Backyard chickens — A cross-sectional survey of current and prospective backyard chicken owners in Ontario (2019–2021)

Abstract

Objective

Chickens are a natural reservoir for zoonotic pathogens. Humans and pets may be at increased risk of illness due to contact with poultry, their eggs, and their environment. We aimed to identify any knowledge, attitude, or practice gaps among current and prospective backyard chicken owners.

Animal

Backyard chickens.

Procedure

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.

Results

There were 279 respondents from Ontario (85.9%). Reported reasons for having or wanting backyard chickens included for eggs (94.0%), as pets (49.6%), and as a hobby (62.4%). Interestingly, 8.1% wanted chickens for their meat. Just over 1/5 (21.1%) of those with current or recent flocks allowed the birds to come into their house. Just over 7% incorrectly indicated rabies virus could be transmitted by backyard chickens.

Conclusions

Reasons for having or wanting backyard chickens included food and companionship. Many owners reported allowing the chickens entry into their homes, highlighting increased opportunities for zoonotic pathogen transmission. There were misconceptions regarding pathogens transmissible by chickens.

Introduction

Backyard chickens have been increasing in popularity in urban areas in Ontario, Canada over recent years, with flocks available for purchase or for seasonal or long-term rental (1,2). Backyard chickens may be rented by private households, or by institutions such as retirement and long-term care homes, where residents enjoy opportunities to interact with and care for the chickens. To make it easier for households and institutions to have backyard chickens in urban areas, several municipalities in Ontario have introduced or amended local bylaws to allow backyard poultry, including chickens, or have introduced pilot programs to explore allowing these in urban areas (3–7).

Although backyard chickens may be appealing in that they allow individuals to raise chickens in urban areas as a hobby and to collect and consume fresh eggs, interactions with chickens and other poultry also have inherent risks. Chickens are a natural reservoir for zoonotic enteric pathogens such as Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. (2,8–13). Chickens may carry pathogenic bacteria in their gastrointestinal tracts and may shed the bacteria into the surrounding environment via their feces without displaying clinical signs of illness (2,8–13). Chicken owners may become ill with these organisms if they do not take appropriate preventative measures, such as performing hand hygiene after handling chickens, eggs, or bedding, or if they do not wash eggs prior to consuming them (10,11,14).

Chickens may also harbor, become infected with, and transmit pathogens such as E. coli, avian influenza virus, ticks, and other parasites (15–17). Most illnesses are self-limiting; however, children < 5 y, adults > 65 y, and those with compromised immune systems may be at risk of more serious complications due to zoonoses from backyard chickens (18).

An evidence review conducted by Public Health Ontario (2017) reported that many individuals may keep backyard chickens and other poultry; however, overall awareness of the risks of infectious diseases and pathogen transmission associated with direct and indirect poultry contact may be limited (19). This may result in a failure to take appropriate preventative measures, and potentially contribute to an increased risk of illness (19). Similarly, Ayala et al (15) outlined the potential of pathogen spillover from backyard chickens to wild birds, particularly as the prevalence of backyard flocks increases in previously urban areas, and where backyard chicken owners may not be aware of or implement quarantine and biosecurity precautions.

Recently there have been numerous reported outbreaks and cases of individual illness associated with backyard poultry in the United States and Canada (20,21). A record number of illnesses (> 1700) in the United States were associated with Salmonella outbreaks in 2020, with the highest number associated with backyard poultry (including chickens, chicks, and ducks) compared to previous years (20).

Although local, provincial, and federal health authorities across Ontario and Canada routinely conduct surveillance for and investigate outbreaks (cases) of enteric illness, a full listing of these is not publicly available.

The objectives of this study were twofold. The first objective was to assess interest in owning backyard chickens in Ontario, Canada. The second objective was to identify the prevailing knowledge, attitudes, or practice gaps among current and prospective backyard chicken owners regarding zoonotic disease risks associated with backyard chickens. As a result of this work, our goal is to provide the foundation for an educational resource that would address currently identified knowledge gaps among current and future backyard flock owners. Preferably, this would be distributed to potential backyard chicken owners at the point of flock rental, purchase, or registration. Ultimately, the goal is to inform backyard chicken owners on infection prevention and control-related measures associated with handling chickens.

