Chickens as pets

Keeping chickens as pets became increasingly popular in the 2000s. among urban and suburban residents. Most chickens are kept on farms for the agricultural production of meat and eggs but some chickens are kept as pets, along with homegrown eggs and sometimes meat. With the growing interest in all-natural pest control alternatives, people also began to keep chickens to rid their property of unwanted insects and larvae.

Chickens can be tamed by hand feeding and by being handled. Some people are afraid that roosters will become aggressive, but this problem can easily be avoided if the rooster is handled properly. Breeds such as Silkies and many bantams are generally docile, making them ideal pets for owners with small children. Some cities in the United States 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. Hens continue to lay eggs in the absence of a rooster, but like most supermarket eggs, they are unfertilized.

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. Some people end up keeping urban hens as pets after they reach henopause, or cease laying eggs. In the UK a charity, the British Hen Welfare Trust, rescues commercial hens who would otherwise be sent to slaughter when they become no longer commercially viable. Supporters of the charity adopt the birds as family pets, with the intention of providing them a "retirement". In Asia, chickens with striking plumage have long been kept for ornamental purposes, including feather-footed varieties such as the Cochin and the Silkie from China, and the extremely long-tailed Phoenix from Japan. Asian ornamental varieties were imported into the United States and Great Britain 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. The rarest breed in Britain is the famous Scots Dumpy.

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Wikipedia