It won’t come as a surprise that our absolute number one pet would be a chicken (or a flock of three or more, to be precise); but what’s so great about having chickens as pets, and what are the top tips for keeping them?
Glad you asked! Hens are pretty easy pets to look after once you’ve got a few things sorted out, so here are our top five tips for keeping chickens as pets.
Get your set up right from the off
Whether it’s a converted Wendy house, a wooden coop or plastic house, it’s important you get the right set up for your garden before you adopt hens. The last thing you want is to realise your hen house is at the bottom of a slope after it’s started raining and is already resembling a swamp.
Take some time to figure out what size hen house you need (the bigger the better, and take into consideration the breed of hen as they are all different sizes), what kind of fixed run you’ll use (important for when you aren’t at home with your birds) and where your hens will free roam.
Choose the best chicken feed
We know that we function best when we fuel ourselves properly and our hens are no different. It’s important to choose a high-quality chicken feed to ensure your hens stay in tip top condition.
What’s more, a high-quality feed may even keep your feathered friends popping out an egg or two as gratitude for their freedom. Of course, we only want our hens to be much-loved pets, but it’s no secret that when they are happy and well fed, they continue laying eggs.
Invest in some snuggly bedding
With that in mind, and as temperatures drop, your hens will be grateful for some super snuggly bedding to cosy on down in. We highly recommend Dengie Fresh Bed for Chickens as it’s tried and tested by our hens who absolutely love it. Not only is it made from dust-extracted chopped straw, but it’s also infused with pine oil which has antibacterial properties and also makes your hens’ coop smell amazing!
Dengie are one of our corporate partners and have supported our work for many years, with a proportion of every bedding pack sold being donated to us. A huge thank you goes to them for the many lives their funds have saved.
Get to know what’s normal for your flock
As with any pet, we encourage regular handling of your hens so that you know what’s normal for them and therefore when they might not be feeling 100%. There’s a great set of hen examination guidelines on our website including a video to show you the different parts of their anatomy.
Enjoy it!
Last, but certainly not least, enjoy it! Having hens in your back garden is nothing short of life-enriching as is proven by our supporters who come back time and time again to rehome our ex-commercial hens. They are purposely bred to be docile and so, within a short period of time, will become a firm part of your family for years to come.
