Should I get rid of my chickens?

[Americano Blue]

I have 7 hens we adopted from a friend but honestly, I don't like them and they don't like me. They aren't very social and tend to be moody. Should I get rid of them and try again or just try to tame them again. Right now they aren't laying and they are 2-3 years old.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

@Onebroodymomma - Maybe they were mistreated at their old place? How long have you had them? Maybe it'll just take time for them to trust you.

General - I've had 6 of mine since they were baby chicks and it took ~8 months before i was able to *sometimes* pet them. They'll follow me around and huddle near my legs, but they aren't fans of snuggling. I personally, would never kill a chicken because I wasn't getting enough snuggling from them. But that's just me.

That is a rather hyperbolic interpretation of what has been said above regarding culling. Not everyone views their birds as purely pets- and there is not a thing wrong with offering a humane end and making use of birds that are culled for any reason the person in possession of them sees fit.

 

[AnnieE]

You could also try and find them a home. Just because you don't want them doesn't mean others don't. I personally just adopted 2 non-laying retirees because i don't care about the eggs.

 

[Onebroodymomma]

@Ol Grey Mare - you can call it anything you like.

"They aren't very social and tend to be moody."

"They are very scared and won't let me near them. I am ready to put them in a pot."
What i'm hearing from that kind of talk? "Get rid of them or kill them because they don't pay enough attention me".

I don't want to cuddle them, or treat them like a dog. I have two dogs that work just fine for that. I got chickens to be chickens.I got chickens for one purpose, to provide food for my family. If I decide to eat a chicken for whatever reason, I am gunna eat them!

 

[bobbi-j]

@Ol Grey Mare - you can call it anything you like.

"They aren't very social and tend to be moody."

"They are very scared and won't let me near them. I am ready to put them in a pot."
What i'm hearing from that kind of talk? "Get rid of them or kill them because they don't pay enough attention me".

I agree with Ol Grey Mare. You're adding to what is being said. All I've seen is people telling the OP that it's OK not to keep an animal that you don't like. No one told her to kill them.

Personally, I've never tried to snuggle with a chicken. They are, by nature, a prey animal so their first instinct is to run from anything (or anyone) trying to catch or hold them. If a person wants an animal to cuddle with, a dog or cat would be a better choice. Now, before I get attacked by the "I have a pet chicken and she loves to snuggle" people, let me say that this is a generalization. Of course there are some chickens out there that will allow their keeper to hold and pet them. They are all different and have their own personalities.

 

[Twistedfeather]

If there's another breed you're looking into there's no harm in getting new birds. A lot of the strains of chickens we see now only have a laying span of 2-4 years (which is bad)

 

[bobbi-j]

If you don't like them, why would you keep them? In my opinion, that's just a waste of your time and money that could be better spent on something you enjoy.

 

[LRH97]

I agree if you don't like the particular birds you have, it's just fine to get new ones. 2-3 years is getting up there as far as egg production goes so productivity will be going down. Keep in mind however, the more time you spend with the birds, the tamer and more used to you they will become. So, if the only reason you're getting rid of them is because they're not tame, I say give it time. Chickens can easily live 6+ years in ideal conditions. However if you're wanting eggs, replace the older birds or get some younger pullets. I start replacing my laying hens when they get to be around 3-4 years old (depending on breed). I sell them as stew hens or we butcher them ourselves and they are replaced with younger birds. But, if are unhappy with the particular birds, like bobbi-j said, there's no sense in wasting your money on feed or your time on something you don't enjoy.

 

[donrae]

Get rid of them and start over. No reason at all to keep an animal you flat don't like.

 

[Americano Blue]

Thanks for the help! I'm going to talk to my family tonight about it.