As backyard chicken keeping grows in popularity, welfare-conscious owners are discovering the importance of enrichment, social groups, and veterinary care for these cognitively complex birds.
Chickens kept as backyard companions or for small-scale egg production deserve the same welfare consideration as other companion animals. They experience boredom, fear, social stress, and physical pain. Providing appropriate flock size, dust-bathing substrate, foraging opportunities, and veterinary care enables chickens to live good lives and display their considerable intelligence.