CDC Warns Weirdos To Stop Kissing Chickens

File this under the 'they are only saying it because somebody did it' section of your mind. The Center for Disease Control has issued a statement to owners of chickens to stop kissing them. This is a real thing and I actually kind of get it even though I think it is gross, which it is because you could get salmonella. I have a friend down in Utah and his wife got chickens a few years back and fell in love with them. She had him build a super fancy chicken coop with a chandelier in it and room for a rocking chair so she could sit with her birds. I don't know if she kissed her chickens but she loved them like many people love their dogs, so I'd bet the answer is yes.

The CDC is saying that there has been an outbreak of salmonella due to contact with chickens. Specifically backyard chickens. They also say some of the cases are from contact with ducks. The current outbreak has caused the sickness of more than 1,000 people and the deaths of two people in Texas and Ohio. Idaho is included in the CDC warning as nine cases have been reported since July of 2019. The CDC is especially warning those who have purchases chicks and ducklings. That makes sense, even if you aren't kissing them, since you are more likely to handle the babies than the adults.

If you handle backyard poultry of any kind, the Center for Disease Control says to make sure that you wash your hands. And please, stop kissing your chickens.