Chickens: the gateway pet
Ah, chickens. Who knew that they'd end up being some of my favorite ever pets? Certainly not me ten or so years ago. I was terrified of chickens then! Today I can honestly say that owning chickens as pets is awesome!
Our chicken story started about six or so years ago. My sister in law had a small flock and we have just rehomed our three goats, had the space, had the fence...so why not, right? We started with four hens; silver laced Whyandots (so we were told), and dove in. Anyone that owns chickens understands what the term "Chicken math" means, and its true! Four turned into 10, turned into 13....it never stops. You get addicted to getting chickens!
Shortly after we brought the first four "girls" home, I decided I wanted chicks. That was an adventure all in its own. I picked them out one by one from their little incubator when they were only a few days old: Easter Eggers (they often carry the gene for coloured eggs). We ended up with four rooster and two hens...another form of chicken math I'm not so found of. After rehoming three of the Roos I found (AKA: looked through Kijiji till I found) three Black Star pullets living with a young man in the City near us! So, four chickens quickly turned into a lot more.
Over the years we have tried different breeds, hatched our own chicks, even had a hen leave for three weeks and come back with a ton of babies while we were away camping! Chickens are endless fun and always have a surprise up their sleeve for you. I'm notorious for being overly worried about my pets, and "the flock" became no exception. From leg mites, to lice, to bumble foot: as a chicken owner you learn quickly how to care of their ailments. We've had to bring prolapsed and sick hens into our home, held them while they passed away peacefully after a long fight to get better, even had to clean up the yard after our neighbor's dogs attacked and killed most of our flock of I think 30 something hens and a roo! That last one was particularly devastating. And as a good chicken owner you have to be able to end their life from suffering when they are old, sick, or injured. I am always the "holder" while by husband gets to wield the ax and comfort me afterwards for about a day or two.
The goods outweigh the bads with chickens. We are lucky and can let our flock free range and just be chickens. One of the perks (for me anyway) is getting to name them all! We've had Gandalf, Jon Snow, Mister, and (currently) High Hefner as Roos. A few hens are ('cause I know you all want to know my chicken's names) Sprinkles, Asrielle, Princess Fluffy Butt, Lady Gaga, Sherah, Glovehead, Yigrette, and Fran (so, so many more). They all have their own big personalities: I've never meant a chicken without one, and are rightfully deserving of the name they get.
If you are thinking of getting chickens, do yourself and them a favour and do your homework. They are a lot of work if you want to do it right. Why do I call them a gateway pet? Well, once you get a few chickens, you get a few more. And a few more. Then, you'll be like, maybe I should get a horse, or some goats. Maybe a pig? Turkeys? One chicken leads to many, many possibilities. But come on, what other pet makes you breakfast every morning?
Our chicken story started about six or so years ago. My sister in law had a small flock and we have just rehomed our three goats, had the space, had the fence...so why not, right? We started with four hens; silver laced Whyandots (so we were told), and dove in. Anyone that owns chickens understands what the term "Chicken math" means, and its true! Four turned into 10, turned into 13....it never stops. You get addicted to getting chickens!
Over the years we have tried different breeds, hatched our own chicks, even had a hen leave for three weeks and come back with a ton of babies while we were away camping! Chickens are endless fun and always have a surprise up their sleeve for you. I'm notorious for being overly worried about my pets, and "the flock" became no exception. From leg mites, to lice, to bumble foot: as a chicken owner you learn quickly how to care of their ailments. We've had to bring prolapsed and sick hens into our home, held them while they passed away peacefully after a long fight to get better, even had to clean up the yard after our neighbor's dogs attacked and killed most of our flock of I think 30 something hens and a roo! That last one was particularly devastating. And as a good chicken owner you have to be able to end their life from suffering when they are old, sick, or injured. I am always the "holder" while by husband gets to wield the ax and comfort me afterwards for about a day or two.
The goods outweigh the bads with chickens. We are lucky and can let our flock free range and just be chickens. One of the perks (for me anyway) is getting to name them all! We've had Gandalf, Jon Snow, Mister, and (currently) High Hefner as Roos. A few hens are ('cause I know you all want to know my chicken's names) Sprinkles, Asrielle, Princess Fluffy Butt, Lady Gaga, Sherah, Glovehead, Yigrette, and Fran (so, so many more). They all have their own big personalities: I've never meant a chicken without one, and are rightfully deserving of the name they get.
If you are thinking of getting chickens, do yourself and them a favour and do your homework. They are a lot of work if you want to do it right. Why do I call them a gateway pet? Well, once you get a few chickens, you get a few more. And a few more. Then, you'll be like, maybe I should get a horse, or some goats. Maybe a pig? Turkeys? One chicken leads to many, many possibilities. But come on, what other pet makes you breakfast every morning?
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