I really didn’t know the value of chickens as pets until I had them. Now, I recommend them to everyone if they are allowed in your town (check local zoning regulations. Where I live you can have up to three hens and no roosters).
Originally, I wanted chickens as pets for the eggs. I have always been interested in new ways to live a sustainable lifestyle, and being able to raise my own food was a big plus. What I didn’t know though was how much fun chickens as pets could be.
Chickens are curious animals. Once they warmed up to me, it wasn’t uncommon for them to walk right on top of where I was pulling weeds in the yard to see if I dug up any worms for them. Now, I go and turn over soil and help them find worms as treats when I’m out in the yard with them. As soon as I open the back door they run up from across the yard to see what’s going on, and squat down and wait to be pet. Chickens as pets is all very amusing.
One of my chickens favorite treats is a handful of corn scratch. In addition to their regular diet of chicken feed, corn is a separate treat that they really enjoy. It’s also the easiest way to herd them back into their coop since they will apparently do anything for it. My chickens also like apples. I’ve heard of other chickens as pets that like things like lettuce and grapes, but mine has never been big fans.
The latest pastime of my chickens is to watch me work on the computer from a window in my basement. The window is at ground level, and the chickens come up to it from the outside and watch me work away. They will lie down and spend a large part of the day there by the window. Again, all to my amusement.
There are some possible downsides to chickens as pets though too. I don’t notice it, but some people find them messy. Like other birds, chickens go to the bathroom whenever and wherever they want. I’ve never heard of them being trained to do otherwise. So yes, they use the yard as their bathroom, but I look at it as free fertilizer – and some of the best you can get.
Others might find them noisy. Really, the only noisy ones are roosters, and I don’t recommend them in an urban setting where you have close neighbors. Hens also have a few rounds of clucking after they lay eggs. I think it is there way of announcing how much work they just did J But it only lasts a few minutes and only happens once a day. So I don’t find them loud at all – at least not more than other pets like dogs or cats.
Overall I’ve entirely amused by them, and consider chickens as pets to have been a great decision. If you have a yard where they can roam around, and can make sure they get back in their coop each night with the door shut and protected from predators, they really aren’t that much work of all. And unlike most pets, chickens as pets give you eggs on a daily basis, which are better tasting and healthier than anything you can buy at the store. Anyone looking for a new pet should consider chickens and find out how to get them in their area
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Overall I’ve entirely amused by them, and consider chickens as pets to have been a great decision. If you have a yard where they can roam around, and can make sure they get back in their coop each night with the door shut and protected from predators, they really aren’t that much work of all. And unlike most pets, chickens as pets give you eggs on a daily basis, which are better tasting and healthier than anything you can buy at the store. Anyone looking for a new pet should consider chickens and find out how to get them in their area
