They’re so cute. They’re so fluffy. And they just might make you sick.

They’re baby chicks: those enchanting balls of fuzz that, with the arrival of spring, will soon begin populating the garages and backyards of small-scale farmers and urban locavores—and, this weekend, will be perched on top of Easter baskets for kids to coo over.

Well, coo if you must. But wash your hands afterward, make sure your kids do too, and try not to smooch them on top of the head. Records from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that baby chicks (and to a lesser extent, ducklings) are a major source of serious Salmonella infections every year—starting just about now.

“There is definitely a seasonality to these outbreaks and they all start