Chickens thrive in suburbia
Wed 02 November 2011
Sophie Blackshaw, Bachelor of Journalism
Owning chickens on a small suburban property may not appeal to everyone, but as an alternative to cats, dogs or fish, the benefits are measureable.
Buderim resident and pet-owner Nicholas Bint said that he was surprised there were not more people keeping the flightless birds as pets.
Considering the Sunshine Coast Council permits the ownership of hens in the Caloundra, Maroochy and Noosa areas, he believed home-owners were simply not thinking outside the box.
“I don’t think there are many people out there ) really have chickens spring to mind when you [who] mention pets,” Mr Bint said.
“But they do make great pets, and I think more people should consider getting them as family pets, like dogs and cats.”
Mr Bint, 22, keeps three free-ranging hens in his backyard and planned to add more.
“I also have a dog ... and fish-when I can be bothered -but they can require a lot of work,” Mr Bint said.
“Chickens are actually really low maintenance in comparison to most of the pets I’ve had.
“They’re almost completely self-sufficient when they mature ... there are a lot of reasons to get [chickens].”
The reasons, it seemed, were vast and varied.
It was already well-known that many pets, chickens included, offer therapeutic benefits to their owners, including reductions to stress and loneliness.
Yandina chicken-breeder and seller Kylie Bruce said it was relaxing to watch her chickens “pottering around the garden”.
“There’s just a harmony, a balance,” Mrs Bruce said.
“They really like people as well; they come running up to you ... they’re very reactive to you, very social.”
However, the advantages for hens and humans did not end there.
Mrs Bruce, known affectionately on her Facebook page and by customers as “Kylie Cluck”, said having her children help care for the birds was beneficial for them.
“I had chooks as a kid and I’ve always just loved them,” Mrs Bruce said.
“It’s a great way for the kids to learn about responsibility.”
Mrs Bruce said having fresh, unfertilised eggs was nice, too.
With Australia’s organicfooddirectory.com now recognising organic food industry as being the world’s fastest growing food sector, now is a great time to take part in the process of purchasing or producing natural and home-grown foods.
Eating the eggs of hens that had not been treated with growth hormones or fed chemically-enhanced food was certainly one way of doing this.
And for people who might want hens but live in built-up suburban areas with small backyards and gardens, Mrs Bruce said smaller chicken breeds were a good option.
“I’d recommend Bantams, they’re a small breed and they don’t rip up your garden,” Mrs Bruce said.
“They’re a very easy kind of pet and very cute, a bit ornamental.”
Bantams come in a variety of smaller sizes, shapes, colours and textures – but they still make great egg-layers.
Mrs Bruce breeds purebred and mixed Silkie, Pekin and Frizzle Bantams, which are able to be bought and re-homed from two weeks of age.
Evidently, chickens made wonderful, unusual, food-producing pets, but as with any pet, there was a downside.
It just so happens that the downside in this case effects the birds more than the people.
The Vegetarian and Vegan Society of Queensland (VVSQ) secretary treasurer Maureen Collier said people should keep in mind that every time they purchase a hen, especially from a store, a male chick is thrown away.
“In commercial production, all the roosters are killed because nobody wants them, or can have them,” Mrs Collier said.
“They throw all the male chicks into a grinder, while they’re still alive.”
The only possible way to avoid this is to purchase chicks from a private seller who can guarantee they do not destroy the males or to find a home for them, which can be difficult due to Council restrictions on the ownership of roosters.
Mrs Collier said she supports veganism, but that another solution would be to adopt an ex-battery hen.
“In Australia, there are 11 million hens in battery cages right now,” Mrs Collier said.
“[Chickens are] either ... in a battery cage or a barn, which might as well be a battery cage.
“I’d like to see an end to battery eggs and barn eggs ... if we can get hens out of battery cages and into backyards it would be much better.”
One Brisbane-based organisation that does this is Homes for Hens, which promotes its Battery Hen Adoption Project to families living in south-east Queensland.
The organisation facilitates the adoption of ex-battery hens, which have been bought off battery farms days before slaughter.
Mrs Bruce said this was a great idea, particularly if people wanted good layer hens.
Image(s) designed by Sophie Blackshaw
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Submitted Comments
Sophie, I found the informaiton you provided about the male chickens disturbing but I'm glad that you brang it up. It's great to see both sides of the story!
Rachel Tait