HOw To HOMELESS HENS AND UNWANTED CHICKENS


I read this somewhat disturbing article about 'city folk' that want chickens only to end up dropping them off at shelters in their towns. The numbers have been rapidly increasing in urban cities as those who get hens, change their minds.

Chickens in the yard, image courtesy of davesgarden.com

Apparently, they raise them with visions of baskets full of fresh eggs every day, only to quickly realize that they require more work than they imagined.  Feed, water, letting them free range for a bit, keeping them safe from predators, warm in Winter, dealing with their occasional health problems, cleaning out the coop, and then as they age and stop laying, they still live for years.

Then they just throw in the towel and drop off their hens at nearby shelters.  It's definitely a side of a popular trend that is often unreported.  I know that in our neighborhood in town, there have been people who have just let chickens go in the street when they tired of them and of course, then the birds have to get picked up by animal control.


Basket of eggs, image courtesy of backyardchickens.com

We definitely want hens at the farm, I'm even planning the area they'll be in and prepping for it, but we also understand the work involved, and that it's a commitment you just don't undo when you get bored with it.  So we'll wait until the time is right and we have everything in place.

Now in all fairness, the article does mention that hundreds of thousands of people are raising chickens in their backyards and loving every moment of it so it's just a small fraction of chicken owners that are causing issues.

Still, it's a fascinating read that makes you think.


CLICK HERE to read the full article.


A great resource for information on raising chickens is backyardchickens.com

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