11 Important Reasons You Should Spend Time With Your Chickens Daily

Taking care of your flock of chickens is necessary for their well being and good health. But you benefit from it too and in more way than one!

#1 Stress Relief for You!

Spending time each day with your chickens is a perfect way to escape from your day to day stresses in your life. It’s a good way to get your mind off of work, money issues or any family difficulties you may be going through. Think of it as a daily escape for yourself.

Studies have shown that having a companion animal, chickens included, can help to reduce the stress hormone cortisol in your body and actually make you feel better! Decreased stress helps to lower your blood pressure, making you a healthier person.

Just holding, petting and caring for your chicken will make you feel much calmer and less stressed.

For more information on how you can benefit from owning a pet, visit Power of Pets.

#2 Chickens will make you smile.

Watching the chickens take a dust bath is a funny sight to see. They will dig a little hole, lay down in it and fling dirt up on top of themselves. Stand clear when they are doing this though, or you may get a little dust bath too!

Throw some live mealworms out to your chickens and sit back and watch their antics!

Chickens absolutely love treats and enjoy running around the coop with a worm hanging from their beaks so another flock members can chase them around. This is sure to put a smile on your face!

#3 Chickens will Keep You Entertained

Chickens are so entertaining and interesting to watch! Grab a chair and just watch your chickens as they carry out their innate chicken behaviors:

• pecking and scratching the ground
• establishing pecking order
• dustbathing in groups
• sunbathing in groups
• foraging for food
• preening in groups

#4 You Can Form Strong Bonds with Your Chickens

If you spend enough time with your chickens, you may begin to form a special bond with your flock as they with you. Chickens may even begin to recognize you as one of them. (They do recognize faces!)

They will come running when they hear your voice and hop up on your lap when you sit down in to spend time with them.

Chickens are non-judgemental. They don’t care if you come out in your pajamas and crocks with your hair a mess to feed them. They will come running to you and love you just the same.

#5 Inspect Flock for Bully Chickens

Spending a little time with your flock each day gives you time to watch the dynamics. Do you have a “bully chicken?”

Bully chickens need isolated from the rest of the flock. A little time in “chicken jail” will knock them down a few notches.

#6 Do You Have Broody Chickens?

Some hens more often than others will become what is called “broody.” This is when they will sit on a clutch of eggs, fertile or not, in hopes of hatching them out.

A broody hen will sit on an infertile clutch of eggs, even if they aren’t her’s, sometimes longer than 3 weeks trying to hatch them out.

If you have a broody chickens and you don’t want them to hatch out a clutch of eggs or if the eggs are infertile, you will want to “break them” from their broodiness.

A broody hen will only leave the nest maybe once a day to eat, drink and poop. She eats less, exercises less and if this goes on longer than a few weeks can become very unhealthy for her.

This is another reason that may need to isolate her and put her in “chicken jail.”

#7 Are all of Your Chickens Eating, Drinking and Interacting?

This is a good time to scan your flock and make sure that all of them are eating, drinking and interacting normally.

All chickens should be hungry first thing in the morning. If you go out to feed your flock in the morning and notice one of your chickens isn’t eating, this is a red flag.

It may have an impacted or “sour crop,” have parasites or may be suffering from another illness.

The sooner you can identify a problem, the greater the chances of you being able to treat it successfully.

#8 Count Your Chickens

I like to check in on my chickens when they are all up on their roost for the night and do a head count. It is a lot easier counting your chickens when they are staying still.

#9 Inspect Automatic Chicken Coop Door

Nighttime is also a good time to check your automatic chicken coop door. Is it closing at the right time and are all of your chickens making it inside the coop before it closes?

Make any adjustments to your automatic coop door timer and adjust for daylight savings time too.

#10 Are all of Your Gate Latches Working Properly?

When you are spending time with your chickens, make it a point to check all of the gate latches. When you leave the coop, is the gate closing securely behind you?

Are all of your feed container latches secure? If you don’t already have one, consider getting a two step latch system for your gates and feed containers. This way predators such as raccoons are less likely to be able to get in.

#11 Inspect Coop for Signs of Predators

Take the time to inspect your coop for holes or cracks that predators can get in through. This includes checking for any broken boards or chicken wire.

Inspect around the perimeter of your coop for any signs of predators trying to enter. Look for any digging, footprints or droppings.

Before your chickens are out in the morning, check for any droppings inside your chicken run. If you see any, this is a red flag that predators are running around inside your run at night.

CONCLUSION: 11 Important Reasons You Should Spend Time With Your Chickens Daily

Spending time with your chickens each day is not only beneficial to yourself, but your flock as well!

It’s important to spend time with your chickens each day, not only to make sure that they are in good health and well cared for, but also to make sure that they are safe from predators.

People that spend time each day with their chickens can and do form bonds with them! Chickens make excellent companion animals. Even better, they can help lift your spirits by lowering your day to day stress and put a smile on your face whenever you are around them!

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