OUACHITA PARISH, La. — Not all of Stephanie Morse's family members live inside her house. Some of them live in the backyard.
"They're a part of my family. It's like they're my babies," Morse told KNOE.
And like any other family member, her chickens aren't cooped up. They're well fed with a place to sleep.
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Morse dresses up her chicks in costumes every Halloween, taking care that they're comfortable in their costumes. "And their bare skin is exposed. I just like to put a T-shirt on them or a sweater," said Morse.
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But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tricking this treat by asking folks not to put their pet chickens in costumes or cuddle with them to keep from being exposed to salmonella. An epidemic of salmonella earlier in the year was linked to backyard chickens.
Farmers like Dallas Morrell says backyard chickens need to be checked carefully. "Watch who you get your chickens from. If you're a backyard chicken person like we are, we have all of our birds kept in separate cages. And if we only go and get birds, you're supposed to keep them in quarantine."
Morse isn't changing her plans to dress up her chickens. She says she takes proper precautions by washing her hands afterward.