Birds do carry diseases that can be very serious for horses. You can vaccinate your horses for West Nile virus to protect them. Although chickens and turkeys can become infected when experimentally inoculated with the West Nile virus or bitten by infected mosquitoes, these birds do not develop the clinical disease. Their immune system quickly responds to infection by producing antibodies that clear the virus from their body. Also, because the virus can be transmitted only through the bite of an infected mosquito, infected poultry present no significant public health risk. Poultry can neither directly infect other birds, animals, or humans nor act as a reservoir for the virus. It's important to understand that salmonella primarily is spread by the animal ingesting the bacteria. It can be spread by inhalation as well, but it's rare to get an infectious dose that way. The main mode of transmission is by ingesting fecal material — from rodents and birds in your horse's barn. Protect your grain from rodents and birds by storing it in closed, chew-proof containers, and eliminate roosting areas for birds in your barn as much as possible. As long as the chickens are kept away from the horses, prevented to roost, stay out of the horse's grain, or don't defecate where horses reside, you will prevent potential contamination.

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