Interested in maybe raising a chicken, help for newbie.

[MRJ]

Hi there, I have never had any sort of chicken before and for some reason i just decided i would be interested in maybe owning one, and had a couple questions:

1- Is it possible to own just a single chicken for pet/eggs or do you need multiple?
2-Could a chicken be raised successfully on a deck?

I mainly want one for a pet/eggs. I really don't know where to start or even if raising a single one on a deck is possible.

Thanks and sorry if this is the wrong section/stupid questions i searched and though this might be the best forum.

 

[Judy]

They are flock animals and do not do well alone. I would not get less than 3, so that if you lose one, you still won't have a lone chicken.

They like to spend their days scratching and pecking in grass or other vegetation, and decks usually do not provide protection from predators. You might want to look around in the learning center, linked at the top of the page.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the forum. You'll meet some nice people here.

I agree with everything ddawn said. I don't know what your specific deck looks like but you may be able to work something up that would work quite well or it may just be a no go. Space is a big part of the answer. Definitely do some research, but if you could describe what you have, we may be able to help. A photo could also come in handy.

 

[MRJ]

Thank you so much for the replys, my deck is just a basic raised deck like this:

The room available i could make for the chicken could easily be about 10x10feet. Im not sure i would want more than one it as i just want it for a different type of pet for a change with the side benefit of a couple eggs a week, so if i would absolutely have to get more than one i most likely wouldn't bother as it may be too much hassle to take care of a couple as i have never done it before.

 

[chookchick]

If you could make a "raised bed" type of situation, where they could have some litter to scratch around in, then perhaps you could make it work. But IMO raising only one chicken is cruel, you really should have 3. *I had 2 for a while, and even they seemed lonely. Honestly chickens may not be the right pet--perhaps some other type of bird that doesn't need a flock, and doesn't need to scratch around on the ground?