Keeping Backyard Chickens with Families

Chickens are certainly not a traditional pet. It’s more of a farm-type animal, but can make a great pet. Although chickens can get upward of ten pounds, have serious talons, and are not often thought of as friendly creatures, they can be gentle giants.You can learn about some of the largest chicken breeds from The Hen’s Egg, where they share about big breeds and just how friendly the hens can be.

How Friendly are Chickens?

Not all chickens are friendly. Some breeds tend toward humans more than others, while other breeds are friendly toward dogs and cats. There are a ton of different chicken breeds, and every chicken is unique of course.

Just because a specific breed is supposed to be friendly doesn’t mean you’re going to get the world’s friendliest chicken. When you’ve had a chicken since she was a chick, she’s more likely to be attached to you.

In general, chickens can be quite friendly. They take time to adjust and grow to trust humans, but largely do so. With patience, we can show a flock of chickens that we mean them no harm. By feeding them out of our hands, allowing them to be near us without us trying to touch them, and talking gently to them, they begin to see us as friendly creatures.

Our personal chickens are super friendly for the most part. A few of them don’t want much to do with us, but some others actually come when they’re called! If I open our back door and yell their names, they come running across the yard for some love and attention. This is shocking to many people, but it illustrates just how friendly these little birds can be!

Chickens and Children

As many people report, chickens and children can get along quite well. Chickens can be impressively gentle with animals and small children.

Like many other animals, chickens learn boundaries. They know what a child can handle, know to be gentle, and can even play with them. A quick YouTube search will show you videos of children holding their little feathery friends, chickens coming when they’re called, and chickens playing with dogs.

Of course there are dangers in regards to disease, but healthy chickens and healthy children can be a goal. With each party healthy, there isn’t usually a problem. Furthermore, a child can learn to take care of an animal, connect deeply with their food, and grow empathy as they interact.

Having Fun with the Hens

One of the best parts about keeping chickens is the fun you can have with them. First, you get to build them a home. Whether this is starting from scratch to build a coop or buying one to assemble, you get to be outside and create something. From their food to their shavings, you build an entire home for these little creatures.

The other fun part is taking care of them and getting the eggs. Finding eggs is always a fun treat, especially for the younger ones in our lives. Chickens of different breeds lay different colors, and have different laying patterns. It’s always a surprise to find out what eggs we will get during a day, and we love finding them!

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