How to Cure Salmonella in Chickens

Reports of salmonella outbreaks resulting from infected chickens regularly produce headlines and lead the evening news. Once a source has been located, thousands of fowl can be destroyed to short-circuit the spread of the bacteria causing the outbreak. While extermination stops a single incident of infestation, agencies like the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), public and private research facilities know that the only long-term solution to this problem is removing all traces of salmonella before the birds reach the public. Their research efforts are paying off.

Things You'll Need

• Radioactive isotopes
• Trisodium phosphate

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Instructions

• 1

  Inspect and treat chicks within days of hatching and treat them again before the birds are sent to market to prevent most of the salmonella from accompanying the chickens to the slaughterhouse.

• 2

  Submit chickens and other poultry to radioactive cobalt-60 or cesium-137 while passing the chickens through a chamber just before the birds reach the slaughterhouse.

• 3

  Chill and dip each bird into a bath of trisodium phosphate (TSP) before it is slaughtered. This chemical has a 95 percent success rate in curing salmonella in chickens in trials by the chemical's manufacturer, Rhone-Poulenc Inc.

• 4

  Improve breeding and hygiene standards in chicken production facilities so chickens won't be exposed to the salmonella bacteria.

• 5

  Treat the feathers with bacteriophages (bacteria eaters) that are biodegradable and not harmful to the environment.