, particularly with the chicken poop.

Keeping chickens requires a lot of hard work as their poop needs cleaning out each day. If you dont do this, it can increase the chance of your dog eating chicken poop and the subsequent risks of this to your dogs health.

If youve got both or are planning on doing so, you need to know what these risks are, and how it can be bad for your dog to eat chicken poop. Heres all you need to know in one helpful guide.

Is chicken poop bad for chickens? It can be harmful for dogs to eat chicken poop, but the risk is low. If your chickens are healthy and free from worms, salmonella, and disease then its unlikely that a little chicken poop will hurt your dog or make them sick.

Is chicken poop toxic to dogs?

Anybody with a dog will know how undiscerning they can be when it comes to eating things. Ive seen my own dog eat slugs, chew on horse manure, and even try to eat a dead rat.

If you own chickens and dogs, be prepared for your dog to try and eat some of the poop which lets face it, is never going to be in short supply!

But just how toxic or harmful is it for dogs to eat chicken poop?

Whilst chicken poop itself isnt toxic to dogs, it may contain many harmful elements which can make dogs sick and not just from being eaten. Dogs can also get sick with germs that go airborne from the poop and then get inhaled by a dog.

But the risk is low to moderate and is entirely dependent on whether the chickens and hens themselves are sick or carrying disease or parasites.

There will always be the possibility of harm from the following illnesses that transfer via animal feces.

1. Possible salmonella

But the biggest risk where chicken poop can make dogs sick is by being eaten, as it can pass salmonella from the chicken to the dog. Salmonella bacteria is shed from the chicken via feces and can then infect the dog once ingested.

2. Possible giardia

There is also the possibility of a dog getting sick from eating chicken poop due to giardia. According to the CDC.gov website, giardia is spread by:

Anything that comes into contact with feces (poop) from infected humans or animals can become contaminated with the Giardia parasite. People and animals become infected when they swallow the parasite. It is not possible to become infected through contact with blood.

The CDC go on to say that giardia can also be contracted when dogs roll and play in contaminated soil or drinking water that has been exposed to the parasite all things that you could see as being likely in a chicken coop environment.

Giardia is a microscopic parasite, so you wont even be able to see it in your dogs own poop.

3. Possible worms

Dogs can also get worms from eating chicken poop, including these nasties listed below.

All the worm types above can be passed from animal to animal via infected feces. This means that if a chicken has worms, a dog that eats the infected poop containing worms eggs can also become a host for the parasites. It could also occur if a dog was to attack and kill a chicken, and ingesting fecal matter.

4. Possible parvovirus

There is also a slim chance of dogs getting parvo from eating chicken poop. Ive talked about parvovirus before, where puppies can get it on beaches. Its a highly contagious disease and is usually spread when dogs eat the feces of parvo-contaminated dogs.

My belief that it could also be transferable via chicken poop is based on a 2013 research paper I read that explains how chickens can get parvovirus (view source). Based on that, if you have sick chickens, it doesnt take too much of a leap of faith to think its possible for parvo to be contracted via chicken poop eating.

If your chickens are disease and parasite free, its unlikely that a dog will get sick from eating chicken poop, as all thats really coming through then is the chicken feed.

However, you have no guarantee that there wont be a parasite or possible infectious element in the chicken poop that the dog eats, so you need to prevent it.

Can dogs get coccidia from eating chicken poop?

Coccidiosis, while present in both birds and dogs, is species specific. This means the strains carried by poultry cannot be passed to dogs and vice versa.

Handy Hint: Have you ever seen slugs on or in your dogs poop? The reason the slugs are there might surprise you, heres what you need to know.

What if my dog eats chicken poop?

If you see your dog eating chicken poop, I would discourage them from doing so, but at the same time would not panic. Whilst it can be bad for them to eat it, a few pellets here and there might not be harmful.

The bottom line is this; if you have sick chickens who have disease and parasites, then yes, your dog has a far higher chance of getting ill from eating poultry feces.

With salmonella topping the list of possible illnesses, here are the signs to look out for with salmonella poisoning (and even this can be rare according to the Whole Dog Journal:

Though its relatively uncommon for dogs to actually become ill from ingesting Salmonella the illness is called salmonellosis the canine symptoms are similar to those seen in humans, including diarrhea, sometimes with blood and/or mucous; vomiting and refusal to eat; fever; lethargy; and abdominal pain and cramping.

When it comes to worms, in most cases you will see them in your dogs poop. Other symptoms include weakness, weight loss, swollen stomach, loss of appetite, and vomiting.

How do you stop a dog from eating chicken poop?

Whilst the risks of illness are relatively low, you should still try to stop your dog eating chicken poop. Here is a selection of tips to help you do this.

1. Use cayenne pepper or chili sauce

Ive not tried this with chicken poop, but our dog used to eat our cats poop until I started dropping chili sauce and cayenne pepper onto it.

I would go out early in the morning, find the poop, and add my own special ingredients to it. After a few attempts, our dog Claude realized hed get quite a nasty taste so soon stopped the filthy habit.

Try the same with chicken poop, as hot chili or cayenne pepper is something that dogs hate the taste of.

2. Add pineapple to your chickens diet

I have no evidence that this works, but its worth a shot as apparently dogs hate the taste of pineapple so if its in your chickens poop it should stop your dog wanting to eat it.

Like the cayenne pepper tip, it might be something you do for a week until your dog makes the association, then you can stop feeding it.

3. Keep the coop and run area secure and clean

As the possible harmful bacteria is in the chicken poop, you need to stop access to the area. The best way to stop diseases being passed between dogs and chickens is to keep their enclosures completely separate.

Aside from these tips, you could also try distracting your dog, keeping him supervised, and obedience training all of which are far too obvious for me to list in detail here.

Handy Hint: Dogs can get along with chickens but you should never take anything for granted. Heres what you need to know about the chances of your dog killing a live chicken and which breeds are best suited tokeeping poultry.

Is dog poop bad for chickens?

Of course, it can also work the other way around, with your chickens possibly eating your dogs poop. The risks are the same, albeit in reverse.

However, I believe dogs are more at risk of developing disease and sickness in their poop due to their wider exposure to the world. They go on walks and runs where can are exposed to a wider and more frequent volume of possible illnesses.

For me that means its going to be more likely that a chicken would get ill from eating dog poop, rather than the switched scenario.

Handy Hint: Ive written a different guide that details all the ways in which chickens can make dogs sick and the possible diseases that could be passed.

Conclusion

Having spoken to a vet last week to confirm my findings, she agreed with me that chicken poop can be bad for dogs, but it is a low risk. She said that it almost goes without saying, that you should try to avoid it happening if you can.

Something things are easier said than done though! Dogs are persistent and do eat the strangest things as you can see in these other blog posts Ive research below.