A Family Guide To Keeping Chickens (7 page)
Read A Family Guide To Keeping Chickens Online
Authors: Anne Perdeaux
Many breeds are easy to tame and quickly become part of the family – some pet hens will happily sit on their owners’ laps.
There are also breeds that are shy or rather aloof. These will need more coaxing to make friends and might never enjoy being handled.
Hens are unlikely to attack humans, although interfering with a broody hen may result in an indignant peck, and a small child scattering corn could be unnerved by the enthusiastic stampede of a hungry flock.
Cockerels are a different story: some can be very aggressive. Generally a cockerel is likely to be more trouble than he is worth for the beginner (see
Chapter 12
).
Be careful your dog isn’t a threat to the chickens . . .
. . . but what about making sure your chickens don’t upset the dog?
Chickens and Other Animals
Make sure your chickens are not exposed to stress or danger from household and neighbourhood pets. Dogs pose a threat to poultry, although cats may be quickly put in their place – a friend found her hens scoffing the cat food while four cats watched in horror! Cats will take chicks, though, and very small chickens could also be at risk.
There are many chicken predators, but it’s a wild world and chickens are also fond of meat. Pet rabbits and guinea pigs should be kept separately from chickens, who may have a go at them, and tiny pets such as mice or reptiles won’t last long in the company of greedy chickens.
Farm animals may accidentally step on or kick chickens, but are unlikely to attack them, even when they help themselves from their feed buckets – although pigs have been known to eat unwary hens who venture into their pen.
Even when kept mainly for eggs, chickens can provide pleasure and interest for their owners. By getting to know your chickens you will quickly learn to recognize any odd behaviour or problems.
Whether as pets or livestock, keeping chickens is fun and rewarding. They will repay your care and attention in many ways, as well as providing delicious eggs. It’s not unusual for people to start keeping chickens for their eggs, only to find that they have also acquired some delightful pets.
Chickens can get on with bigger animals
Key Points
•
Consider chickens’ basic needs when deciding how you will keep them
•
Establishing a pecking order is essential, but can result in fights
•
Scratching and foraging is instinctive natural behaviour
•
Dust-bathing is essential for healthy, happy chickens
•
All hens lay eggs, but quantities vary according to breed
Geese take precedence in the pecking order!
•
Chickens naturally go to roost at dusk
•
Darkness makes chickens sleepy and easy to handle
•
Chickens need shade in hot weather and shelter from the elements
•
Hens are usually docile with humans, but cockerels can be aggressive
•
Chickens can be at risk from some pets, but may also attack small animals
•
Getting to know your chickens helps you to spot problems early
Chickens have some funny habits – what did you learn from
Chapter 2
?
Question One
What is the pecking order?
(a) The order in which a chicken eats its food
(b) A command that makes chickens peck people
(c) The way chickens organize their flock
Question Two
Chickens are the closest living descendents of which dinosaur?
(a) Tyrannosaurus Rex
(b) Brontosaurus
(c) Pterodactyl
Question Three
How do chickens keep themselves clean?
(a) By splashing in ponds
(b) By taking dust-baths
(c) They have to be washed by their owners
Question Four
What do chickens do when it gets dark?
(a) Go into their house
(b) Come out of their house
(c) Carry on playing until they are put to bed
Question Five
Which of these pets are most likely to attack chickens?
(a) Guinea pigs
(b) Cats
(c) Dogs
Answers
One (c); Two (a); Three (b); Four (a); Five (c)
How did you do? Look at
Chapter 2
again if you need to know more about chicken behaviour.
‘Ruling the roost’: You have just read about the pecking order and now you know there is always a chief chicken in the henhouse (or roost). This saying is also used about a person who takes charge of a group of others. For example: ‘In our class Paul rules the roost – he always chooses which games we play’.
Why did the chicken run onto the football pitch?
He heard the ref call ‘Foul!’
Why did the chicken work hard at school?
So she would do well in her eggs-ams!
Try to find some chickens to watch. Stay still and quiet. What are the chickens doing? Can you spot the chief chicken? Are any laying eggs, taking dust-baths or scratching for food? Let the chickens teach you how they like to live!