Dogs and cats are absolutely the reigning champs for pets, but there are many other animals that people want to have as companions in their lives.
Some are even making the leap from the barnyard to the home, and as the CDC warns, it’s putting people’s health at risk.
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There’s no saying that chickens can’t be warm, loving companions.
In fact, there’s plenty of evidence out there that they can get just as friendly as any other pet.
However, as much as getting up close and personal with chickens can be soothing mentally, it can also be dangerous physically.
The biggest concern, of course, is salmonella.
Just like eating raw eggs and poultry, just snuggling up with a chicken can pass along the disease.
The CDC has noted an uptick in salmonella this year, with a total of 1003 infections and two deaths across 49 states, and it’s blaming backyard poultry rather than undercooked drumsticks.
The CDC’s advisory contains some good, sound advice, as well as some that seems a bit odd.
Some of the CDC’s warning sounds like common sense, like not letting backyard poultry hang out in areas where food is prepared, served, or stored, and always washing your hands after touching chickens.
And then there’s the unexpected line: “Don’t kiss backyard poultry or snuggle them and then touch your face or mouth.”
The CDC’s warning is especially important for families with young children and chickens.
If you search #petchicken on Instagram, you’ll see that plenty of kids out there love their chicken snuggles, and it’s absolutely adorable. However, kids are also at particular risk with salmonella, and when it’s not treated with antibiotics, salmonella can be fatal.
A quarter of this year’s salmonella cases involved children, CBS News reported. “Young kids are more likely to kiss, cuddle or snuggle with poultry and then may not wash their hands as thoroughly,” said CDC epidemiologist Dr. Megin Nichols.
The outbreak of salmonella from backyard poultry is likely much higher than the CDC even knows, too.
It’s been estimated that for every case reported, another 29 go unreported, meaning that about 29,000 people have likely been sickened by backyard poultry so far in 2019, with a quarter of the year left to go.
About 8%, or 10 million, U.S. households had chickens in 2018.
