Chickens as pets
Encyclopedia
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
s are kept on farms for the agricultural production of meat and eggs but some chickens are kept as pet
Pet
A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...
s for entertainment and educational reasons, along with homegrown eggs and sometimes meat. With the growing interest in all-natural pest control alternatives, people are now keeping chickens to rid their property of unwanted insects and larvae, which uses the birds' natural instinct to seek out and eat bugs.
Background
Chickens can be tamed by hand feeding and simply by being handled. Some people are afraid that roosters will become aggressive, but this problem can easily be avoided if the rooster is handled right. Breeds such as SilkiesSilkie
The Silkie is a breed of chicken named for its atypically fluffy plumage, which is said to feel like silk. The breed has several other unusual qualities, such as dark blue flesh and bones, blue earlobes, and five toes on each foot...
and many bantams are generally docile, making them ideal pets for owners with small children. Some cities in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
allow chickens as pets but others ban them. Some may only ban roosters due to the crowing.
City ordinances, zoning regulations or health boards may determine whether chickens may be kept. A general requirement is that the birds be confined to the owner's property, not allowed to roam freely. There may be restrictions on the size of the property or how far from human dwellings a coop may be located, etc.
The so called "urban hen movement" harks back to the days when chicken keeping was much more common, and involves the keeping of small groups of hens in areas where they may not be expected, such as closely populated cities and suburban areas.
In Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, chickens with striking plumage have long been kept for ornamental purposes, including feather-footed varieties such as the Cochin
Cochin (chicken)
The Cochin or Cochin China, originally known as the Chinese Shanghai, is a breed of chicken.The name Cochin came from the original Chinese name 九斤黄, meaning nine jin yellow, erroneously conflated with the then-current names for what are now parts of southern India and Vietnam, where jin is a...
and the Silkie
Silkie
The Silkie is a breed of chicken named for its atypically fluffy plumage, which is said to feel like silk. The breed has several other unusual qualities, such as dark blue flesh and bones, blue earlobes, and five toes on each foot...
from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and the extremely long-tailed Phoenix from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Asian ornamental varieties were imported into the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in the late 1800s. Distinctive American varieties of chickens have been developed from these Asian breeds. Poultry fanciers began keeping these ornamental birds for exhibition, a practice that continues today. Individuals in rural communities commonly keep chickens for both ornamental and practical value.
Housing
A chicken coop is a housing where chickens are kept. Inside there will often be nest boxes for egg laying along with perches on which the birds can sleep. Backyard coops are small and fenced, often with chicken wireChicken wire
Chicken wire, or poultry netting, is a mesh of wire commonly used to fence poultry livestock. It is made of thin, flexible galvanized wire, with hexagonal gaps...
, allowing chickens an area to roam, peck and hunt insects. Chicken tractor
Chicken tractor
A chicken tractor is a movable chicken coop lacking a floor. Chicken tractors may also house other kinds of poultry.Most chicken tractors are a lightly built A-frame which one person can drag about the yard...
s are floorless coops which can be dragged about a yard. Some backyard chickens are allowed to free range
Free range
thumb|250px|Free-range chickens being fed outdoors.Free range is a term which outside of the United States denotes a method of farming husbandry where the animals are allowed to roam freely instead of being contained in any manner. In the United States, USDA regulations apply only to poultry and...
, sleeping in coops. Urban chicken keeping has led to manufactured chicken coops such as the Eglu
Eglu
The Eglu is brand of chicken coop designed and marketed by Omlet Ltd in the UK that is intended for small-scale, backyard chicken keeping. The original design was by four graduates from the Royal College of Art, and was first shown at the degree show at the College in 2003.It was launched in April...
, which are designed for tight spaces and have a tidy look. Chicken waterers and feeders are an important part of keeping chickens as pets. There are hanging waterers/feeders, nipple waterers and nipple cup waterers.
Show chickens
Chicken shows may be found both at county fairs and sanctioned shows hosted by regional poultry clubs. 4,000 or more birds may be entered in some shows. The Poultry Club of Great BritainThe Poultry Club of Great Britain
The Poultry Club of Great Britain is a registered charity founded in 1877. Its stated purpose is to "safeguard the interests of all pure and traditional breeds of poultry including chickens, bantams, ducks, geese and turkeys."...
sanctions poultry shows in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
while the American Poultry Association
American Poultry Association
The American Poultry Association is the oldest poultry organization in the North America. Founded in 1873, and incorporated in Indiana in 1932 The first American poultry show was held in 1849, and the APA was later formed in response to the burgeoning need for an overseeing body to set standards...
and the American Bantam Association do likewise in America. Such organizations also work with poultry breed clubs of people who have interests in specific breeds of chickens.
See also
- Chicken as foodChicken (food)Chicken is the most common type of poultry in the world, and is prepared as food in a wide variety of ways, varying by region and culture.- History :...
- Free-range eggs
- List of chicken breeds
- Dust bathDust bathDust bath is the act of an animal grooming and cleansing its skin or fur from parasites by rolling or moving around within dust or sand.-Overview:...
- Pecking orderPecking orderPecking order or just peck order is the colloquial term for a hierarchical system of social organization in chickens. It was first described from the behaviour of poultry by Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe in 1921 under the German terms Hackordnung or Hackliste' ...