You don't need us to tell you that backyard chickens have become an urban (and suburban) obsession.
But here's what you may not know: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has documented a record high number of salmonella infections linked to these domestic flocks.
"This year saw the largest number of illnesses linked to contact with backyard poultry ever recorded," the CDC writes in an investigation update.
So far this year, 895 people from 48 states have gotten sick, and 209 people have been hospitalized. In Mississippi, a salmonella infection linked to backyard poultry was determined to be the cause of death of one person.
It's no surprise that chickens can harbor bacteria that can make us sick. "It's common for chickens, ducks and other poultry to carry Salmonella, a type of germ that naturally lives in the intestines," explains the CDC.