Backyard chicken keeping has grown enormously in popularity, but many keepers are unprepared for the health needs, predation risks, and behavioral requirements of their flocks.
Backyard chickens are often acquired impulsively and kept in conditions that fail to meet their needs. Predation, disease, and inadequate space are major welfare concerns. Many keepers do not know that spent hens need to be humanely euthanized when they stop laying and that veterinary care is both necessary and available. Education at point of sale would dramatically improve welfare outcomes.