Anyone keep chickens as pets??

[Kuntry Klucker]

Hi All,

I have a flock of BO's that I have grown rather attached to. My girls are 4 so they are getting past their peak
time of laying. I was considering giving them up after they are no longer productive, but decided to instead
keep them as pets in hentirement.

I was wanting to know if anyone else here does that? What do you say to people when they say that you
keep them even if they no longer lay eggs?

Just want to make sure that I am not alone in this line of thought.

Thanks

Here is my set up for my girls. We call our coop the Kuntry Kluker.

 

[GitaBooks]

I love my birds! I have both pets and non-pets. The pets I plan to keep forever, including my top rooster, his top hens, and some of the other birds like Eagle my EE, Princess my silkie and Pip my OEG bantam. I would say to people, "people buy parrots for thousands of dollars even though they give them no eggs to eat, why can't a person keep a pet chicken which gives them eggs a few years and is far cheaper to keep?"

Pet chickens are growing in popularity big time, hundreds if not thousands of people are doing it. They are amazing, just like a pet goat or duck or cow.

I love that coop by the way.

Some of my flock


Dominator in the front, he's my favorite rooster


I wanted to keep Sebbie, but he was aggressive towards me and the other roosters. He was pretty awesome though

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

I love my birds! I have both pets and non-pets. The pets I plan to keep forever, including my top rooster, his top hens, and some of the other birds like Eagle my EE, Princess my silkie and Pip my OEG bantam. I would say to people, "people buy parrots for thousands of dollars even though they give them no eggs to eat, why can't a person keep a pet chicken which gives them eggs a few years and is far cheaper to keep?"

Pet chickens are growing in popularity big time, hundreds if not thousands of people are doing it. They are amazing, just like a pet goat or duck or cow.

I love that coop by the way.

Some of my flock


Dominator in the front, he's my favorite rooster


I wanted to keep Sebbie, but he was aggressive towards me and the other roosters. He was pretty awesome though

your birds are so pretty!! thanks for your reply. I guess that is true, people keep pets parrots all the time and they are never
asked what they are going to do about the egg situation. A lot of people think I am crazy to want to keep my birds after they
are past the point of lay because they think chickens are only good for eggs. I admit I fell for the precident but have decided to keep
them as pets after they stop laying in something I will call "hentirement". People laugh when I say that, I think they think it is cute
or something.

I want to keep my boy Roy for as long as he lives, he is such a good rooster and the best rooster that I have ever meet.
I never know that having a rooster could be so much fun and easy. PPl are impressed that a rooster can be so tame,
all they know is the horror stories of the more aggressive roosters.

Did I see a BO rooster in your flock? How do they get along? I want to add some Blue Orphingtons next spring including a rooster.
I was wondering how well that would go over.

thanks for your post

 

[shadow rabbit10]

My birds are 3 years old and still laying, but when they stop, they will live with us until they die. I got my birds because I wanted a new kind of pet, the eggs are just a bonus.

And what to say to people who question why you want to keep the birds? You could explain to them how pet chickens are fun and enjoyable animals with a variety of personalities and antics (though I have found it is very hard for people who have never owned chickens to grasp that concept). I know many people who keep chickens as pets, so you are definitely not alone.

 

[GitaBooks]

My top rooster is a Barred Rock named Dominator, but I don't want him breeding with his daughters, so I acquire young roosters of other breeds and raise them like his son. He isn't aggressive towards those he thinks are his, ata least not too aggressive (he is still the boss). However, those that I raised like his brothers he argues with all the time and chases way from food and water.
The Buff Orpington roo was Ellesar, but we got rid of him because he was over-breeding the hens (we had too many roosters at that point, around 7). He had some lovely babies in his time, however.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

My birds are 3 years old and still laying, but when they stop, they will live with us until they die. I got my birds because I wanted a new kind of pet, the eggs are just a bonus.

And what to say to people who question why you want to keep the birds? You could explain to them how pet chickens are fun and enjoyable animals with a variety of personalities and antics (though I have found it is very hard for people who have never owned chickens to grasp that concept). I know many people who keep chickens as pets, so you are definitely not alone.

Thanks so much. Yes, I agree they are pets who just happen to lay eggs. I love the fact that my girls will effectively rid my backyard and garden
of pets, give me great mulch/fertilizer for the gardens and make great yard entertainment.

So glad to know that I am not alone!!

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

My top rooster is a Barred Rock named Dominator, but I don't want him breeding with his daughters, so I acquire young roosters of other breeds and raise them like his son. He isn't aggressive towards those he thinks are his, ata least not too aggressive (he is still the boss). However, those that I raised like his brothers he argues with all the time and chases way from food and water.
The Buff Orpington roo was Ellesar, but we got rid of him because he was over-breeding the hens (we had too many roosters at that point, around 7). He had some lovely babies in his time, however.

Ok, thanks. I wondered how Roy my current rooster will do if I add another rooster as a chick. I want to get some Blue Orphingtons next spring and hope that the two
boys can get along somewhat.

 

[GitaBooks]

Ok, thanks. I wondered how Roy my current rooster will do if I add another rooster as a chick. I want to get some Blue Orphingtons next spring and hope that the two
boys can get along somewhat.

If they have enough space they should get along well!

 

[Ballerina Bird]

Thanks so much. Yes, I agree they are pets who just happen to lay eggs. I love the fact that my girls will effectively rid my backyard and garden
of pets, give me great mulch/fertilizer for the gardens and make great yard entertainment.

So glad to know that I am not alone!!

You are definitely not alone. My girls are still pretty young, but I plan to let them live out their retirement when they do stop laying.

 

[lysanderish]

My girls just started laying yesterday so this is a few years down the road yet for me. When they start tapering off on laying, I'll probably get a permit from the city to exceed my current limit (5 without a permit; I have 4 right now) so the young'uns can pick up the slack. They're honestly pets to me, and keeping egg production regular will mostly be an excuse to get more chickens.