Materials and methods

An anonymous online survey was created using Qualtrics (Qualtrics, Provo, Utah, USA). The survey link was posted on web and social media pages by local public health units in Ontario, the University of Guelph Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses (CPHAZ) and community partners, and was further disseminated via the Ontario Animal Health Network (OAHN), the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors (CIPHI) — Ontario email listserv, and by voluntary sharing by recipients. Responses were collected from December 2019 to March 2021. The survey response period was extended due to disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to allow partner agencies to disseminate the survey. Ethics approval was received from the University of Guelph Research Ethics Board (REB#19-06-008) and from Public Health Ontario (File number 2019-054.01).

All respondents were asked to report their gender, age group, usual city of residence, and whether they currently or recently had or were considering getting backyard chickens. Responses received from individuals who reported a home address outside of Ontario were excluded from analyses, as local by-laws, attitudes, and backyard poultry husbandry practices may differ substantially from those in Ontario. Respondents who indicated they did not currently or previously have backyard chickens and who did not indicate any intention of obtaining these in the future were not asked any further questions and were excluded from subsequent analyses.

Current and previous backyard chicken owners were asked to report their flock size and primary reasons for having backyard chickens. Prospective backyard chicken owners were asked to report their reasons for wanting backyard chickens. All current, previous, and prospective backyard chicken owners were asked to respond to various questions regarding animal handling practices and their awareness of zoonotic disease risks associated with chickens. A copy of the full survey questionnaire is available from the authors by request.

All analyses were performed in Stata v. 15.0 (STATACORP, College Station, Texas, USA). If necessary, due to low cell counts, variables were combined for analyses. Pearson’s Chi-square test was used to assess the association between variables. For all analyses, the 2-tailed statistical significance level was 5% (α = 0.05).

Results

Respondent demographics

A total of 327 responses were received between December 3, 2019, and March 15, 2021. After excluding responses from respondents who reported a home address outside of Ontario (n = 46) and who declined to answer any questions beyond city of residence (n = 2), there were 279 responses available for analyses. Most survey respondents (n = 228, 81.7%) were female. The highest proportion of responses were received from those aged 30 to 39 y (n = 93, 33.3%) (Table 1). Almost half of all respondents (n = 139, 49.8%) were < 40 y of age (Table 1). Most respondents (n = 166, 59.5%) reported that they either currently or recently (in the past 12 mo) had backyard chickens (Table 1). Of those who did not currently or previously have backyard chickens (n = 113, 40.5%), most (n = 75, 66.4%) were considering obtaining these (Table 1).

Table 1.

Respondent demographics, as reported by backyard chicken survey respondents residing in Ontario, Canada; December 2019 to March 2021 (N = 279).

Respondent characteristic	Number of respondents (%)
Age group (y)
≤ 18	5 (1.8)
19 to 29	41 (14.7)
30 to 39	93 (33.3)
40 to 49	71 (25.4)
50 to 59	44 (15.8)
≥ 60a	25 (9.0)
	279 (100.0)
Gendera
Female	228 (81.7)
Male	48 (17.2)
Other/prefer not to answer	3 (1.1)
	279 (100.0)
Current or previous backyard chickens
Yes	166 (59.5)
No	113 (40.5)
	279 (100.0)
Currently considering getting backyard chickensb
Yes	47 (41.6)
Maybe	28 (24.8)
No	38 (33.6)
	113 (100.0)
Backyard chickens considered to be petsc
Probably/definitely yes	149 (63.7)
Maybe	42 (17.9)
Probably/definitely no	43 (18.4)
	234 (100.0)
High-risk household membersd
Children < 5 y	57 (64.8)
Person > 65 y	23 (26.1)
Person with a compromised immune system	20 (22.7)
Pregnant woman	7 (7.95)
	88 (100.0)

^aSome variables collapsed/supressed due to low counts (< 5).

^bOf those who indicated that they did not currently or recently have backyard chickens.

^cOf those who indicated that they currently or recently had backyard chickens or wanted these in the future.

^dOf those current, recent, or prospective backyard chicken owners who reported that there were ≥ 1 high-risk individuals in the household. Responses were not mutually exclusive.

There was no difference in current or previous backyard poultry ownership by either gender (P = 0.25) or age group (P = 0.89). Similarly, there was no difference in future backyard chicken ownership by either gender (P = 0.23) or age group (P = 0.14). After removing those individuals who did not currently or recently have backyard chickens and who were not considering obtaining these in the future (n = 38), there were 241 responses available for further analyses.

