We used to have chickens as pets, until the kids had too many commitments at school and sport and they had to be given away. This wasn’t in the country; it was in residential Sydney. They ran around in the backyard and sometimes they would holiday in our folks’ garden out in way-out-suburban Sydney. Middle-class chickens, these were.
They were called Cluck and Chickarita. Not terribly imaginative, I know, but their names were quite descriptive. Cluck was dependable and a regular egg-layer. Chickarita was a drama queen and her eggs were erratic.
You wouldn’t think that chickens are affectionate creatures, but the children would run out into the garden and hug them every morning. Then, they hoarded their eggs like gold, not wanting to eat them. We would come up to three weeks worth of eggs and have to give them away surreptitiously at an omelette party.
They’re not far these days, at an uncle’s house, and we visit occasionally. As it’s coming up to Easter, we wanted to remember them as they made our lives richer for a period of time.
~ Spotted Cow
Wandering Cows 
This just made me smile 🙂 Love comes in all forms ❤️
Aww. And yes, it sure does.
Sweet!
I know, quite !
Chickens are fine, but roosters would possibly make you a bad neighbour. 🙂
So am I right to assume you gave these eggs away, but when you wanted eggs to eat, you would buy them?
Umm, I think you just about summed it up. We had to buy eggs in order not to eat the laid eggs that the children found so precious. This was in spite of my telling them that they would go rotten and start to emit sulphur dioxide fumes. What amazed me was how long these organic eggs lasted … and they had bright bright yellow yolks.
You should have kept your empty supermarket egg cartons, and filled them with your homegrown eggs when the children weren’t looking. 🙂
Actually we did do that with one carton. But so many eggs piled up and it was less believable that we might have 3 dozen supermarket eggs ! This is the power that children’s irrational behaviour can have over you !
I know for sure cat and dogs get along with chickens! I lived on a farm in Northern Alberta, I had a pet chicken named (even less imagination) Little Red, she was small and got picked on so I took her everywhere with me, she sat nicely in the basket of my bike, never once trying to jump/fly out. She followed me all around the farm yard . The cats were taught not to touch them and the same went for the dogs. She hoarded her eggs deep in the long grass, we found a hoard of around 50 eggs, I think she had a buddy helping her!! We had so many eggs my father started freezing them in baggies!
Oh wow. Now that is a great story! I didn’t think that chickens hog their own eggs.
my father tried to learn how to make sponge cake because of the amount of eggs used in them! I got so sick of eating dry tasteless cake like substance! but I do give him credit!
I love the idea of chickens as pets. Just not sure how well they’d get along with dogs and cats. 😉
Hmm, I think you’re right. Chickens might not work in combination with dogs & cats !