We all know chickens as egg laying, not so intelligent, docile creatures.
But have you ever heard of one as a pet? I mean sure, backyard chickens is a relatively common thing in some parts, but a household pet? Nah.
I beg to differ. Chickens, docile and seemingly stupid as they appear, are in fact not. They are intelligent, loyal, and absolutely loving pet. I say this from a place of experience. A pet chicken might sound rather odd, but they really are lovely little creatures. To illustrate this to you I will tell you about my dearest pet hen.
The pet of chicken I have, appropriately named after an African pudding, is as sweet as cotton candy. Koeksister (which directly translated means ‘cake sister’) is supposed to be an ‘African breed’ called ‘Koek Koek’. She looks like a Plymouth Rock to me. I raised Koeksister from the tender age of two weeks. Now, all grown up, the little hen happily strolls around the garden. She lays me around four to five eggs a week.
But that’s not the point. Egg laying aside, she is a loving animal. She absolutely adores TLC and hates being excluded from excitement. Like backyard birthday parties. They usually end up with a chicken on the table and chips all over the grass.
If one were to wander outside with a sandwich, she’d come running, begging for a nibble. I’m sure she only does that for attention, because yesterday, despite just having lunch and being positively bloated, she stole a piece of pizza right out of my poor mother’s hand. And ate the whole thing, right at our feet. We were yelling at her and shooing her but she just kept eating. I swear chickens can have emotions, because she looked smug.
Despite being a little attention seeker, this old girl is cuddle crazy. If one were to begin weeding the garden, she’d waddle along and come sit beside you. She loves being cuddled and would occasionally sneak into the house. If I leave the door open, she’d stroll in and plonk herself onto the couch beside me. Then she’d edge onto my lap and settle herself down for a nap.
Chickens imprint on people, and form a close bond to the person who regularly feeds it. So if you want a chicken to love you; feed it.
Usually Koeksister would follow me around the garden, but one day my mom fed her left over rice. Now every time my mother does some gardening, Koeksister runs along behind her like a duckling.
Chickens are very easy to maintain. They simply need a garden to wander in (preferably large), a constant source of water, enough food, and a suitable amount of TLC. They are also surprisingly hardy. This chicken of mine has eaten a variety of things from a piece of rubber to turkey meat.
The rubber incident happened in her chick days, when she had a pal called (directly translated) Rose-thorn. One of them found the broken off rubber tip of a toy snake and went bananas. They charged around the garden snatching it from each other. By the time I caught them, Koeksister had swallowed it.
And she’s still alive after taking a slurp of my coffee mug after I left it on the porch. That was a bad idea. But who would have thought the chicken would come drink your coffee, tip the mug, then stroll off like nothing happened. She’s even drunk soda!
Another interesting thing about chickens, is no matter how far they wander off into the neighborhood, they always return. They know where the food’s at. One fateful day in Koeksister’s chick months, she went for a stroll outside the property. Into the road. Luckily, our tenants found her, and took her in. They had absolutely no idea where she came from or who she belonged to. So they fed her bread, chicken feed, and food scraps. For three days she lived with them in their flat. By this time I thought she was a goner and already had a replacement. (Rose-thorn).
Then, one day, my older brother walked past the tenants washing their car and they told him about the chick. They asked him if he had any idea who it could belong to. So, five minutes later, there’s a knock on the door. And there, in his arms, was Koeksister. Back from the dead! I was so relieved I just held the poor thing for half an hour on my lap and cuddled her. Then I introduced her to her new sibling, Rose-thorn.
Sadly, and quite recently too, Rose-thorn passed away. And by passed away I mean brutally murdered in cold blood by a dog. She was strolling around outside our property (which is perfectly legal by way), when the neighbors accidentally let their huge pit-bull out. Which I am sure is not legal. ITS A PIT-BULL COME ON PEOPLE!! Anyways, that was the tragic end of ‘Roosdoring’ Rosie the first.
Despite the tragedy of the loss of her friend, Koeksister took it well. She stopped laying eggs for a week or so then she started again. When chickens get over-stressed or frightened, they tend to stop laying eggs. Only now there was one problem, with her friend around Koeksister was less interested in our goings on and left us alone. But now? Now she is a little attention seeker. If we have people over? She comes right into the house. If there’s an outdoor dinner? Chicken at our feet. Chicken. Chicken. Everywhere.
But aside from now being an attention seeking, TLC demanding, cuddle-bug chicken, she’s still as sweet as ever. Except now it’s up a level. But it’s really cute, and we don’t mind her shenanigans.
So if you are now considering getting a chicken, here’s some important notes to consider.
You need to have a suitable backyard, and a space for a chicken coop. If you have a dog it won’t work. Dogs can’t resist taking a snap at a chicken. You will also need to ensure that there is a nearby shop to buy chicken feed. You will need food bowls and a water bowl. The water bowl must be constantly topped with water. Ensure your garden has a fence secure from flapping chickens. My chickens were known for leaping across two meter high walls.
But all that aside, here are the benefits.
Benefits of keeping a chicken as a pet:
It poops breakfast.
It’s the only pet that gives back! (Eggs.)
Its a chicken. You don’t need to get it shots or stuff.
If you don’t have feed you can feed it tidbits from the kitchen.
They are adorable.
You can train them. Yes, you can train them.
I taught my chicken to come for her food.
I did it like so: every time I fed her, I said a specific phrase. I would repeat it over and over, until she associated it with food.
So, every time Koeksister is strolling around outside the property, one peep of the food call and she flaps back as fast as her little legs can carry her. Here’s a list of breeds that are good for household pets; Silkie bantam, Plymouth rock, Buff orpington, Australorp, Cochin, Polish, Faverolle, Easter egger, and Wyandotte.
My personal fave? Plymouth rock. They are the most chill chickens you’ll find. I mean, Koeksister gets carried around by toddlers and chased in circles by four-year-olds but she still lays eggs.
Other chickens would scratch, peck, or leap for freedom when grabbed by a toddler. Plymouths? No such thing. If you get a Plymouth from a young age, under a month, and raise it? The chicken would bond with people to such an extent that it’d act like one.
But if one were to get a pet chicken, no matter what breed, I recommend getting one female. Maybe when she’s older and gets broody you could get a rooster.
Or if the taming doesn’t work out, you could get her a pal or two. But really, any chicken as a pet is a wonderful critter to have around.
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