Backyard Poultry Safety

Feathered Friends, Healthy Homes: Protecting Your Family and Backyard Poultry

Raising backyard chickens, ducks, geese, guinea fowl, or turkeys can be a joyful and rewarding experience - providing fresh eggs, a closer connection to nature, and an opportunity to teach children where food comes from. But these same birds can carry germs like Salmonella, Campylobacter, and avian influenza that can make people, and other birds, ill. Knowing how to protect both your family and your flock is essential for a safe, healthy backyard poultry experience.

What happens in your coop doesn’t stay in your coop. Whether you raise a few birds for eggs or a small flock for meat, the way you manage your birds can have real consequences for flocks across Iowa. The close connection that makes backyard poultry so appealing, allowing people to engage directly with their food source, also comes with risk. Poultry diseases can spread far beyond your fence line, traveling to other backyard or commercial flocks on dirty clothing or tools, and even inside wildlife. That’s why every poultry owner in Iowa plays a critical role in protecting the health of birds statewide.

Iowa leads the nation in egg production, with 47 million hens laying over 15 billion eggs each year and driving a $1.33 billion industry that supports thousands of jobs. The state’s expanding broiler sector adds even more to the state’s economy. Iowa also ranks 7th in turkey production, raising about 12 million birds annually and generating up to $10.64 billion in economic activity.

By working together, everyone (backyard keepers, hobbyists, and commercial producers) can protect Iowa’s poultry economy, safeguard public health, and ensure that Iowans continue to enjoy the rewards of raising birds responsibly.

Understand the Zoonotic Disease Risks

Animals can harbor germs without appearing ill, germs that can spread to people through direct contact or dirty environments. When these germs pass between people and animals, a zoonotic disease can result. Zoonotic diseases that can be associated with backyard flocks include:

• Salmonella infection
• Campylobacteriosis
• E. coli infection
• Histoplasmosis
• Avian influenza (bird flu)

Always assume your birds carry germs, even if they look healthy, and take steps to reduce spread.

Hand Hygiene: Your First Line of Defense

Proper handwashing is the single most effective way to stop the spread of germs between you and your birds. Follow these guidelines every time you work with poultry or handle tools:

• Wash hands immediately before and after handling birds, eggs, feed, water, bedding, or coop tools.
• Use soap and clean running water. Scrub for at least 20 seconds, covering all surfaces including between fingers and under nails.
• If soap and water aren’t available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer as a temporary measure, then wash hands properly at the first opportunity.
• Dry hands with a clean towel or disposable paper towels; avoid shared cloth towels near the poultry area.
• Place handwashing stations or sanitizer dispensers near coop exits to encourage consistent hygiene.

Consistent hand hygiene protects both people and poultry from cross-contamination of harmful germs.

Keeping Children Safe Around Backyard Poultry

Young children are at higher risk of poultry-associated illnesses. To keep them safe:

• Anyone that struggles with hand hygiene should not handle chicks, ducklings, or other live poultry alone. For example, children under 5 may not understand the importance of handwashing.
• Always supervise interactions between children and birds. Teach them not to kiss or snuggle poultry or put their hands near their face after touching birds.
• Require hand washing for all children after any contact with poultry, coops, or tools - no exceptions. Remind kids that the main ways germs from poultry can enter their body are through their mouth, nose, and eyes.
• Keep poultry areas separate from play areas or spaces where children eat or drink.
• Do not bring poultry footwear or soiled clothing into your home. Remove them and change into clean clothes before entering children’s play or eating areas to prevent tracking germs that can cause illness.

Preventing Illness in Your Flock (Two-Way Germs)

Germs go both ways. Not only can your birds give you germs, but you can introduce germs into your backyard flock through footwear, clothing, and tools. If you are sick, you can even give your germs to your birds! Preventive tips include:

• Never share tools, feed/water containers, or bedding with neighbors’ flocks.
• Change clothes and footwear, or use disposable boot covers, before entering poultry areas.
• Clean and disinfect boots and tools between visits.
• If you’re sick with symptoms like sneezing or coughing, arrange for someone else to care for your birds until you’ve recovered. If that’s not possible, wear respiratory protection around your birds to reduce the risk of passing germs to your flock.

These practices help stop person-to-flock transmission of harmful germs and protect bird health and productivity.

TIPS: Your Flock Health Routine

Protecting Your Flock from Wild Birds

Safe Handling of Eggs and Raw Poultry

Guidance if You Get Sick After Contact with Animals

If you develop symptoms that could be related to a foodborne illness after handling backyard poultry or poultry products, contact your healthcare provider and let them know about your recent contact with the birds. For a clear list of symptoms and more information, visit Foodborne Illness.

Spotting and Reporting Sick Poultry

Early detection protects your flock, other flocks, and you from germs. In your birds, watch for:

• Sneezing, coughing, or nasal discharge.
• Swollen eyes, head, and neck.
• Sudden drops in egg production or malformed eggs.
• Lethargy, loss of appetite, or unexplained deaths.

If your birds are experiencing an unusual mortality pattern (e.g. 50% of your flock died in 24 to 48 hours), or you suspect they are sick with a disease, contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. The earlier a health issue is caught and addressed, the better it is for you, your birds, and Iowa. 

Simple Record Keeping for a Healthy Flock

Keep a small, simple record to protect your flock and make problems easier to solve.

• What to save: purchase receipts and invoices, basic health notes (vaccines, treatments, sick or dead birds), and movement or sales dates.
• How long: keep records at least 1 year; longer if you breed or sell birds.
• How to store: paper notebook or a single phone folder with photos/scans; back up important files.
• Quick habit: write the date, item or bird ID, and one short note (example: “3 chicks, invoice #45, vaccinated”).
• Why it helps: faster vet help, easier tracking if disease is suspected, and proof of purchase or care when needed.

Showing or Selling Your Poultry

Keeping your flock U.S. Pullorum-Typhoid (PT) Clean through the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) protects public health and meets show and sale rules. Routine testing finds and removes Salmonella Pullorum and Typhoid carriers and cuts the risk of foodborne illness.

Key points for Iowa

• NPIP is voluntary but simplifies show entry and avoids repeat testing.
• Poultry shows require a negative PT test by a state-certified tester. Always contact the show/fair superintendent for more information before attending.
• Buying chicks from an NPIP-certified source does not certify your flock.
• Pigeons and doves aren’t regulated under NPIP and do not require PT testing.

To enroll or schedule testing, visit the North Central Poultry Association webpage.

For interstate shipments, start at https://poultryimprovement.org and then contact each state’s animal health office for specific rules. You will also need to contact an accredited veterinarian who can sign a health certificate (CVI) for each movement. 

For information on hosting an exhibition or sale in Iowa, visit the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Livestock Shows page.

Additional Resources