Looking For A friend? The Best Chickens For Pets
If you have ever thought about having pets, or do have pets but want something different.
Have you ever thought about chickens as pets?
No really!
Not only that but the best chickens for pets.
If you do have chickens in your backyard for eggs, have you actually spent time with them to see just how friendly they are?
There are many people out there even today that have not thought of a chicken as a pet.
They might have thought of other exotic pets they could have, yet they have never really considered a pet chicken as an actual pet.
Or ever thought that a chicken can be a pet.
The Best Chickens For Pets For Your Backyard
You might have a small chicken coop or a large chicken coop, so this can determine what types of chickens you want.
You might, however, if you have a small backyard, and this means a small chicken coop, choose to get the biggest of the chicken breed but not as many.
Or you might choose to keep smaller chicken breeds like bantams.
Or maybe you choose to mix it up and have larger breeds of chickens and bantams tall together.
If you thought you could not do this, I can tell you now that I have had big breeds with bantams and never had any trouble.
But I have mainly had more bantams than big chickens in a run.
I feel that if you do have most of your chicken flock of the bigger variety of chickens and only have say, one or two bantams.
Then they are lightly to be picked on.
If you really want big chickens and some bantams, just make a smaller chicken run on the side with a coop for them, and you can let them out into your yard for a good run around.
OK…
Which Breed Of Chicken Is The Friendliest?
When it comes to best chickens for pets, a hen is really quite docile, after being selectively bred up by man through the ages, they have been bred for many things, and being fairly docile is one of them.
Or else aggressive chickens are not what people want when they go to get the eggs.
They do not want to be going into a chicken coop with a chair and whip in their hands every time they want some eggs, do they…
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Chickens have become more used to being handled as they have been shown and treated as pets.
Like anything, if you show them kindness and gain their trust, they will respond to this and how you treat them.
This list is the chicken breeds that are mainly considered to be the tamest of the chicken breeds and more receptive than other breeds of chickens to get close to.
Best Chickens for Pets List:
- Brahma
- Australorp
- Wyandotte
- Barred Rock
- Orpington
- Cochin
- Easter Egger
- Golden Buff
- Rhode Island Red
- Plymouth Rock
- Sussex
- Silkies (and other bantam breeds)
Some say that you have to handle chickens when they are young to tame them, but I have had hens and roosters that have come into my chicken coop that have been tamed with time.
And food, yes chicken food, is the start of a great relationship.
Yes!
The way to a chicken’s heart is through their stomach as with every other animal.
So I do not believe that a chicken, just because they are older, can not be tamed.
As long as they have a good temperament.
So the best chickens for pets and a bad temperament is never going to work,
If they do not have a good temperament, it does not matter if they are young or old when you get them.
They are not going to make good pets.
Which Chicken Makes The Best Pet?
I can say for a fact that one of the best chickens for pets are Silkie bantams, they are most probably the best pet chicken you can own as a pet.
Now I have never had a silkie rooster, but I am sure that he is going to be just as friendly.
I have found that roosters can be just as friendly as hens myself…
The silkie has such a lovely temperament, but there is a downside to our lovely silkie hens, and that is the fact that they do go broody a lot.
Which is frustrating, I can tell you.
Silkies have the softest, fluffy feathers, and when you feel them, their feather are like silk.
Silkies have found their way into my heart and will always be one of the chickens I would have to have in my hen house.
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And those bonnets on their heads, fluffy feathers galore…
Do Chickens Bond With Humans?
Of course, they can, they are living breathing animals and feel affection, so bonding is very real for the feathery kind.
Are you surprised?
There is much about the chicken that will keep on surprising you…
In fact…
Wait for it!
Chickens can actually recognise up to one hundred human faces.
Shocked?
See, it will not take them long to recognise who you are and who and who comes to feed them every day.
Do Chickens Get Attached To Their Owners?
Well, I think they do…
Some will say that it is not common for chickens to get attached to humans.
I am not saying that every chicken is going to be your best buddies, but they all know who feeds them and affection can come along, as many chicken owners will tell you.
Do Chickens Recognize Their Owners?
As I have said previously chickens can recognise up to 100 faces which is more than some people I may add.
And it’s not just chickens that recognise other chickens, either.
Chickens do recognise the faces of people as well…
And they also remember positive or negative experiences with the faces of people and…
Get this!
Also, pass this information on to the members of their flocks.
See…
What you did not know about chickens.
Do Chickens Respond To Their Name?
Chickens get to know their owners and people who are frequent visitors, such as other members of the family and such…
Now, they are mainly going to react and respond to their main food giver and carer.
That’s only natural as they get familiar with them being there so much of the time in their chicken run.
So yes…
A chicken will learn their name very quickly and come running when their name is called.
By calling their name frequently, they get to know that this name belongs to them and slowly react to you calling them.
But remember, it takes time for them to know that that particular name is theirs and theirs alone.
So when it comes to best chickens for pets, I think you will agree that these feathery friends have surprised you and are more than suitable as a pet in your backyard.
It’s a Pet House Hen!