CHICKEN CHAT: Why is the chicken so hip!
Sure, chickens are trendy. More and more households keep a small flock of chickens for their enjoyment. Keeping chickens as a hobby is no longer exclusively for those living in rural areas; there is space for a few chickens in every garden, and even on balconies and houseboats, chickens are kept. Whether the latter is desirable can be questioned in terms of the animals' welfare, but if it is possible for chickens to exhibit their natural behaviors, such as foraging, dust bathing, sheltering, and roosting, under such conditions, then there is nothing wrong with that.
Chicken talk
28 July '23 • 2 min reading time
Chickens in the Netherlands
It is estimated that around half a million households in our country keep chickens, as no official counts of hobby chickens are conducted. And why not? You don't need a huge budget to keep a few chickens; the initial costs are manageable, depending on the breed, you can expect to pay between €8 and €25 per chicken. You can either build a coop yourself or buy a complete one (starting from €200), and the ongoing costs mainly come from feed and bedding (€0.20 per chicken per day). Additionally, chickens do not require much space; a small garden is sufficient. In a small backyard, there may only be room for a standard chicken coop, meaning a night shelter with a run attached. A larger garden offers opportunities to expand the run or to let the chickens roam freely in the garden for part of the day.
Investment and Return
Then there is the investment of time, but that is quite manageable; the daily feeding and egg collecting takes at most a few minutes, and periodically cleaning the (night) coop can be done in a quarter of an hour. And for all those 'investments', you get a lot in return. First and foremost, it enriches your garden; just like a number of beautiful perennials, ornaments, or a pond, chickens are particularly decorative. And the fun part is... they also move around because chickens are always busy, which creates a lovely spectacle. The sounds that chickens make during their activities are a delight to the ear, and the longer you have them, the better you can recognize certain sounds; for example, there is the specific sound when an egg is laid, when a chicken has found something tasty, and of course, the crowing of the rooster. The latter is not always a desired sound, and in certain cases, it may be better to keep only hens. But don't underestimate the volume of clucking hens either, as chickens communicate through sounds.
Egg Production
And… last but not least… eggs! Depending on the breed, age, and condition of the hens, we can expect eggs. Every sexually mature hen (which is from about 22 weeks) can start laying eggs; with true laying breeds like Leghorns, that can be more than 300 per year, while with hobby breeds like Wyandotte bantams, it will be no more than about 100 eggs per hen per year. Of course, this also depends on whether or not artificial light is used to extend the laying period.
Workshops and Conclusion
During the workshops on 'keeping chickens', I often meet participants who are somewhat disappointed with the egg production of their chickens. This is often related to an overcondition (read: obesity) of the animals. I will explain how this happens and, more importantly, how to remedy it in a future Kakelpraat. I want to conclude by noting that chicken coops with chickens are increasingly found in schools, nursing homes, and care facilities. With the previously mentioned limited investments, chickens can play an important therapeutic and educational role. Caring for chickens is not difficult and is very rewarding work. It gives children, as well as care recipients, a sense of responsibility for living beings; a next step towards integration into society.
Due to laws and regulations, we are not permitted to mention related products on this website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
