Recently the practice of people raising chickens in their backyard made the news, and not in a good way. The US Government's Center For Disease Control (aka CDC), issue a warning of the risk of catching the food disease Salmonelle from backyard chickens which prompted CBS to put out this article.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-warns-backyard-flocks-sicken-people-in-44-states/

CDC Advisory: https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/backyard-flocks-06-18/index.html

The advisory states that in 44 sates, 212 people have gotten sick this year.

If you don't keep chickens yourself, but are perhaps thinking about it, you now have to worry about the animals sickening you and your family. If you don't raise chickens, but your neighbor does, then you too might be worried.

But is the risk being overblown?

Here is a good article that says just that:

https://www.thedailybell.com/all-articles/news-analysis/latest-fear-mongering-about-self-sufficiency-salmonella-in-backyard-chickens/

"The article estimates that about 1% of American households keep chickens. That means 1.26 million households in America keep chickens. The average household has 2.58 people in it. So somewhere around 3.25 million people are exposed to backyard chickens. That means .006% of people who live in a home with backyard chickens have of caught salmonella. Less than one-tenth of one percent of people who live amongst backyard chickens have been sickened by them this year.

Just one out of every 15,330 people who keep backyard chickens has caught salmonella. The risks hardly seem newsworthy.

And in fact, the general population has a much higher rate of contracting salmonella. With a million cases in the U.S. per year, you have a one in 320 chance of catching salmonella from store bought eggs and meat. We are only halfway through the year. But even if you extrapolate these numbers, you are still 24 times more likely to get salmonella if you do NOT keep backyard chickens!"

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The author at the end, brings up an interesting point. That our present Society seems to hate anything that empowers people.

"Basically, the overall message from society and the media seems to encourage the status quo–even when the status quo is less healthy and riskier. Most people don’t want anyone else to change. Misery loves company. People would rather drag others down than build themselves up."

I would add "except where it sells advertising or some sort of product".

Loads of manufacturers don't mind telling you how buying their product will "empower" you and make your life better. The thing is that you can't "buy" empowerment", its something that is there for free, if you are willing to put in a little time and learn it.