Backyard chicken details

Flock sizes among current and previous backyard chicken owners ranged from < 5 to ≥ 16 chickens. Almost 39% of these respondents reported ≥ 16 chickens (Table 2). Most current or previous backyard chicken owners (n = 150, 90.4%) reported that their backyard chickens lived on their property year-round, whereas 9% (n = 15) reported that they had chickens for 1 or more seasons, but not year-round (Table 2). Current and previous backyard chicken owners reported obtaining their chickens from various sources, including from a local farm (n = 50, 30.1%), feed store (n = 34, 20.5%), hatchery (n = 12, 7.2%), breeder (n = 9, 5.4%), or by hatching chickens from eggs themselves (n = 5, 3.0%) (Table 2).

Table 2.

Backyard chicken details, as reported by recent and current backyard chicken owners residing in Ontario, Canada; December 2019 to March 2021 (N = 166).

Backyard chicken details	Number of respondents (%)
Current/recent backyard chicken flock size
< 5	27 (16.3)
5 to 10	53 (31.9)
11 to 15	22 (13.3)
≥ 16	64 (38.6)
	166 (100.0)
Backyard chicken residence
Live on property year-round	150 (90.4)
Kept for 1 or more seasons, but not year-round	15 (9.0)
Unspecified	1 (0.6)
	166 (100.0)
Source of backyard chickens
Farm	50 (30.1)
Feed store	34 (20.5)
Multiple sources	20 (12.0)
Friend	16 (9.6)
Hatchery	12 (7.2)
Breeder	9 (5.4)
Other	8 (4.8)
Mail order/Internet	7 (4.2)
Hatched by owner	5 (3.0)
Rental company	3 (1.8)
Family member	2 (1.2)
	166 (100.0)

Reasons for obtaining backyard chickens

The reported reasons for having or wanting backyard chickens varied. They included wanting chickens for their eggs (n = 220, 94.0%), as pets (n = 116, 49.6%), as a hobby (n = 146, 62.4%), for pest control (n = 66, 28.2%), and to use their feces as fertilizer (n = 64, 27.4%) (Figure 1). Interestingly, 55.9% (n = 19) of those who indicated that they wanted backyard chickens for a reason other than those specified in the survey (8.1% of all of those who provided reasons for having or wanting backyard chickens) reported wanting backyard chickens for their meat (Figure 1). Most respondents who had or wanted backyard chickens (n = 149, 63.7%) reported that they definitely or probably considered backyard chickens to be family pets (Table 1). There was a difference (P < 0.001) between wanting backyard chickens for their meat and whether respondents considered backyard chickens to be pets. Only 2% of respondents who considered backyard chickens to be pets wanted these for their meat (n = 3), compared to 25.6% (n = 11) of those who did not consider backyard chickens to be pets and 11.9% (n = 5) of those who might consider backyard chickens to be pets.

Figure 1.

Reasons for having or wanting backyard chickens, as reported by current, recent, and prospective backyard chicken owners in Ontario, Canada who responded to an online survey regarding backyard chickens; December 2019 to March 2021 (n = 234).^a

^a Responses were not mutually exclusive.

Perception of risk and interactions with backyard chickens

Most current, previous, or prospective backyard chicken owners correctly indicated that bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella spp. (n = 199, 86.5%) and E. coli (n = 157, 68.3%) were transmissible from backyard chickens to humans. However, far fewer respondents (n = 117, 50.9%) correctly reported that avian influenza (‘bird flu’) or Campylobacter spp. (n = 92, 40.0%) were transmissible from backyard chickens to humans (Figure 2).

Figure 2.

Pathogens and parasites believed to be transmissible from backyard chickens to humans, as reported by current, recent, and prospective backyard chicken owners in Ontario, Canada who responded to an online survey regarding backyard chickens; December 2019 to March 2021 (n = 230).^a

^a Responses were not mutually exclusive.

Just over 7% (n = 17, 7.4%) incorrectly indicated that rabies virus could be transmitted from backyard chickens to humans (Figure 2). Zoonotic parasites and pathogens incorrectly reported by respondents as directly communicable from backyard chickens included ticks, mites, Clostridium perfringens, Cryptosporidium spp., West Nile Virus, and Staphylococcus spp.

