SNOHOMISH — It’s hard to walk into a room filled with nearly 900 fluffy, peeping chicks and not want to take one — or more — home.
Carol Wardlow, of Woodinville, was about to walk out of a room at the Snohomish Co-op where bins of 2-day-old chicks were being kept warm and fed. She had made her selection, holding a small take-home box with three baby chicks. Kim Walker, who happily promotes her title as the store’s “Chick Lady,” told Wardlow to take one more look at the baby blue laced red Wyandottes before she left.
“You should get one,” Walker said with a smile. She had picked the right customer. Wardlow said she grew up in a family that had a few chickens. Now she has the acreage in Woodinville to have more. “I have six right now,” she said. “I’d like to have 12,” opting to take one of the Wyandottes home, too.
Caroline Scull, who lives in the Picnic Point area, came to the co-op with her daughter, Rebecca Scull, 24. Their home flock numbers 10 chickens and two ducks. Caroline Scull has some advice for potential buyers who understandably might be taken in by the cute Easter icons. “Don’t take it lightly,” she said “You’re raising an animal.”
Walker said she tries to impress on potential buyers that the small, peeping chicks take a lot of care. “You need a heat lamp on them for four to six weeks until they get their feathers,” she said. They grow up fast, starting to lay eggs when they’re about 20 weeks old.
Children and adults need to be especially mindful of precautions in handling chicks or ducklings. “It can get people sick,” Walker said.
The state Department of Health characterizes chicks and ducks as “nature’s impossibly cute little bacteria factories” for their ability to spread Salmonella. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and stomach pain. At least 57 people were sickened with Salmonella in Washington last year after handling live poultry.
“One of the challenges is when they’re in that fluffy little chick stage they’re very tempting to cuddle,” said Julie Graham, a spokeswoman for the health department. “That’s how some infections can happen.”
The germs can be in the animal’s droppings and on feathers, feet and beaks as well as on cages, coops and areas where the chickens roam.
The animals can spread Salmonella throughout their lives. Outbreaks are occurring more frequently as more people decide to have chickens at home, Graham said.
The biggest deterrent to infection is simply washing your hands after touching the birds or their living areas. That’s even more important for children, who often put their hands in their mouths after touching something. “We want to make sure parents are monitoring their kids when they’re around these little creatures,” Graham said.
At the Snohomish Co-op, a sticker with the hand-washing message is attached to each of the take-home boxes for transporting chicks and ducklings.
It’s hard for Walker to pick her favorite breeds among the rotating varieties of chicks for sale at the store. The Americana is sometimes known as the “Easter egg” chicken for the blue, green and pink eggs they lay. “I have five or six myself,” Walker said.
In addition to caring and feeding the chicks at the store from March through June, Walker relishes the job of educating customers and helping them pick out the varieties of chicks that best suit their needs. Some breeds do well in enclosed pens, others do not. With a flock of 85 adult and baby chickens at home, Walker has lots of experience to draw upon.
Having a flock of back yard chickens is increasingly common, even in suburban areas, as part of the trend for people to grow and raise their own food. “They just want fresh eggs every day,” Walker said.
Wardlow said her hens produce eggs with tints of green, blue and dark brown, which she shares with friends. “It’s fun,” she said. “It’s like Easter all year long.”
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.
Chicks, ducklings and germs
Chicks and ducklings may have Salmonella bacteria on their bodies, even when they are healthy and look clean. The germs also can be hidden on the surfaces of cages and other things that come in contact with the birds. Salmonella bacteria on your hands can spread to other people, surfaces, or infect you if you don’t wash up.
Take these steps to avoid infection:
Wash your hands with soap and water after touching chicks and ducklings.
If soap and water aren’t available, use alcohol-based hand wipes or gel sanitizers.
Supervise children handling poultry. Don’t allow children to nuzzle or kiss chicks and ducklings, touch their mouths with their hands, or eat and drink while handling birds.
Keep young poultry away from family living spaces.
Keep birds and their equipment out of the kitchen. Disinfect areas where feeders, water containers and cages are cleaned.
Source: Washington State Department of Health
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