A fact - They make great pets for kids
- YES, YES and YES!!
All our chooks have been raised from chicks and as
such, are very tame. They all eat from our hands, and indeed run to the door
of the coop whenever they see us.
We recommended ‘Pekin's’ as being the best birds to keep as pets.
They are gentle, tame ‘mini’ chooks with great temperaments.
The more time you spend with your chooks, the more relaxed they will become
in your presence. Most of my chooks, (including the rooster) are easily picked
up and like being gently patted.
The kids are awed when we breed. Having raised dozens now, they are still thrilled
every time. Chicks are great fun, for kids and grown ups alike!!
Another fact - They are
the cheapest pets you'll own!
Chooks can be fed all sorts of leftovers and table
scraps but will need a blend of seeds as well.
I find it costs less than 20 cents a day in seed to feed a chook! Almost as
cheap as a goldfish, but much more fun……………..
And they’ll provide you with the best tasting eggs you’ll ever eat!
A myth - They're messy!
Chooks poo! Just like any other animal………..
But it’s just poo…………….
People pay for it!! We allow our chooks to free range through the entire backyard.
This includes our verandah.
I don’t see a problem here at all. Chook poo is tiny. Healthy chooks will
leave little pellets that are easily swept up or picked up. I think our small
dog leaves more mess than six chooks……
Another myth - They're noisy!!
Roosters are noisy, yes. But roosters are also banned
in most suburban areas, so you need to check with your local council as to whether or not you can keep one. I know roosters are banned here in my local area, but there
are at least four that I know of, within 10 minutes walk. Your ability to keep
a rooster will depend on your neighbors, the size of the rooster, and yourself.........You must be pro-active and do the right thing......
We believe that you should ultimately consider the neighbors. Anything other than complete respect for your neighbors peace, is bad karma, and bad manners............
Full size roosters can be really loud and I wouldn't’t recommend one on
the city. Bantam roosters however, are not only smaller in stature but also
in ‘crow’
We’ve overcome the problem by bringing our roosters inside our laundry at night, and
confining them in a small box. We do this on dusk every night and let them out
in the morning. On the days that we have to leave earlier than 9am, the roosters stay inside the house, in specially built 'day boxes', much the same size as a cockatoo cage. They are never outside before 10.30 am on a weekend........
Supposedly a rooster cannot crow if he cannot extend his neck. We’ve found
this to be untrue. Our roosters still manage to crow and they sleep in wine boxes! They sleep in the laundry and although we hear
them from time to time, they don't bother us at all.
They don't seem to mind being confined, indeed it means I handle and
pet them everyday. They have become a little sneaky of late though..........they shuffle to the back of the roost, out of arms length, when I go outside after dark to scoop them up and bring them inside. But I think that's it's more to do with staying with the ladies than going into their night box! Romantic isn't it .....................?
As for the hens making noise, listening to them cluck away is akin to meditation, so relaxing!!
Yet another myth - They attract
vermin...............
People attract vermin not chooks!! You may have a
problem with vermin if you over feed your chooks and leave food lying around.
Because our chooks free range in the backyard we don’t leave any sort
of food out for them at all. They are fed table scraps and seed first thing
in the morning, and then a variety of seed a couple more times during the day.
They are never fed more than they can eat in one sitting. If you are tempted
to leave extra food out you’ll not only attract mice and rats, you might
well find you are feeding all the local birds as well.
If I throw my birds more seed than they can eat; the garden is besieged by doves,
scoffing the remainder.
Very annoying!!