Interaction with backyard chickens

Over a third (n = 88, 36.5%) of current, recent, or prospective backyard chicken owners reported that there were 1 or more individuals in their household who were in a high-risk group for zoonotic diseases due to age (< 5 y or > 65 y) or compromised immunity (including pregnancy) (Table 1). Just over a fifth (n = 32, 21.1%) of all current or recent backyard chicken owners reported ever allowing their chickens to come into their house. Of these, 43.8% (n = 14; 9.2% of all backyard chicken owners who responded) indicated that chickens were allowed to enter their house daily or weekly (Table 3). Respondents who considered backyard chickens as pets were more likely (P = 0.005) to allow the chickens entry into their home. A total of 28% of these owners (n = 28) reported allowing the chickens into their home, compared to 16.7% (n = 4) of those who said that they might consider chickens to be pets, and 0% of those who did not consider chickens to be pets.

Table 3.

Backyard chicken interactions and activities, as reported by current and recent backyard chicken owners in Ontario, Canada; December 2019 to October 2020 (N = 166).

Nature of backyard chicken interaction/activity	Number of respondents (%)
How often backyard chickens enter their owner’s house
Never	120 (78.9)
Daily/weekly	14 (9.2)
Monthly/less than monthly	18 (11.8)
	152 (100.0)
How often backyard chickens interact with children
Never	27 (17.3)
Daily/weekly	86 (55.1)
Monthly/less than monthly	43 (27.6)
	156 (100.0)
How often backyard chickens interact with other pets
Never	61 (40.1)
Daily/weekly	79 (52.0)
Monthly/less than monthly	12 (7.9)
	152 (100.0)
How often backyard chicken owners wash their hands or use hand sanitizer after touching chickens
Never	4 (2.5)
Always/most of the time	132 (82.5)
Sometimes/rarely	24 (15.0)
	160 (100.0)
Reason(s) why backyard chickens left owner’s propertya
To go to a veterinarian	28 (43.1)
For exercise or enrichment	4 (6.2)
To participate in poultry shows or fairs	11 (16.9)
For a club (e.g., 4H)	4 (6.2)
To visit schools, nursing homes or other facilities	10 (15.4)
Chickens occasionally escape	16 (24.6)
Chickens permitted to roam freely	6 (9.2)
	65 (100.0)

^aResponses were not mutually exclusive.

Many current or recent backyard chicken owners reported allowing their chickens to interact with children (n = 129, 82.7%) or with household pets (n = 91, 59.9%) (Table 3). However, those who considered their chickens to be household pets were not more likely to allow their chickens to interact with either other pets (P = 0.52) or with children (P = 0.43). In general, respondents who reported that there were 1 or more children < 5 y in the household reported they had similar access to the chickens. Specifically, we report no difference in whether the respondent considered chickens to be pets, and whether children were allowed to feed or handle the chickens, enter the coop, collect eggs, and/or change or handle bedding (P > 0.05).

Although most current or recent backyard chicken owners reported performing hand hygiene always or most of the time (n = 132, 82.5%), 17.5% (n = 28) reported that they sometimes, rarely, or never washed their hands or used hand sanitizer after touching their chickens. There was no difference (P = 0.18) between whether backyard chicken owners considered chickens to be pets and the regularity with which they performed hand hygiene after handling chickens.

In total, n = 166 respondents reported that they currently or recently had backyard chickens. Of those, 39.2% (n = 65) provided rationale as to why their backyard chickens would leave their property. The primary reported reason was to visit a veterinarian (n = 28, 43.1%), followed by occasional escape of chickens from the property (n = 16, 24.6%) or to participate in a show or fair (n = 11, 16.9%). Additional reasons included exercise or enrichment (n = 4, 6.2%), to visit a nursing home, school, or other facility (n = 10, 15.4%). Many birds (n = 6, 9.2%) left their properties because the birds were ‘free range’ or ‘free roaming’ and permitted to visit neighboring areas (Table 3).

Types and sources of information

Most previous, current, and prospective backyard poultry owners reported that they had either searched or been given information on how to care for backyard chickens (n = 196, 85.2%). The most common source was online information (n = 178, 90.1%), followed by a book or magazine (n = 97, 49.5%), or a friend or family member (n = 96, 49.0%). Just over 1/3 of respondents (n = 72, 36.7%) reported getting information from a veterinarian.

Less than 2/3 of current, recent, and prospective backyard chicken owners (n = 140, 62.0%) reported that they had looked up or been given information on how to reduce the risk of getting a disease from backyard chickens. The most common source of information on disease prevention was online (n = 123, 87.2%), followed by a veterinarian (n = 53, 37.6%) or a book or magazine (n = 52, 36.9%). Few respondents reported getting information from a local public health unit (n = 10, 7.1%) or from their healthcare provider (n = 8, 5.7%).

