Peckers Not Allowed

Don’t kiss your chickens! Practice social distancing from your flightless birds! Seriously...

Ever since quarantine started, egg prices increased which led to many Americans becoming chicken owners and making their own coops at home. Of course, some families, especially the children, became incredibly friendly with their chickens. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there were many cases of poultry carrying salmonella, and warned many families to stay away from outdoor poultry. The CDC has now warned chicken coop owners to take special precautions when handling poultry and to wash their hands afterwards.

There have been 163 confirmed cases of salmonella in 43 different states, the CDC states, and people are being advised to not “kiss or snuggle with backyard poultry, eat or drink around them. This can spread Salmonella germs to your mouth and make you sick.” From the confirmed cases, children under 5 years old made up one third of the cases. And this is a big problem, since many people don’t get tested for bacterial infections that cause fever, stomach cramps, and diarrhea.

Other than refraining from snuggling and cuddling with your chickens, the CDC also mentioned that poultry owners should also:

• Wash their hands after handling poultry.

• Keep all animal supplies outside of the house.

• Be careful handling eggs.

• Don’t let kids under 5 touch backyard poultry, because “young children are more likely to get sick from salmonella,” the CDC states.

It’s not bad enough we have to worry about Covid, but now salmonella. Yikes! Stay away from your chickens, everyone!