I personally think chickens are the best pet for those of us who aren't really animal people. They're actually pretty low maintenance and they aren't underfoot when you don't want to be bothered with them. :)
We got ours on a whim when a farm we do contract work for had to unexpectedly get rid of a bunch of hens weeks before they started to lay. We live in a town that doesn't technically allow chickens, so ours live in our garage, penned off in a coop we built out of pallets and covered with old screens from our family farm (where my in-laws live).
They are hilarious and I often go out and sit with them when I've had a rough day. I sometimes wish I could give them a life with more outdoor-time, but they seem pretty happy and they've now lived a whole year longer than they would have at the commercial layer farm they came from, so I think they've got it pretty good.
the Empathy List #94: Changing Our Minds
I personally think chickens are the best pet for those of us who aren't really animal people. They're actually pretty low maintenance and they aren't underfoot when you don't want to be bothered with them. :)
We got ours on a whim when a farm we do contract work for had to unexpectedly get rid of a bunch of hens weeks before they started to lay. We live in a town that doesn't technically allow chickens, so ours live in our garage, penned off in a coop we built out of pallets and covered with old screens from our family farm (where my in-laws live).
They are hilarious and I often go out and sit with them when I've had a rough day. I sometimes wish I could give them a life with more outdoor-time, but they seem pretty happy and they've now lived a whole year longer than they would have at the commercial layer farm they came from, so I think they've got it pretty good.