Chicks in classrooms: Salmonella shouldn't be a sign of spring

An annual "ritual" in some schools is hatching chicken eggs in the classroom. This can be a great educational experience for children as they learn about eggs and incubation, watch them hatch and see the baby chicks. It can also be a great source of infection for children if certain precautions are neglected. The picture on the right, from an article in the Ilkley Gazette, shows a good example of a bad idea. This four-year-old boy has a newly hatched chick on his shoulder. Why does this bother me?

If there are going to be chicks in a classroom:

  • They should only be in classrooms with older students.
  • Contact with chicks should be restricted and always supervised.
  • Careful attention must be paid to handwashing.  Everyone who handles chicks or comes in contact with their environment (e.g. box, cage, incubator) should immediately and thoroughly wash their hands.
  • Chicks should never be allowed to roam free in the classroom.
  • Chicks should never be handled during lunch or snack time.
  • Immunocompromised children should not be present in the class.

It's common sense, but it's amazing how uncommon "common sense" seems to be sometimes.

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Worms and Germs Blog - April 14, 2009 8:46 AM
I commented recently about concerns regarding young children handling baby chicks in kindergarten classes. Baby chicks are high risk animals because of the potential for transmission of Salmonella and the CDC recommends that children less than 5 years ...
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Mojtaba Yegani - April 10, 2009 2:11 PM

Thanks for this posting. I think that the same rules apply when very young children come into contact with other animals' species.

Scott Weese - April 10, 2009 3:08 PM

While young children are at higher risk, it is not recommended that they avoid contact with all animals. The prohibition is directed against high risk animals like young poultry, young ruminants and reptiles.

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