Almost half of current or recent backyard chicken owners reported that their backyard chickens had never visited a veterinarian (n = 76, 46.3%). In the survey, respondents were asked what additional information would be useful regarding the ownership of backyard chickens; 78% of current, recent, or prospective backyard chicken owners (n = 175) requested information on how to prevent diseases in chickens. In contrast, only 59.6% of respondents (n = 134) requested information on how to prevent transmission of diseases from chickens to humans (Figure 3).

Figure 3.

Topics on which backyard chicken owners would like to have information; as reported by current, recent, and prospective backyard chicken owners in Ontario, Canada who responded to an online survey regarding backyard chickens; December 2019 to March 2021 (n = 225).^a

^a Responses were not mutually exclusive.

Discussion

A key finding of this study was that many respondents who kept or wanted backyard chickens also held misconceptions regarding zoonotic disease transmission. Many current or recent backyard chicken owners reported that chickens may leave their property for 1 or more reasons. In addition, they may be permitted to enter the owner’s home, interact with other animals, or comingle with other young, elderly, or immunocompromised household members. Particularly when combined with misconceptions regarding zoonotic disease transmission, and with the view of backyard poultry as household pets, such activities highlight the potential for pathogen spillover into owners or their family members, as well as their movement off site.

Increasing age (> 65 y) is generally considered to be associated with an increased risk of dehydration or other severe illness due to enteric pathogens such as Salmonella spp. (21,22). Despite this risk, visiting a nursing home or other similar facility was a common reported reason for backyard chickens to leave the owner’s property. As poultry and other farm animals are considered high-risk animals for pet visitation programs and are generally discouraged (23), this is surprising and may also reflect a lack of awareness of this risk on the part of the receiving facility.

Interestingly, several respondents indicated that they wanted backyard chickens for their meat. Although legally permissible for backyard chickens to be slaughtered and consumed on-site by owners without veterinary inspection, there are important considerations (24). For example, if the slaughter and processing of backyard chickens is not performed by an experienced individual or licensed slaughter facility, this poses additional biosafety and animal welfare concerns. In addition, if chickens are ill or are asymptomatically colonized with a zoonotic pathogen at the time of slaughter, exposure risks may be increased.

Most current, recent, and prospective backyard chicken owners correctly indicated that Salmonella spp. and E. coli bacteria were pathogens transmissible from backyard chickens to humans. However, fewer than half of respondents recognized that Campylobacter was a potential pathogen associated with backyard chickens. This knowledge gap exists, despite the fact it is a common human pathogen linked both to contact with poultry and consumption of poultry meat (10,25). Schweitzer et al (13) reported that Campylobacter spp. was detected in over 1/3 of post-mortem pooled cecal submissions from small poultry flocks in Ontario. However, the odds of Campylobacter spp. carriage in backyard chickens kept in coops was reduced when owners wore dedicated clothing when entering the coop (13), suggesting it is possible to reduce the zoonotic transmission of Campylobacter spp. from backyard chickens to owners.

Just over half of respondents correctly indicated that avian influenza could be transmitted from backyard chickens to humans. Although backyard chickens are susceptible to avian influenza and may develop outward signs of severe illness if they become infected with the highly pathogenic strain of the virus (HPAI) (26), respondents were only questioned regarding overall awareness of avian influenza as a zoonotic pathogen. As this survey predated the current HPAI outbreak among farmed birds across Canada (26), it is expected that if this survey were to be repeated, awareness would have increased among current backyard chicken owners, as specific preventative messaging has been directed at this group. Several respondents incorrectly indicated that mites, ticks, and the rabies virus were transmissible from chickens to humans. Although chickens may be infested with mites or fowl ticks, and these may bite a person, neither is considered a human parasite (27). Similarly, although humans may become infected with the rabies virus, the virus only affects mammals and not chickens or other birds (28).

Similar to the findings of recent surveys both within and outside of Canada, many respondents were primarily interested in having backyard chickens for their eggs, as a hobby, or as pets (1,2,29). Although our survey did not investigate the drivers behind the various reasons respondents reported wanting chickens, in a United States Department of Agriculture survey (30), more than 2/3 of respondents perceived eggs from chickens raised at home to be better for them than those purchased from a grocery store. Similarly, Bray and Ankeny (31) reported that consumers perceived free-range and cage-free eggs to be of higher quality and nutritional value compared to eggs produced by caged chickens, and Elkhoraibi et al (32) reported that individuals who kept backyard chickens for their meat believed these to be of higher nutritional value and safer to consume than those purchased at retail.

