Chicken owners are dumping their pets for being 'noisy'
Chicken owners are dumping their pets for being ‘noisy’: RSPCA warns of increasing callouts because people ‘don’t understand their needs’
- RSPCA says they are finding chickens and hens being abandoned more often
- They say some new owners don’t realise what they are letting themselves into
- Some neighbours cry fowl after hearing cockerels crowing in the early morning
When buying a pet chicken, it would be reasonable to expect a certain amount of clucking and the odd stray feather.
Sadly, however, many new owners don’t realise what they are letting themselves in for – and end up abandoning them, the RSPCA has warned.
Cockerels crowing in the early morning is one problem that often leads to neighbours crying fowl.
Many new owners don’t realise what they are letting themselves in for – and end up abandoning them, the RSPCA has warned [File photo]
Last Wednesday the RSPCA received reports of two cockerels trapped inside a roll cage trolley in Spalding, Lincolnshire, after being dumped by their owners.
Amy Reiter, the animal welfare officer who collected them, said: ‘It has become really popular to keep chickens but, unfortunately, many people take them on without properly understanding their needs. We are finding hens and cockerels being abandoned more frequently.
‘Cockerels can be difficult to keep as they can be extremely noisy and will crow early in the morning. Some new owners simply aren’t aware of how loud they can be and may be forced to find them a new home if their neighbours complain.’
Around 500,000 domestic fowl are kept as pets in the UK. Many health conscious families avoid buying eggs and instead keep chickens in a more ‘ethical’ environment at home.
The British Hen Welfare Trust told The Daily Telegraph it had rehomed 740,000 birds since 2005.
A spokesman added: ‘We receive a high number of calls from people looking to rehome their cockerels.’
Many health conscious families avoid buying eggs and instead keep chickens in a more ‘ethical’ environment at home [File photo]
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