The CDC Wants You To Stop Petting Your Poultry

Please.....it's not healthy guys. Stop petting your poultry. Just stop. Don't kiss it either. For some reason, Americans love to get weird pets. I assume it's not just us, but animals like goats, llamas, mini horses, pigs and more have become increasingly popular. Basically people in America want to pretend they live on a farm instead of a two bedroom flat in the city. Or other various living situations. And so, many chickens have begun being purchased by families to become their house pet. Chickens are fluffy, they make adorable sounds, and they come in some pretty cute colors too. It doesn't surprise me that many people decide that these are the perfect pet, sometimes just because they look so good in photos. And they can be very sweet. But the Center for Disease, Control and Prevention of the United States have a warning for the chicken owners out there- stop it.

No, not adopting the pets, chickens can make a good pet for many families but the problem is many family pets are snuggled and loved on every day- but you can't! There is a salmonella outbreak currently happening in the United States that can be linked to families "kissing and snuggling" their pet chickens. To date, there have been 52 cases across 21 states that can be traced back to pet chickens. Health officials in those states believe that backyard chickens and even ducklings are the reason for the outbreak of salmonella. Out of those 52 cases, 5 of those infected have been hospitalized. Thankfully, no deaths have been linked to this salmonella outbreak yet. Cases have been found in a Texas and the current outbreak first started back in January. So next time you see a cute cock- or rooster whatever you like to call them or little chick running around and want to snuggle it, think again.