Caring for your health when handling poultry and eggs

While owning backyard poultry can have many advantages, it is important to be aware of the possible human health risks. This includes food poisoning from contaminated eggs or home-killed chicken meat.

Food pathogens (disease-causing agents) such as Salmonella bacteria can be both inside the egg and on the shell surface. Therefore, contamination may result from poor hygiene when handling birds or eggs, poor hygiene during food preparation or from the consumption of raw or undercooked eggs. Salmonella infection may also result if you fertilise your backyard vegetable patch with manure from your poultry.

You can reduce the risk of contamination with food pathogens (including salmonella) by following some simple hygiene rules when preparing food:

• Wash your hands with soap after handling birds or eggs, before handling any other food and before eating.
• Thoroughly wash any home-grown vegetables which have been fertilised with poultry manure with clean water.
• Collect your eggs at least once a day and twice daily in hot weather as pathogens grow quickly in the heat.
• Store your eggs in the fridge and use the oldest eggs first.
• Don’t use eggs that are cracked, covered in dirt or faeces, or that have been wet while in the nest (wet eggshells are porous and allow bacteria to go inside the egg).
• Avoid consuming raw or undercooked eggs, especially if you are pregnant or immunocompromised. Hard-boiled eggs are the safest eggs to consume.
• Do not wash chicken meat as this can contaminate kitchen surfaces. Instead, always wash hands before and after handling raw chicken meat.
• Ensure chicken meat is thoroughly cooked. Never eat raw or undercooked chicken meat.