My favorite animal is the chicken, but not many people like these silly birds as much as I do. When I mention that I have chickens, people tend to grimace and then tell me that chickens are scary, ugly or mean. Sometimes the assumption is accurate, but if you spend time with your chickens, they tend to be little sweethearts.
However, there are a few things to know about chickens before you even think about owning them.
Chickens need a shelter with enough room to lay their eggs and roost at night. If not given enough room, the chickens’ “pecking order” becomes a bit of an issue. They can become irritated and peck each other to try and get more room, leaving the other chicken with bald patches. It can also be a good idea to have close-able ventilation that can be open for hot nights or closed for cold nights.
One important thing people forget about when getting chickens is that they are not just there to lay eggs for you. They are living, breathing animals that need to eat to produce eggs. Besides the crumbles, pellets or mash you will have to provide for your chickens, they will eat just about anything they can get to. If they can get to it, they will eat your grass, flowers and garden.
Besides eating greenery, chickens are omnivores, meaning they will eat bugs and meat. Chickens also sometimes need help forming the eggshell, I recommend getting some crushed oyster shell for them. Sometimes chickens get a deficiency in calcium, making the eggshell paper thin, breaking when you go to retrieve the egg.
I consider eggs a small benefit of owning chickens, as they are more of a pet to me than livestock. I always look forward to seeing my chickens after school, as they race to greet me as I get out of my car. It can bring a rough day back to a good day, like how cats or dogs might cheer someone up.
My 13 hens have individual names and personalities, and as unique as they are, they all love one thing: food.
If I walk out of my backdoor with a bowl of food scraps, they run towards me from however far away they are. Sometimes they’re nearby, but others – usually my white Easter Egger, named Baby – will sprint about 90 feet from the back of my yard. If you have ever seen a chicken run, you know that it makes “birdwatching” a little funnier.
As funny as chickens can be, if you are thinking about getting chickens, one thing to note is that depending on where you live there might be rules about owning chickens. In the city of Madison, you must obtain a chicken license to own hens specifically and pay a $10.00 fee.
For more information visit your city’s website or cityofmadison.com and search “obtaining a city of Madison chicken license.”