It was all a big misunderstanding!

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it’s actually okay to dress up your pet chicken for Halloween. So there’s nothing to squawk about.

ABC News apparently caused the flap while reporting that some 92 people in 29 states had been infected with a strain of multidrug-resistant salmonella after coming into contact with raw chicken products. The news outlet also quoted health experts who said that it was “easier for a person to come into contact with harmful bacteria that live on poultry, including salmonella” when dressing a chicken, whether in a Halloween costume or a sweater.

The CDC issued a statement to clarify that “despite news reports to the contrary,” officials have “not warned people against dressing [live] chickens in Halloween costumes.”

Some other strict warnings remain, however. Pet owners should never “kiss your birds or snuggle them, and then touch your face or mouth,” the CDC warned. Also, children under five shouldn’t touch chickens, the birds should never be brought into the house, no one should eat or drink around the chickens and people must always wash their hands after touching a chicken.

There’s more information here.

No word from the CDC on which costumes might work best, but chicken fanciers had some ideas. (Note: The tweets about NOT dressing up your bird are no longer accurate!):

The CDC is asking pet owners to refrain from dressing up their chickens this year due to a particular strain of salmonella. https://t.co/N4rblnkPGj pic.twitter.com/4yopEhBFDN — ABC News (@ABC) October 22, 2018

I have found the offending "erroneous media report" and the accompanying video includes this incredible cover photo in case u need some inpiration https://t.co/akTTn19cOL pic.twitter.com/RhbIuIbXcY — Tajha Chappellet-Lanier ☀️ (@TajhaLanier) October 29, 2018

Following the CDC's go ahead to dress your chicken for Halloween... Larry sent us this photo of one of his chickens! https://t.co/L2jr6impPA pic.twitter.com/9HQvRaOvFd — CBS 6 Albany - WRGB (@CBS6Albany) October 29, 2018

The CDC is warning chicken owners not to dress up their fowl for Halloween amid an outbreak of drug-resistant Salmonella. The CDC also says people should not cuddle chickens and should sanitize surfaces that have come into contact with raw poultry: https://t.co/IB4o6SebPh pic.twitter.com/lpRTwoqzfn — Michigan VMA (@michiganvma) October 28, 2018