Hundreds of Salmonella Cases Tied to Chicks

Those cute mail-order chicks that wind up in children's Easter baskets and backyard farms have been linked to more than 300 cases of salmonella in the U.S. _ mostly in youngsters _ since 2004.

An estimated 50 million live poultry are sold through the mail each year in the United States in a business that has been booming because of the growing popularity of backyard chicken farming as a hobby among people who like the idea of raising their own food.

But health officials are warning of a bacterial threat on the birds' feet, feathers, beaks and eggs.

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