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The CDC has declared over a Salmonella outbreak linked to chicks and ducklings sold for backyard flocks. Health officials counted 1,253 infections across 46 states and Puerto Rico, including 256 hospitalizations and two deaths; the agency says the official count likely misses many infections.
The CDC has declared over a Salmonella outbreak linked to chicks and ducklings kept in backyard flocks, after reporting 1,253 infections across 46 states and Puerto Rico. A third of those counted were hospitalized, and two deaths were reported, making the outbreak one of the largest the agency has recorded from backyard poultry.
The outbreak involved seven Salmonella strains: Altona, Enteritidis, Indiana, Infantis, Kedougou, Mbandaka and Saintpaul. Patient ages ranged from younger than 1 year to 99, with a median age of 36. One in five patients was younger than 5, according to the outbreak report summarized by Food Safety News.
Most patients or their caregivers said the chicks or ducklings came from agricultural retail stores. Others obtained birds from acquaintances, hatcheries or local farms. Investigators identified eight hatcheries that sold infected birds, but the CDC has not publicly named them.
Investigators in Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon and Tennessee sampled backyard poultry or the interiors of shipping boxes used to transport live birds to stores. Whole genome sequencing found that Salmonella Enteritidis, Mbandaka, Kedougou and Saintpaul from those samples matched strains found in patients. The report also says some patient isolates were resistant to antibiotics.
The Scale of This Year’s Outbreak
The reported total makes this the second-largest backyard poultry Salmonella outbreak recorded by the CDC, according to the source report. The largest was in 2020, when 1,722 people were reported sick. The 2026 count is higher than totals reported in 2021 through 2025, though yearly counts vary and do not capture every infection.
The health burden extended beyond the number of reported illnesses: 256 people were hospitalized, and two died. The number of young children affected also matters because children under 5 accounted for one in five patients. The report does not provide individual case details or establish how each person was exposed.
Antibiotic resistance adds a further public health concern. Of 1,253 human isolates sequenced by the CDC, 670 were resistant to fosfomycin; other isolates showed resistance to drugs including nalidixic acid and tetracycline. Another 185 were predicted to be nonsusceptible to ciprofloxacin. These laboratory findings describe the samples tested; the report does not state that every infection was resistant or provide treatment outcomes.
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From April Report to Closure
The CDC first reported the outbreak on April 13, 2026, when 34 patients in 13 states had been identified. Thirteen of those people were hospitalized. Illnesses in that initial report had begun on Feb. 26. The case count later rose to 1,253 across 46 states and Puerto Rico.
Food Safety News reported that the CDC estimates 29 infections go undetected for every confirmed Salmonella case in an outbreak. Some people do not seek medical care, while others are not tested specifically for Salmonella. That estimate means the official outbreak total is not a count of everyone who may have become ill; it should not be treated as a precise estimate of this outbreak’s true size.
The source report lists 8,575 illnesses, 1,803 hospitalizations and 12 deaths across backyard poultry outbreaks over eight years. The 2026 figures sit within that longer series, which has varied substantially year to year. The CDC’s declaration that this outbreak is over concerns this year’s investigation and reported outbreak strains.
Unreported Cases and Hatchery Names
The eight hatcheries identified by investigators have not been named in the source report, and it is not clear whether the CDC will release their identities. The available information also does not say whether all stores or farms supplied by those hatcheries have been identified, or what specific steps each business took in response.
The official count is likely incomplete because some infections are not diagnosed or reported. The report does not give a final estimate of the total number of people infected, and the 29-to-1 undercount estimate is a general CDC estimate rather than a case-specific calculation for this outbreak. It also remains unclear how many illnesses were linked to each of the seven strains or to particular sources of birds.
Although the outbreak is declared over, the supplied report does not detail whether new cases could still be identified later or how investigators will monitor any continuing risk. The antibiotic resistance results cover tested human samples, and the report does not specify how resistance affected clinical care.
CDC Guidance for Flock Owners
The CDC’s outbreak declaration closes the current investigation as described in the source report. No further milestone or planned update is specified. Consumers and flock owners can continue to follow routine precautions when handling live poultry and their equipment, since the end of an outbreak investigation does not mean that Salmonella cannot be present in birds.
People with backyard poultry should wash their hands after touching birds, eggs, feed, or equipment, and keep poultry and supplies away from areas where food is prepared or eaten. Young children should be supervised around birds, and children under 5 should not handle chicks or ducklings. These are general precautions; the source report does not announce a new CDC order or recall.
Key Questions
How many people were reported sick?
The CDC reported 1,253 infections across 46 states and Puerto Rico. The agency estimates many Salmonella infections go undetected, so the reported total may not include everyone who became ill.
How many people were hospitalized or died?
The outbreak report counted 256 hospitalizations and two deaths.
Where did the infected birds come from?
Most patients or caregivers said the chicks or ducklings came from agricultural retail stores. Others reported getting birds from acquaintances, hatcheries or local farms. Investigators identified eight hatcheries as having sold infected birds, but the source report says they were not named.
Does the declaration mean backyard poultry is free of Salmonella?
No. It means the CDC has declared this particular outbreak over. The report does not say that Salmonella is absent from all backyard flocks, so routine handwashing and careful handling of birds and their equipment remain appropriate.
Source: rss
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