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Are backyard chickens safe to keep and are they hard to care for?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Bird | Chicken | Male | unneutered

Is it safe to keep chickens.like can they carry diseases or any bugs that can harm humans.and are they easy to take care of.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 27th, 2019

Hello. Chickens can indeed spread diseases, like Salmonella, Campylobacter, Mycobacterium & Chlamidia. But if you have a normal functioning immune system & wash hands after working & handling the chickens & eggs, you should be fine. Chickens can be a lot of work as you need a proper place to keep them safe, a good coop for the night, proper food in the correct ratios, ocassional worming & make sure you only purchase chicks that have been vaccinated for Mareks. There are wonderful books & websites for new chicken owners. I like https://www.mypetchicken.com & https://the-chicken-chick.com. Thanks for using PetCoach.

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