How often are chickens "just pets"?

[KattyKillFish]

mine are just pets! i have chickens because i like them

the eggs are just a benefit, a show of their appreciation for treats & snacks and a nice warm clean coop! i love my birds, and they all have a special place in my heart. Even my boyfriend gets attaches to some of them, and often DEMANDS that he gets to name his favorites, even if they already have a name.


here is the story of some RIRs that we were originally going to eat, but ended up keeping just as pets.
Rest in Peace Copper, Freelance, Dr Avalanche, Lady Red and Crazy, our beloved pets. 65 yen is still alive!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=144668

 

[FrizzleFreak]

Yeah, I have pet chickens. But I also have production chickens, who will move to a free range pen when the production slows down. Then I let nature take it's course. However, anybody or anything that tries to get between me and my frizzles won't know what hit them

 

[Sunflower]

A former co-worker teased me all the time b/c of my chicken family and their coop!! AFter the coop was built we painted the inside white and I thought it looked really boring, so I painted a few flowers w/ sponges and a few of the chicken's names on the walls.
We had a funeral when Lucky (our Lakenvelder rooster) died. We like to come home after work before the sun goes down so they can get some outside run around the yard time!!
Our chickens will live out their little lives w/o fear of any axes coming near their little necks!! LOL

 

[TheDuckCrew]

Quote:
my ducks are just pets. thats what we got them for, for pets. we don't even eat their eggs and i could NEVER EVER EVER kill them and eat them. if i had chickens, it would be the same. my ducks are my babies, i love them sooo much. i feel like i can never do enough for them and i'm always wanting to do something. either just sitting out there or building them something new. i just always want to be doing something for them. they are so spoiled!

 

[hennypenny9]

Quote:
I could take those eggs off your hands... Yum!

Yeah, growing up our chickens were like... Useful pets. Kinda like a guard dog. You feed it and it keeps the raccoons away. We feed the chickens and we get eggs. We love both our dog and chickens almost equally. I'd rather have a chicken that lays eggs then one that doesn't, but if someone was like "here's a game hen" I would probably end up liking it too! I just like animals in general.

 

[mamaKate]

Mine are useful pets. Just as the cats keep the mouse population down and the dogs discourage two legged pests, the chickens supply eggs, fertilizer and bug control. Some of my cats are too old to hunt but they get more tender care than the younger ones. The chickens will be the same. Yup, I unashamedly love them all.

 

[b.hromada]

My chickens are my pets as well! I'm even trying to convince the city that they are "just pets". I'm sure lots of others on the forum have their chickens for pets too. Be happy, its lots of fun, like you have already found out.

 

[Chicken Boo]

My DH refers to our chicken retirement home all the time. They are pets and they keep us smiling and fed.

I am a vegetarian and would not eat them anyway. My DH is not but he has said that he could not bring himself to eat one of our girls (we have buried 2 in the yard). I have also noticed, but have not said anything, that when we go out to eat and he decides to have meat, he does not order chicken any more.

Enjoy your pets proudly.

 

[Settler'sDreamFarm]

I just love my chickens!!!!!!
I would never ever kill one of my chickens (unless it was in alot of pain)
All of my chickens are pets....
I do not care how many eggs they lay when they get older i let them retire nicely and let them have a good life

So it is not weird to love your chicken!!!!!

 

[rebecca10782]

Of course

Ours are just like our dogs and cats, they are part of the family. I cried like a baby each time we lost one. Don't have any shame in caring. I think most people look at chickens as food and don't realize that they have emotions and personalities. I have been a vegan for a long time but it is so hard to stop the cravings sometimes. The minute I looked into my first chicks eyes, I stop craving chicken. Now when I think about it, I compare it to eating our dogs.