Surprise Pet Chicken - Karen Goat Keeper

Chickens are a great homestead addition. They have so many advantages. My flock is composed of many breeds. This year an Easter Egger is a surprise pet chicken.

I like my chickens friendly, but don’t try to make pets of them. These can become nuisances quickly.

surprise pet chicken — All right. I admit I baited my pet Arcana to get this picture. It didn’t help much as she was pecking so fast most of the pictures had a blur for her head. Like all chickens, food is a big motivator for her. Even so, most of my Arcanas won’t let me this close no matter what the food offered is.

Instead I choose calm, friendly breeds like Buff Orpingtons, Speckled Sussex and standard Cochins. Barred Rocks and New Hampshires are active chickens, but usually easy going.

Then there are the Arcanas and Easter Eggers. Blue, green and pink eggs are fun to collect. The pullets and hens are wild.

If such a hen is scratching in the dirt and I walk by, she panics and flees squawking loudly. When I spread scratch feed in the evening calling the flock in for the night, I have to stand far from the gate before these hens will come in. Better yet, I leave the coop so they can enter.

This year is different. I have kept four Easter Egger pullets. Three of them are convinced I am a monster and flee at my approach. The fourth is a surprise pet chicken.

milk room clean up crew — Having my Arcana in the milk room works out well. Nubian doe High Reaches Rose is a neat eater. Not so several other does who toss their feed dish around showering oats onto the floor. My pet is glad to peck them up.

This pullet follows me around at times. She likes joining me in the milk room during milking. She eats oats out of my hand. I can even pick her up, but she isn’t thrilled.

Speckled Sussex hens are friendly. They come racing over to see me. I can pick them up or stroke their backs.

My chickens are semi free range. I let them out several hours each day and pen them the rest of the time. Chickens like company so my pet spends lots of time out with the other pullets. She keeps an eye out for me and comes over to find out what is going on often hanging out near where I am busy.

This behavior isn’t so much pet like as calculating. I mean food. They are voracious little things. They come over as much to see if I have some tidbit for them as to see me.

My surprise pet chicken does look for food. Goats are messy eaters and she likes cleaning up dropped feed. She likes getting special tidbits.

But this pullet seems to like my company as well. She hangs around places where I’m working and clucks to me. After a time she takes off to hang out with the flock.

This pullet is my kind of pet. She likes my company, but doesn’t stay underfoot.

In “Mistaken Promises” Hazel raises Buff Orpington pullets as a way to become more of a country girl and belong to the local 4-H Club.