Preventing Serious Health Issues from Chicken Coop Dust

Dan Poultry, This Land of Ours

How chicken coop dust could be harmful to your health. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.

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Image by Andy M. from Pixabay

Chicken coop dust, also known as poultry dust, is a mixture of bedding material, chicken droppings, bird feed, and other components that are naturally found within your chicken’s housing area. Although it is admittedly tough to avoid, chicken coop dust can have major health consequences if you aren’t careful.

Poultry dust is most problematic for workers in commercial poultry houses and is less likely to cause issues for the owners of backyard flocks. However, it can still cause significant health problems such as: coughing, shortness of breath, itchy, watery eyes, asthma, and flu-like symptoms. There are other factors at play when it comes to your health and the chicken coop, too. 

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For example, chicken coops also contain ammonia. Chicken coop dust isn’t just harmful to you. It’s also harmful to your chickens. Regular cleaning is essential to keep everyone healthy. You can also help matters by improving ventilation in your coop, change bedding, use a respirator mask, and keeping your flock relatively small.

Listen to Cathy Isom’s This Land of Ours program here.

Preventing Health Issues from Chicken Coop Dust