The Red & Black compiles a weekly roundup of shows and events for the upcoming weekend. This weekend includes a Toast to the Coast, the 10th Annual Vulture Festival, a
Athens-Clarke County’s Recycling and Waste Reduction Department will host its ninth annual Vulture Festival on Oct. 22 at the Athens-Clarke County Landfill.
Backyard Chickens Risk Pathogen Spread
Keeping backyard chickens was already on the rise, and the hobby has become even more popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, a University of Georgia researcher cautions that the practice has risks not just for chickens, but for wildlife and people as well.
“As a researcher who studies pathogen movement along different groups, I see backyard chickens as a potential interface where pathogens can spill over into wild birds, or vice versa, and even into people,” said Sonia Hernandez, professor of wildlife disease at the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and the College of Veterinary Medicine. “Owners need to seek information and medical care for their animals to minimize those risks.”
Backyard chickens risk pathogen spread
March 2, 2021
Chickens roam a backyard in Athens. (Photo by Chad Osborn/UGA)
Keeping backyard chickens was already on the rise, and the hobby has become even more popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, a University of Georgia researcher cautions that the practice has risks not just for chickens, but for wildlife and people as well.
“As a researcher who studies pathogen movement along different groups, I see backyard chickens as a potential interface where pathogens can spill over into wild birds, or vice versa, and even into people,” said Sonia Hernandez, professor of wildlife disease at the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and the College of Veterinary Medicine. “Owners need to seek information and medical care for their animals to minimize those risks.”