A sure sign of spring in farm supply stores and barnyards across Maine is the arrival of days-old poultry chicks.
Tiny, fuzzy and undeniably cute, the baby birds seem to beg to be held, cuddled and petted.
But health officials and fowl experts warn that all that cuddling can have some serious health risks if proper care is not taken.
“A lot of people don’t realize these cute little fuzzy animals carry microbes that carry bacteria harmful to us,” said Dr. Dora Mills, vice president for clinical affairs and interim vice president for research and scholarship at the University of New England and former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control. “Even though the animal is healthy, they are often carriers and don’t get sick.”
The biggest risk to human exposure to chicks is salmonella, a bacterial disease that affects the digestive tract.
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