How To Give Away An Unwanted Urban Chicken Part 1 | Chicken Coop Images
How To Give Away An Unwanted Urban Chicken Part 1
Wow, we had some great comments on last months post about what to do when chickens no longer lay eggs both here on the blog and on the Urban Chickens Facebook page. Given the choice between processing a hen and giving her away, the vast majority of respondents recommended finding a new home for the chook.
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| Chicken by Flickr user pjah73 |
But how, exactly, do you go about making sure your hen (or roo) finds a good new home? Heres where we urban chicken farmers can take a page from successful pet adoption techniques that have seen many dogs and cats find new homes.
How to look for a new owner for your chicken:
- Reach out to other responsible chicken owners. This is your best bet to make sure your chook winds up in a good new home: going to someone whos already familiar with keeping chickens. No matter where you live, you can be sure theres someone else keeping chickens nearby. Look for Yahoo! groups or Meetups or even 4-H clubs -- more info on finding urban chicken farmers near you.
- Advertise where other pets are being put up for adoption. This is a double-edged sword of a recommendation, as both well- and ill-intentioned folks look in the same place for animals to acquire. Give the ubiquity of Craigslist, thats a good place to start. While the sale of pets is prohibited on Craigslist, you can list your chicken to be re-homed along with a small adoption fee.
- Make your chicken attractive, but remember to be honest. Include a picture of your chook in your listing, and talk up her good qualities, but dont forget to responsibly share your chickens shortcomings (especially if "she" is a "he" and youre trying to re-home a rooster!). Has your hen shown dominant behavior in your flock? Is she an inconsistent layer? Is she broody? Youll want to be sure the new owner has a heads up on anything that might be quirky about their new edition. The last thing you want to do is frustrate the new owner with surprises before theyve had a chance to bond.
- Never advertise your chicken for free. Animal welfare groups warn that "free pet" ads attract unscrupulous folks, and I think its safe to say those whod be interested in sourcing new roos for cockfighting fall in this category. By charging even a small stipend to change hands, youre helping keep the neer-do-wells at bay.
If you have other tips for this list or for the next post on how to screen, please leave them in the comments below!
How To Give Away An Unwanted Urban Chicken Part 1
