WHO defines zoonoses as diseases and infections that are naturally transmitted between vertebrate animals and humans. A zoonotic agent may be a bacterium, a virus, a fungus or other communicable disease agent. At least 61% of all human pathogens are zoonotic, and have represented 75% of all emerging pathogens during the past decade. Now that you know you can catch disease from your birds – how do you prevent illness in the first place? Really, there are a few very simple things you can do and we have divided the preventative information into two parts: Poultry Human Poultry The flock needs to be kept in a relatively clean environment. Areas where the chickens roam should be hosed to keep poop from accumulating. Frequent removal of damp litter and poop – especially important in the warmer months to prevent bacterial growth. Twice yearly washing down of the inside of the coop, perches, nest-boxes etc. and hosing down of high traffic areas. A solution of equal part