Love Your Chickens, But Please Don't Kiss Them

At local farm supply stores, “Chick Days” — characterized by the sounds of chicks peeping, ducklings quacking, and children and adults squealing from all the avian cuteness — are winding down. This symbolizes, for many people, the end of spring.

Summer’s approach also marks the time of year when officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention release their yearly Salmonella and Backyard Poultry Report, in which they caution folks to avoid what one Penn State Extension educator calls “chicken kissing.”

“Baby chicks, ducklings and even adult poultry can be incredibly cute, fluffy and...