CDC Says To Not Kiss Or Snuggle Backyard Poultry

[TTL News 307]

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You are probably wondering: Why does the CDC care if my chickens and I exchange the occasional peck, surely the CDC has more urgent problems on its plate right now? Well! It has come to the CDC’s attention that a bunch of people got Salmonella infections in roughly this way over the past year: at least 163 people in 43 states since February 2020, to be precise. And while it is eminently possible to contract Salmonella poisoning — think: fever, diarrhea, vomiting, cramping — from eating raw or undercooked chicken, that is not what the CDC believes happened here. This spate of infections reportedly came from “backyard poultry,” a category that also includes chicks, ducklings, turkeys, geese, and ducks, so don’t kiss those, either.

These birds often carry Salmonella, “even if they look healthy and clean” as the CDC notes, and their human caretakers can pick it up through contact with the animals, their waste, or surfaces in their environments. Therefore, the CDC recommends washing hands thoroughly after poultry time, and also the immediate cessation of any canoodling.

 

See the rest of the article here.

[Kevin 334]

I don't have poultry so maybe I am missing something.  Is this an issue and does it happen a lot?

[MsKreed 1,172]

[Nick 73]

I used to kiss chicks quite frequently. But I was a lot younger then, and so were they. Mostly.

[Chris 2,154]

3 hours ago, Kevin said:

I don't have poultry so maybe I am missing something.  Is this an issue and does it happen a lot?

It does. There’s a wave of suburban “farmers” who have a few chickens that they snuggle, dress up, let run around in the house etc. I’ve run into one of these people and honestly, it was kinda frightening.

I’d say they’re livestock and should be treated as such, but then I have three very spoiled goats who get head scratches and occasional hugs. So maybe I’m not the best judge of what’s acceptable. 😉