Similar to our findings, a recent US survey of backyard poultry owners reported that many respondents were aware that there was a risk of Salmonella transmission (33). However, respondents nevertheless reported engaging in practices that could increase their risk of disease acquisition, including holding and kissing birds, and eating and drinking near them (33). This discrepancy may be explained by owners considering backyard chickens as pets, leading to a perceived relational bond between chickens and their owners, and thus a false perception of decreased risk (29). In our study, we report no significant difference in the types of interactions children < 5 y were permitted to have with backyard chickens, and whether respondents considered backyard chickens to be pets. Kauber et al (33) also hypothesized that although owners appear to be aware of the risks associated with poultry contact, there may be a lack of recognition that they are engaging in high-risk practices during provision of care to their flock.

Most current, recent, or prospective backyard chicken owners demonstrated interest in obtaining information on pathogens of chickens and how to prevent clinical illness in their birds. However, just over half of current backyard chicken owners reported that they had ever consulted with a veterinarian regarding their chickens. Respondents were most likely to seek veterinary care to diagnose or treat an illness, and least likely to seek care for a regular check-up or vaccination. In Ontario, routine vaccination of backyard chickens is not generally necessary unless a vaccine preventable pathogen is prevalent in the area (34). However, if the chickens have a history of clinical signs of illness or will have exposure to other birds during attendance at events such as shows/fairs (34), consulting with local poultry veterinarians is likely to provide valuable information to flock owners.

The relatively low number of individuals seeking veterinary consultation regarding backyard chickens and the apparent tendency to seek veterinary care to treat rather than to prevent illness may reflect barriers to access to a veterinarian with expertise in poultry. This may be due to backyard chickens becoming more popular in urban areas serviced by veterinarians who primarily see household pets such as cats and dogs, and who may have limited expertise in poultry medicine and management. Similarly, although more than half of respondents were interested in obtaining information on how to prevent transmission of disease from chickens to humans, < 8% reported asking their usual healthcare provider or local public health unit for relevant information, and just over 1/3 reported obtaining information from a veterinarian. This finding was similar to recent studies involving other types of household pets, in which engagement between pet owners and veterinarians or physicians regarding zoonoses was also low, potentially due to factors such as time constraints, a lack of shareable literature, and missed opportunities for information sharing during consultations (35,36). The low number of respondents reporting obtaining information from a veterinarian or healthcare provider may reflect reactive rather than proactive information seeking, such as in response to someone in the household becoming ill with a pathogen such as Salmonella spp., although respondents were not asked to report reasons for seeking information.

As evident in this study, there is local interest in having backyard chickens, particularly as local bylaws in urban areas are amended to facilitate having backyard flocks. As backyard poultry owners in many municipalities are not currently required to register their flocks, the true number of backyard chicken flocks in Ontario is unknown. The relatively high response rate may be attributed to the high degree of interest in obtaining backyard chickens among our respondents. As data collection occurred during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic when many individuals were spending more time than usual at home, there may have been increased interest in having backyard chickens compared to pre-pandemic years. Although most survey respondents were female, this did not appear to influence our study findings, as there was no significant difference by gender in having or wanting backyard chickens.

Despite the well-recognized association between contact with backyard chickens and other poultry and the risk of subsequent enteric illness (10–12,19), many individuals reported engaging in practices that increase the risk of zoonotic illness, and for these zoonotic pathogens to be tracked off-site. Although consumption and handling of raw poultry and eggs are a primary route of disease transmission (10,11,25), it would be prudent for public health authorities to consider and address other potential pathways of exposure. Our work provides a framework for educational resources to be specifically created for members of the public interested in backyard chickens. Such resources may be available through the Internet, in-person via backyard chicken retailers and rental agencies, public health units, feed stores, and veterinarians. The objective would be to increase public awareness of diseases transmissible from backyard chickens to humans, and of measures that can be taken to reduce the risks of infection. Such measures include performing proper hand hygiene after handling chickens or their environment, as well as preventing contact between backyard chickens and immunocompromised individuals. In addition, it would be imperative to highlight the necessity of seeking prophylactic veterinary care to prevent disease in backyard chickens.