Having a chicken for a pet could make you seriously ill if you treat ol’ Roscoe the rooster like a roomie instead of a barnyard animal, federal health experts are warning.
A study released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the increase in pet poultry has coincided with an uptick in poultry-related salmonella outbreaks, The Huffington Post reported.
Government researchers examining cases of live-poultry associated salmonella (LPAS) over a 24-year period found patients who came down with the illness often admitted to risky behaviors such as cuddling or kissing baby chicks or letting them roam about the house.
“Poultry are acquiring a new position in many households. Instead of being treated as production animals, they are increasingly being considered household pets,” the CDC report said, according to The Huffington Post.
Reported cases of LPAS are down from their 2012, noted the Huffington Post, but this apparently marks the second year in a row that the government has thought fit to cluck about the dangers of being too chummy with chickens.
To avoid infection, suburbanites who own a flightless fowl or two should treat the pet poultry as strictly outdoor animals and follow the simple rule virtually every petting zoo has for its patrons: wash your hands.
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