The recent increase of interest in backyard chicken ownership (those kept on residential property commonly referred to as urban or backyard chickens) has launched support programs such as UrbanHensTO. Chickens are a natural reservoir for zoonotic pathogens, and in this study, researchers aimed to identify any knowledge, attitude or practice gaps among current and prospective backyard chicken owners. Responses were collected through an anonymous online survey from December 2019 to March 2021. Respondents were asked questions regarding household demographics, previous, current, or future backyard chickens, primary reasons for having or wanting backyard chickens, and about animal handling practices and zoonotic disease awareness. There were 279 respondents from Ontario (85.9%). Researchers found that reasons for having or wanting backyard chickens included food and companionship. This session will discuss this study and the misconceptions raised about pathogens transmissible from backyard chickens to people.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• List pathogens that are transmissible from backyard chickens to people
• Describe activities that may increase the risk of pathogen transmission from backyard chickens to their owners
• Identify misconceptions about pathogens that may be transmitted from backyard chickens to people from a study conducted by the presenters
• Consider the potential implications of this study for public health organizations

Presenter(s): Dr. Katherine Paphitis and Dr. Devon Metcalf

The presentation can be found here: [ Ссылка ]

свернуть