Month: May 2013

Keeping Chickens as Pets

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It’s popular to keep chickens for eggs and for meat, but what about keeping a chicken as a pet? In some countries, this is actually quite popular. Cat, dog, or chicken? Any chicken can ideally be a pet if raised gently, but some breeds make much better pets than others. Keeping a chicken as a pet isn’t much different from regular chicken husbandry, but there are a few things you should keep in mind.

Start From the Beginning

There are few things quite as rewarding from raising a chicken from an egg, or at least a very young chick. One can purchase young chicks online or from their local farm supply store and must keep them in an incubator for the first several weeks. The more you handle them and the gentler you are with them, the more your chicks will trust you and respond well to human touch. Squat down to handle your chicks, don’t make fast motions, feed them from your hands, and make sure that small children don’t run around them or handle them roughly. Teach your children to handle them gently, to feed them, and to treat the birds well. This is an excellent chance to educate your children and sure to create a lasting relationship between your kids and your family’s new pets.

Some Breeds Are Better Choices Than Others

While all chickens can make decent pets, some are naturally better tempered than others. Hens are the best choice and quiet, gentle breeds make the best bets. Bantam chickens are much smaller than regular breeds, making them easier to hold. Looks, coloring, and size are all a matter of preference.

Silkie Chickens make excellent pets and their silk-like feathers make them appealing to hold as well. Docile, soft, and easy to carry, the Silkie Chicken is the ideal pet. They are friendly, especially if they’re been handled frequently from the time they were young. Silkie Chickens also make excellent mothers, so if you want to increase the size of your flock this breed may be just what you’re looking for.

Ameraucana chickens are also popular pets and an added perk is that they lay lovely, colorful eggs. They are known for their unique looks and their gentle temperament. They are not the best egg layers when it comes to quantity, but they are good with children, easy to care for, and even-tempered.

Other breeds that make excellent pets are Cochins, Mille Fleurs, Brahmas, Austerlorps, Sussex, Plymouth Rocks, and Buff Orpingtons. No matter which breed you choose, do your research! Each has distinct advantages and disadvantages.

Keeping Your Pets Safe

Before buying your first chicks, take account of the pets you already have. Dogs and chickens often don’t mix well. Certain breeds, like Jack Russell Terriers, have been bred to kill small creatures. A chasing, nipping dog can easily kill a chicken. Training a puppy to be gentle with chicks and chickens is much easier than training a full-grown dog to do the same things. Even when you have trained your dog, it’s never wise to leave your dog alone with your pet chickens. The results can be disastrous. The same can be said for cats. Keep in mind that many creatures prey on chickens and that you must take extra precautions to keep your pets from becoming another animal’s dinner.

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5 Benefits of Raising Your Own Chickens

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Raising backyard chickens has gained a lot of popularity over the past decade. Many large cities allow backyard flocks already and committees are petitioning their local governments all across the United States to allow the practice within their city limits as well. As more people learn about sustainability, the environment, and what is really in the food they eat, the backyard chicken trend will only increase. Whether you own a small plot of land in a city, a decent-sized suburban backyard, or a sprawling country estate, a chicken coop and small flock of poultry may be the perfect addition to your property. The benefits of raising your own chickens are many.

1. Fresh, Nutritious Eggs

Photo by: Bryan Jones
Photo by: Bryan Jones

The most well-known benefit of raising chickens is the constant supply of healthy, organic eggs. Nothing beats fresh eggs! Free-range eggs have less cholesterol than commercially raised eggs, according to a 2007 study by Mother Earth News. They also have more vitamin A and E, less saturated fat, and extra omega 3’s.  Eggs are an excellent source of protein. Free-range chickens produce eggs with a deep orange yolk, far different from the eggs one buys in a store. They taste delicious and are healthy for the entire family. With the price of organic eggs at a premium, raising your own chickens for eggs is an economical way to provide your family with nutritious, organic food.

2. Chemical Free Pest Control

Chickens love scavenging and are bug connoisseurs. These protein-rich bugs provide chickens a tasty treat while also ridding your yard of pests. Chickens make a quick meal of grasshoppers, lawn grubs, ants, ticks, termites, and even scorpions. They also enjoy slugs. Rather than spraying your lawn and garden with toxic insecticides, chickens will rid your property of pests and keep it pest free without harmful chemicals and at minimal cost. They’re certainly much less expensive than a commercial bug-control company!

3. Healthy Soil

Chicken waste is a phenomenal fertilizer and raising chickens will provide you with a constant supply of fertilizer with which to grace your lawn and gardens.  Chicken fertilizer can transform weak topsoil into a fertile garden, capable of growing healthy vegetables and strong flowers. Let the fertilizer compost before applying it to your plants, because fresh manure is quite high in nitrogen and this may actually harm your plants.

Chickens are also natural diggers and they will aerate your soil, increasing your soils’ health.

4. Preventing Extinction

Large-scale commercial chicken farms prefer certain chicken breeds. Many wonderful chicken breeds, called Heritage Breeds, now risk extinction. These three-dozen or so breeds were sidelined for quick-growing birds raised in huge chicken farms. Small-scale and backyard farmers have an amazing opportunity to keep these breeds alive in their own yards, preserving the genetic diversity of these beautiful, productive chickens. Heritage chickens are old-fashioned breeds with a slow and natural growth rate and a long lifespan of 5-7 years. They mate naturally and are recognized by the American Poultry Association. Several popular heritage breeds are the Rhode Island Red, Wyandotte, Old English Game, Brahma, and Buckeye. For a complete list of heritage chicken breeds, check out: http://www.albc-usa.org/heritagechicken/cpl_chickenbreeds.html.

5. Money Making Opportunities

Organic eggs cost a premium. Raising your own chickens will not only provide your own family with a supply of fresh eggs, but if you have a surplus you could easily make a profit by selling your eggs. You could sell your eggs or chicken meat by word of mouth, at your local farmer’s market, or through a local health food store. Be sure to look up your city’s rules and regulations to make sure it’s legal. Organic chicken meat and eggs are profitable and there is a large market for these products.

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