The first city chicken I ever saw in practice, back in the
seventies, was an orange rooster named Jerry. Jerry and owner Tammy
lived in Phalen in St. Paul and they'd been calling all over the Cities trying
to find a vet to help her with Jerry's health concerns; he was her favorite in
her backyard flock. This was at the original Cedar Pet Clinic in south
Minneapolis.
Today, backyard or urban chickens are one of the fastest growing
areas of our practice. As many owners discover, chickens are a delight to
have as pets...although the roosters can be a little noisy. Many
communities are starting to recognize that they be safely kept in town, and
ordinances are changing to allow them as pets. Some chickens live in the
house and go outside during the day, and others have fancy coops and pens to
live in year round. Chickens form strong lifelong emotional bonds with
each other as well as other species. They are routine- and home-centered
and can thrive in a space the size of a normal urban backyard and home.
They can coexist happily with compatible dogs and cats and have similar
life spans.
We see a variety of health issues in chickens including injuries,
respiratory, intestinal, reproductive and parasitic issues, but most are
treatable with the owners providing most of the care. We see chickens in all
different sizes and colors. Breeds include Bantams to Wyandottes, and
everything in between. Some of the Bantams only weigh a couple of pounds
and the largest breeds may go over twenty pounds. And you can only
imagine the colors -- reds, white, orange, black, grey and many different
combinations.
Just another of the many different types of pets we see at Cedar
Pet Clinic Lake Elmo, and you may get to see (or hear!) them in the reception
area.
