Am allergic to birds. Neighbor wants to keep 4 chickens in coop 20 yards from our house. Problems?
I know I am allergic to birds in cages. My reactions have all occurred indoors and involve swollen eyes and sneezing. The city council has just passed an ordinance allowing a maximum of 4 chickens to be housed in backyards if the neighbors agree. My neighbor wants to keep chickens in a coop approximately 15-20 yards from our house and has asked for my approval. Is this liable to cause problems for me? Are there precautions I should ask her to take to reduce the production or spread of allergens?
Hi JA
Allergy to chicken feathers has not been a common or occasional problem in my office based allergy practice. Allergy to parakeet or parrot feathers is more common. Some people have a unique hypersensitivity to parakeet or pigeon droppings. Chicken dropping may rarely cause a similar type of lung inflammation because of a fungus that grows in the excretions.
A chicken coop several yards away from your home is not likely going to bother you (from an allergic standpoint). Of course, if you are downwind from the coop, exposure to chicken related allergen is possible. I am not aware of the degree of risk in this setting. I suppose if you like to keep your windows open the wind could expose you to some feather related protein but allergy to the chicken feathers is uncommon. Most reports of allergic sensitivity to chicken feathers are about occupational breathing problems (in chicken breeders).
Your risk of having a problem from the chicken feathers may be slightly increased by your established allergic sensitivity to other birds (but there is not a cross reactivity between chicken and parakeet allergen).
I probably haven't made your decision any easier, sorry.
Good Luck,
J. Thompson, MD
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