Mary Allen
More and more people keep their own chickens, even in the cities. Thanks to modern technology, effort and costs are kept within limits. However, it is not possible without investments and preparations.
When the astronomical spring begins on March 20th, not only nature awakens to new life, but also the desire of many people for a pet. Usually, the choice falls on a fur animal: a cat to cuddle, a dog to guard the house and yard, or a guinea pig to love. If it’s a bird, then maybe a budgerigar or a canary. Rarely does anyone think of keeping chickens as pets?
There is no doubt that chickens are not cuddly toys, nor are they pets in the narrower sense; they do not live in the house but in their stable. But they have other advantages that make many hearts beat faster. Here’s how chickens do their bit for breakfast; Depending on the breed, you can reach into the laying nest almost every day and take out an egg – one that you know was laid by a happy and healthy hen.
You never get bored with chickens, because the chicken yard is rarely quiet. It can be a little quieter for a few moments around noon at most, when the hens are sunbathing or sand bathing. Otherwise, the fun-loving animals are scratching, pecking, fighting, laying eggs, or cleaning, which they do thoroughly and several times a day.
It is undisputed that pets also have educational benefits for children. They learn to take responsibility and to respect the animals as fellow creatures. But with chickens, children not only learn how to care for them and how to feed them every day. They also experience that the eggs from the grocery store are not produced on an assembly line, but are laid by the chickens. This makes it easier to teach them that the milk comes from the cows and the fries from the potato field.
From Trusting to Cheeky
However, chickens are not only useful but also exciting to watch. There is always something going on in the chicken yard, the behavior of chickens has always fascinated behavioral researchers. Erich Baumler, for example, observed poultry for years and wrote the first German book on the behavior of chickens in the 1960s, which is still often cited today.
But chickens are also trusting animals that can be petted or picked up. They quickly get used to certain rituals. If you regularly give them grains or other delicacies when they enter their area, they will rush over at the first sign of a visit so as not to miss anything. You can get very close to trusting breeds like Chabos or Orpingtons. It is not uncommon for them to even eat out of your hand after a short period of getting used to them. With shy breeds like Leghorns, it usually takes a longer time to get used to them. Sometimes you even have to watch out for the Araucanas, because they are usually cheeky and cheeky.
Chickens not only differ in their characters but also in their shapes, colors, and sizes. With over 150 different breeds listed in the Poultry Standard, any aspiring breeder will no doubt find the chicken that suits him or her.
A few decades ago, chicken farmers were looked at a little obliquely. They were considered conservative and forever yesterday. However, this has changed radically in recent years. Today, keeping chickens is in, and chickens are even cackling and scratching in the gardens of some townhouses. The reason for this lies on the one hand in the current trend towards consuming food that is as healthy as possible with the shortest possible transport routes.
On the other hand, modern technology also helps. Because if you are well equipped, you only have to spend a little time looking after the animals. Thanks to their internal clock, the animals go to the barn independently in the evening. A fully automatic chicken gate controls the passage to the chicken yard in the evening and in the morning. Thanks to modern watering and feeding devices, this work is also relieved of today’s chicken keepers – although an inspection tour is always recommended.
If the hens have a green space to run around in the summer, where they can even pick fallen fruit, the food supply will last even longer. Only on hot days is it advisable to check the water supply every day. Chickens cope less well with heat than they do with cool temperatures. If they are without water for a long time, they become susceptible to diseases. In the case of hens, it can even lead to a laying stop or at least lead to a significantly reduced laying performance.