Keep a Pet Chicken
All over the world, dogs, cats, parrots, goldfish, rabbits and even mice have always been treasured pets but believe it or not, keeping a pet chick is a bundle of joy and love delivered at your doorstep! They are affectionate, loving and very sweet and soon it will become your best friend. If you want to know how you keep it, read on...
Steps
- Find out where you can get day old chicks. You can ask at pet shops, farms, vet clinics, or poultry farms. Most day old chicks are available at a farm store whilst you can a range of week old chicks online at any time.
- Decide what breed of chicken you want. Choose a breed that is suitable for your lifestyle. When choosing the best starter breed it's best to go for a bantam breed as they are a small breed that are cheap, easy and requires less space and food than standard chickens.
- Keep your chick in a decent cage with a heat lamp. Make sure that the cage is in a warm place (preferably indoors) and out of reach of predators.
- Clean the cage daily and provide a bowl full of sand to prevent mites.
- Provide a dish for feeding and drinking and clean them daily. Whilst you only need to feed your chick a little amount per day, it needs a constant fresh supply of water to keep it hydrated.
- Buy special chick feed. Chick feed has smaller grains than normal chicken feed and gives a balanced diet which is required for your chick.
- When your chicken is about 8-10 weeks old change its diet to a fully grown chicken feed and provide your chicken some grit.
- Keep your chicken in a bigger cage when it grows older. Provide the cage with a run so your chicken can scratch about freely in the grass/dirt and get access to sunlight.
Tips
- Grasshoppers and such make great treats, supply calcium, and increase eggshell thickness.
- As it grows, you will find that it develops a reddish scar between its eyes. It’s nothing to worry about as most breeds of chickens grow a red comb on their foreheads. Cockerels will also grow longer tails, red beards under the beak.
- Chickens also enjoy treats like pancakes, corn, lettuce, and pumpkin seeds.
- Be sure to have enough room for your chicken to walk around in. (You don't want your chicken to be cramped.)
- Spread the manure in the garden. It is an excellent fertilizer.
- Treat your chicken nicely and it will learn to trust you.
Warnings
- Don't ever feed your chickens grapefruit as it is toxic to them.
- If your chicken is close to your face and is suddenly paying a lot of attention to your eyes, move him fast. Chickens do peck at eyes.
- Be prepared to clean up after it!
- Chickens can peck hard.
- Two cockerels will fight whether hens are around or not. In some breeds, roosters are docile enough to live together even in the presence of hens. Even in breeds where roosters can live together you must provide enough room. In confined space even docile rooster breeds will fight.
- Chickens are not usually suitable to be kept with other pets. You may keep them with ducks this usually helps the chickens become more docile.
- Check with your local council if it is legal to keep a pet chicken in your area.
- Cockerels will crow. If you have neighbours get the chick sexed before you buy it to make sure it’s a hen.
- Do not harm your chicken in any way as it will soon be very frightened of you.
Things You'll Need
- chicken feed
- water drinker+water
- chicken coop (chicken house)
- garden/allotment
- chicken(s)
