Are Hens Friendly?

I think you have to live in a rural area to have chickens. I never had hens, but would love one day to have some farm animals including chickens, ducks, goats, cats, dogs,etc. Horses and cows may be a little too much for me, though, because they are rather large animals and probably couldn't afford to feed them and really don't know how to take care of them. Hens also lay eggs which would take care of my breakfast everyday. I love animals. Having a farm sounds rather peaceful, but I'm sure there is some work involved. I'm sure I would name and feed every animal, though.

yes, hens can be really friendly. but it depends partly on the breed and how they are raised. my daughter has a talent with the chickens and they flock to greet her when she goes outside. some of the friendliest breeds we have found are the Turken, Orpington, Cochin, Silkie, Frizzles, Americana, Polish and Australorp I am sure I am forgetting some. Yes, you can have chickens in the city - at least in a lot of cities in the USA. A few chickens do not require very much space at all, and so long as you are not keeping cockerals and roos the noise factor is minimal (a lot quieter and more pleasant to hear than a barking dog)

I live in a flat with no garden so it's not an option. Also hens freak me out a bit - quite scary little creatures I think!

i keep hens and have always found them very friendly, i had 4 hens and a cockril, it kept the hens happy, kept them laying eggs and he had a wonderful life. We kept them free-range. Basically they had the run of a quater acre garden and only used their roost at night. We named them all, and they used to come to me when i called them. One year, when we had snow, they all four came out in to the garden to try to scrat for food but ended up like little mobile snow men

I once lodged in a cottage which was the home of a couple who kept chickens, geese, guinea-fowl, and grew veggies. I used to help keep the animals and water/pick the veggies whilst living there. In my experience, chickens are completely unbothered by humans. They see us as bringers of their dinner, and the ones who let them out of their sheds during the day, and make them go back in at night. Some of them are rebels, and try to avoid being put back in their sheds at night (being rather daft, they don't understand the concept of foxes)! Geese are rather ferocious, and seem not to really like humans much, but that's more a matter of pride with them. They feel outraged when a human tells them what to do, or encroaches on their patch. But if you roar at them, and stomp about with a stick, they tend to move aside. Interestingly, one of the geese had been brought up with the chickens, so thought he was a chicken, so was actually quite friendly (partly because the other geese used to bully him, ostracize him and steal his food). So it would seem to be nurture rather than nature which makes geese objectionable. The geese never used to lay eggs, whereas the chickens often would, but sometimes used to hide them, leaving one in the middle of the shed, possibly as an offering to the humans, so they'd spare their unborn chicks! As for guinea-fowl, they're just silly little cackling animals, who have a fascination with moving cars, so tend to run out in front of cars on the road, if you give them free range.

I have a few favorites that I have named after my girlfriends and daughters in law. They just are more friendly than some others. They will jump on my back or cluck around my feet while I gather eggs. We even had a blind hen living on the porch with our dogs for about 4 years. She had even had her own seeing eye dog that would lead her around the yard or pick her up with her mouth and cart her off to the next spot. Laying hens really only feed you eggs. The meat is very tough since they are much older than the avaerage chicken that makes it to the table. Some people can them or use them for stews.

Maybe someday when I move into a country house, I would get some hens, but for now I can't afford to have them in my apartment.

Never dreamt of keeping any. Never occured if these can be pets. But can these be in a city.

I keep hens and ducks. Yes, they all have names and personalities. They give us an egg a day, sometimes two if were lucky. Some are getting quite old now and only lay intermittently. They are such funny creatures, especially Silkies. These are so friendly and make excellent surrogate mums if you increase your brood by getting a few chicks.

Yeah, hens are friendly accept to small kids (sometimes) when they have chickens! They are, according to me the most carefree birds/pets on earth. They just know the grain and egg production!!

I have ten hens - two different varieties of chickens - and their temperaments vary between the two "breeds". My little red hens are much quieter and tamer than my larger black hens. I have only named one of them - she's the one that keeps getting out of the fence - I call her Gertie. The ten hens that I have keep four families in all the eggs that we could possibly use.