Chickens as pets?

The only reason I would ever own a chicken as a pet would be to keep the eggs. Otherwise it always seems trashy to me when I see chickens just walking around someone's yard in a subdivision.

 

Chickens are great at making food, since they lay a lot of eggs and are quite fast at it. However, they can also terrorize people. I know a family that had a chicken at one point, and she owned the entire backyard and the entire family (including the cat) was terrified of it. My advice is to not let your chicken boss you around, or you may never set foot in your yard again. I'm not too keen on owning a chicken, but I would love to have a duck or two. I wouldn't have the heart to eat them, though.

 

We have a lot of chickens back in my mother's village and they are not a pet but we keep them as a food. Poultry products is very expensive in my country so we are trying to make the life cost cheaper by having our own chickens and planting our own vegetables.

 

I hear chickens can actually make great pets. But they can be a little difficult to manage. I would do some extensive research on the subject before taking one as a pet.

 

What breed is that chicken? Over here, the chickens weren't really much trouble when we had them.

Anyway, we used to take care of chickens, and the reason is for the eggs and as a hobby. Now when they stopped laying eggs, my dad gave them away in the province. We also used to eat them, but the meat isn't as soft as compared to the ones you buy in the market.

 

I've had chickens before and I think they're pretty fun if you live somewhere with the room. They can be quite messy at times but that can be said for any barn type animal. Fresh eggs are amazing and it's nice to not worry about buying them. They're also fun to watch. I'd recommend it for sure.

 

I think chickens are adorable and I wish I could have a couple as pets. I used to have neighbors that had chickens and the chickens were so used to being handled that I could pick them up.
They were warm and light and didn't smell bad. I wouldn't mind having chickens just because they're cute. The eggs would be a bonus. I wouldn't have the guts to actually slaughter a chicken for meat, so I would probably let it die of old age.

 

My friend has chickens as pets although I've never asked if their family ever ate them. It is kind of amusing to watch them throughout the day, but I have a bit of a problem with the noise they make during mornings. I have enough trouble sleeping and maintaining it because every slight noise wakes me up, so having them wouldn't be a good option for me.

 

I have had friends who have had chickens as pets and they do make good pets. One of my friends had a racoon get ahold of one of her chickens and took it to the animal er. She said they were surprised to see a chicken there but stitched her up anyway. My friend would not ever have eaten one of their pet chickens any more than most people in the US would eat a pet dog or cat. You could hold the chickens and pet them. Both my friends had the chickens from baby chicks. I don't know if it would work getting an adult chicken.

 

I have many friends who keep chickens and really enjoy it. I don't think you can make much of a profit unless you get really serious about it as a business, because it is rather expensive to care for a small number of chickens. But for people who enjoy gardening and raising their own food and like to be outside taking care of the coop daily, it is a lot of fun.

If I worked from home I'd try it, except they are awfully noisy in the morning as I recall....

 

Well, I see pets as a companion and friend that can show you affection and love and as far as chickens go, well I don't see that working out for the both of us. I see chicken's as food and not pet, sorry for that.

But one thing though, we once had a lot of chicken back when we live in a farmhouse and it's really good to have fresh eggs every morning and a whole roast chicken for dinner but maintaining them is kind of a pain since you can't really potty train them and well, they're chicken.

 

I have been a vegetarian for many years, and I have kept all kinds of animals in my life that I regarded as my pets. I had chooks, ducks and guinea fowl, that I was very fond of. All of my birds had names and distinctive personalities. My beloved pet drake reached the wonderful old age of 10 before he passed away peacefully. Most people won't agree with me when I tell them that chooks, that haven't been bred for their eggs or body, are usually very intelligent creatures.

 

I've already researched the pros and cons of keeping chickens, because I would absolutely love to. I don't remember everything now; it seems i replace old info with new sometimes now lol.. but I remember thinking we could do it if only we lived in a city that allows it. Now I do! Thanks for the reminder. Might start looking into this again. To answer your question, no, I wouldn't eat it. I would wait for it to get old and have it put to sleep humanely.

 

Well, I would keep Chickens as pets if I lived on a farm. I think it would drive me mad keeping them as pets though . Even though I do agree that they probably are a good pet to keep if you like or wish to sell eggs.

 

Something most people fail to realize is that chickens won't lay eggs forever. They eventually stop producing eggs, and that's when most people abandon their so-called pets and they get stuck at shelters because nobody wants them. So if you're considering getting a chicken as a pet, then don't give up on them when this happens. It's not right. Chickens are pretty relaxed birds as long as they get food and water on a regular basis. They won't really play with you or anything, though. They'll just walk around and cluck most of the time.

 

I think chickens are great pets and one must rare them very carefully. They are very economical and also very friendly once you come to know about them. Also their eggs can be really useful at times and hence keeping them as pet is the right thing to do.

 

Our last home was in the country and we had a large lot with a very large backyard that I carefully fenced, then built a small barn. We obtained some Rhode Island Red (a breed of chicken) chicks. We got all of these critters because we enjoyed watching their antics. I noticed the chickens ate a lot of grass and insects in their daily foraging around the back yard although I always left them a fresh supply of "layer mash" as well as water and crushed oyster shell to provide calcium for their egg shells. I insulated and wired the small barn and turned it into a chicken house and a place out of the winter snow for all the birds. Then I built a 10' Wide X 20' long greenhouse attached to the barn. In October, after the vegetables were done, I planted wheat in the dirt floor of the greenhouse and in late November, turned the birds into the greenhouse during the day. The chickens went right to work on the foot tall wheat, literally mowing it to bare dirt within a month. Then the dug into the dirt to make their dust baths. I called it our chicken sauna. During really cold weather, i turned on two 500W heat lamps to keep them from freezing. We kept them until they all died of old age except the last one that ran away. I think she joined the flock down the road. It was a memorable experience for us.

 

I would definitely prefer they die of old age. Unfortunately raccoons get them before the grim reaper. I have had 4 pairs of hens and they are wonderful. I did not keep them pinned up (only to sleep), and their plumage was very pretty. Some of them were even really friendly. The eggs were a real plus.

 

My friend used to have chickens, but then they got ill, so they stopped laying and then when they died they buried them. They were more like pets and I don't think they ever thought of eating them.

In the UK there is also the fox issue and while you see it in cartoons, it does happen if you want to let them roam free. I wouldn't keep them as pets after hearing what can happen and it's hard work and messy I hear.