Does anyone have (or have had) Pet Chickens?

I am from the midwest where chickens aren’t pets . . . I would encourage you to spend some quality time with chickens before you think about “playing with them” or “walking them on a leash” or whatever you are imagining . . .

Do you have chickens as pets, @PetLoverHi? When I was a little child, my mom gave my brothers, sisters and me a little chick. She taught us to feed it and care for it’s needs. I remember her teaching us to tap our finger on the ground and the little chick would come running. It was really a pet. When it was full grown, we gave it to a friend who had a farm. We also had rabbits, birds and even a ground hog as a pet once.

As a teen, I once had a banty rooster as pet but he grew up quickly and escaped to our neighbors property where they had a large group of hens he could take over. He didn’t make a good pet at all.

I loved having chickens as pets! When I was growing up, I was in 4-H, with poultry being my main focus. We had tons of chickens. My favorites were Shamos and Naked Necks (Turkens), but we had all types. They were so entertaining. They followed you around the yard, came when you called, jumped to take food out of your hands, and would fall alseep on your lap. They all had their own unique personalities.

Part of showing chickens is bathing them. You haven’t seen anything funnier than a soaked chicken passed out in a rolled up towel!

Murry McMurray Hatchery

I worked with a guy who had 2 pet chickens. He lived in a tiny studio apartment. When he took a weekend trip he asked me to take care of them – in my apartment. We agreed they would stay in a large cage. OMG – I had no idea how bad chicken waste smelled in an enclosed space (we had chickens outside when I was a kid). Every time a chicken went I changed the paper. I don’t know how he handled it letting them run loose in his apartment.

Chickens are great pets, provided you have the right set up. As @8Convulsions said, they have unique personalities and eggs are a bonus. I’d only opt for hens if you are in a zone that has noise ordinances.A rooster would not be a good choice, they often start crowing at 4:30 am and during the day as well at times.

A couple hens can be backyard pets, just make sure they have secure housing for night time or you may lose them to predators.

I had one fly into my yard one day and it stayed. I later found out that it had escaped from a neighbor several houses down the street. She was a very bossy chicken and she just moved in and took over. She had the run of the back yard and her own little coup but she watched the dogs and cat going in and out of the dog door and soon she was doing the same. I would come home and find the dogs and cat sprawled on the sofa and the chicken roosting on the back of the sofa. I would not have minded too much except I never did figure out how to house break the damned thing. She was a good layer and i really liked her. She had a unique personality for sure. Here is a picture of her in the doorway with the cockatiel. Almost 8 years ago we moved to a park where chickens and cats were not allowed so we rented our house to an elderly gentleman at a very low price so that he will take care of our chicken and cat. They all still live there happily. We can’t sell the house until the cat and chicken die! Anyhow to answer your question, yes, 1 or 2 chickens make great pets! More than that and your yard turns into a barnyard and that is not so nice.