Maman Poule

Its surprisingly difficult to choose just 5 great reasons for keeping chickens, it looks like I have made life hard for myself!

With Christmas just around the corner, you may be looking into ideas of what to buy a loved one as a special gift that will help them create great memories.  Well look no further! 

1. Relaxation

It is a well known fact that caring for animals is very therapeutic and chickens are no exception.  Imagine relaxing after a long day at work in the summer, enjoying watching your chickens going about their evening routine before the sun goes down with a cuppa in your hand (or a glass of red…).  You can feel the stress of the day just melt away, leaving you feeling relaxed and happy. 

Ok so you know that you will need to close up the hen house later when they’ve gone to roost, but their company is so worth it and they give so much in return for little effort.

Perhaps doctors should prescribe keeping a couple of chickens instead of pills for stress?

2. Happy memories

Whether you keep a few chickens around for eggs or pleasure or both, you will inadvertently create memories.  Those special bonding moments shared with your birds, when they gaze lovingly into your eyes whilst they plot to eat your pumpkins in the vegetable patch next to the run… !

Seriously though, I still remember my first hens and I won’t ever forget them.  Chickens come and go, but the first ones will always live on.

I have always love going out into the cold weather to discover my birds are happy and safe with fresh straw in the stone shed.  I usually leave the door open so they can come and go, mostly they stay put in bad weather.  A feeling of satisfaction knowing that I am appreciated if at least in the most basic way!

3. Eggs

I’ve said it before, but how many pets produce something edible?  Certainly not my crazy Staffy or my scruffy cat (I am not including the odd morsel she brings home for us!).

Every day feels like Christmas, almost running to the henhouse to let the chickens out and count the presents the early layers have laid.

With such a valuable by-product of chicken keeping, packed full of goodness such as protein, surely no more reasons are needed to keep chickens?  But we shall continue…

4. Child-like feelings return

New arrivals too always bring much joy and excitement.  I really feel like a child again when I get new chickens – that feeling deep in my chest followed by a huge surge of enery, just bursting with excitement but trying oh so hard to hide it!  I am not certain that I succeed, as perhaps the big grin gives the game away?  Come on, admit it, you feel that too right?! 

I thoroughly enjoy hand feeding all my birds, they seem to enjoy the interaction too.  I clearly remember one pullet, a resulting crossbreed from an Araucana and a Wyandotte – she was a strange looking girl…we called her Abe Lincoln after the American president, I swear with her black beard she was a spitting image!  Anyway, she loved to jump up onto my shoulder and would sit there for ages whilst I went about my chook chores.

5. A social life – its ok to talk about poo!

« That crazy chicken lady is at it again, telling me all about poo that I really don’t need to know! »  Yes, you might get a reputation, good or otherwise, but who cares?  You get to talk about poo with other crazy chicken folk and its ALLOWED!  Just remember to talk to those who are interested in hearing that your favourite chicken had a runny, white poo the other day…

Keeping chickens is not just for people with land or those that keep birds just for food.  Chicken keeping spreads many cultures across the globe.  How many topics do you think you could hold with someone you never met, living on the other side of the world?  A very large percentage of folk will be able to relate to chickens in some way, having something to say.  It may just be that they had a great roast last Sunday, but it also may be something more, like the biggest egg their hen laid or their current favourite breed.

A new interest nearly always leads us to meeting new people, and the humble chicken has much to offer.