PieFedTowns in Belgium and France have been successfully giving away free chickens for ten years to reduce food waste.
Blaze (he/him)www.bbc.com/future/article/20250317-these-europ…
To date, 5,282 hens have been distributed to residents, and not only have the residents received a plentiful supply of free eggs, but food waste has also been averted from landfill as chickens are fed kitchen scraps which would otherwise be thrown away.
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BeastimusThis is epic both from a sustainability and animal rights perspective. I've worked in an industrial chicken house (though mine was meat) and any situation where a family is taking care of the chicken (especially in the large space requirement they marked out) is approximately a billion times better. I particularly would like to have chickens at some point, though with the insanity that is the US, I would actually not be allowed to keep one at all in most neighborhoods I'm likely to live in.
Edit: Its possibly relevant to say that I've also raised chickens (both egg and meat) in a non-industrial setting.
houseofleftYup, this 100%!
If anyones in doubt, I was pretty horrified to learn meat reared chickens are sometimes slaughtered as early as 35 days old.
https://www.rspca.org.uk/webContent/staticImages/BroilerCampaign/EatSitSufferRepeat.pdf
VeganPizza69 ⓋChickens are awesome.
I never thought I'd be a chicken person, but I love my girls. They are so entertaining, and they have unique personalities.
I recommend anyone who has the space and means to take care of chickens to get a small flock (they are social, they need friends).
I've got 9. I buy a 50lb bag of feed every 3 weeks for $15 or so. This time of year I'm getting 6-8 eggs a day. I have so many eggs I don't know what to do with them. I end up giving a lot to friends/family/neighbors. Great way to build goodwill.
khannieWhat are the noise levels like? From the article it sounds like we have the space but the video on that page does sound quite noisy.
It's not that bad. I can't really hear them from inside the house.
They chatter a bit but they only really get loud when they are laying. They each have their own "song".
Roosters are loud. My town prohibits roosters in residential zones though. And for good reason...they are loud, and they get a bit rape-y if they aren't satisfied with their harem.
kamenladyThe chicken is to be turned into a family member
Feed lil sis with all remaining food?
I love stories like this! It's community and sharing
My landlady has two such hens (they give you a pair so they don't feel lonely) and when she goes on holiday we get to enjoy free eggs. Absolutely delicious ones too! Even the best free range Bio ones don't come anywhere near in terms of quality.
Only problem of hens is they'll absolutely ravage your lawn if you leave them to feed alone for too long, so that was surprising.