Maybe you’re moving and can’t keep your chickens, or maybe you’d just rather stop raising chickens altogether for whatever reason. If you’re not into the idea of culling chickens for meat, then what exactly are you supposed to do with your unwanted chickens?
In total, you’ll want to rehome your chickens. There are many ways you can rehome your chickens including asking friends and family, listing them online, advertising on local community boards, advertising in the newspaper, visiting your local fair, and much more.
There are always farmers and individuals in the community that are looking to purchase or adopt chickens. In the following article, we’ll go through quite a few options to rehome your chickens and which ones seem to be the easiest and most successful.
1. Ask Friends and Family
This is always my first go-to. It doesn’t get any easier than reaching out to friends, family members, and coworkers to see if they know of anyone who is interested in adopting chickens. Word of mouth can be a powerful tool in finding new homes for animals. My entire family owns chickens, and more than likely there’s someone your family or friends will know that will be glad to take the chickens off your hands!
2. List Your Chickens Online
If friends and family didn’t get the job done, websites such as Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace are often used to buy and sell animals. You can create an ad for your chickens and post it on these platforms, detailing the number of chickens, their breed, age, and any other relevant information. While this used to be great, some of these sites, especially Facebook, discourage and even remove most posts about selling animals. So this method has become less effective here recently. I still give it a go though because I can reach so many potential candidates quickly.
3. Advertise on Community Boards
Community boards are everywhere! You can find them at grocery stores, libraries, and community centers, gas stations, etc. I’ve found that a great place is your local feed store, you can post a piece of paper there and your chickens will be adopted in no time! Also, other places such as Atwood’s, Tractor Supply, or your local farm and garden store can be very effective. Be sure to include all relevant information, such as the breed, age, and number of chickens you are trying to rehome. Most of the time I can’t even get out of the store before someone’s agreed to take them. This is usually my most successful attempt at getting rid of unwanted chickens.
4. Advertise in Newspapers
While this method may seem outdated, much of our older generation still reads the newspaper. When I was in 4H and sold my pullets every year, most of the people that would buy were older gentlemen (that read the newspaper). I still think it’s a great idea to place an advertisement in your local newspaper since most of the people that read the newspaper aren’t the same people that are looking online for them. I know my grandparents don’t even know how to get online, but they still get that newspaper every day.
5. Visit your Local Fair
The local fair was one of my favorite places to be when I was young. Just the smell of the animals can take me back nowadays. The local fair is an excellent place to find a new home for your chickens. Head on over to the animals and go to the chicken area and talk with some of the people there. Chances are most of the chickens that were in the fair have been sold and farmers are still wanting more, perfect! This is how my father purchases chickens every time he needs to replenish his flock. The only drawback to this is that the fair is only in town once a year.
6. Farmers Markets
Usually once a week a farmers market will meet up in small towns to sell vegetables and fruits. This would be a great opportunity to rehome your chickens! People coming to this market, are usually, well.. farmers! Most of them most likely already have some chickens and wouldn’t mind having a few more. I can just about guarantee you will be able to give all your chickens away in one morning this way.
7. Livestock Auctions (Sale Barns)
I’ve seen many people do this and it works like a charm. Once a week, there’s a livestock auction for cattle. You could easily pull up to these auctions and rehome your chickens right there in the parking lot. You could also sit right outside the entrance with some of your chickens in a wire cage so people can see them. These are also farmers of all kinds, so selling or giving away your chickens should be no problem!
8. Contact Local Animal Shelters and Rescues
As a last resort, many animal shelters and rescues may be willing to take in unwanted chickens or may know of individuals who are interested in adopting them. Reach out to local organizations in your area and ask if they have any programs or resources for rehoming chickens. This is one that I haven’t had to do as of yet, but if all other options have failed this could be your last hope.
Are your chickens too old to give away?
In total, you can give chickens away at any age. Just because they are old and their best egg-laying years are behind them doesn’t mean people wouldn’t want them. Many people keep chickens around the house and farm to keep the bug population down, while some people just enjoy the company! No matter how old your chicken is, there’s a place out there for them!
Make sure your chickens are going to a good home!
When rehoming chickens, it’s important to screen potential adopters carefully to ensure that the chickens will be well-cared for in their new homes. Ask questions about their experience with chickens, the type of housing they have available, and their feeding and care routine. If they answer all these questions to your liking then you should be good to go.
Are chickens worth keeping?
I love chickens and will always say that chickens are worth keeping for one reason or another, but I’ve written an entire article on this very subject if you’d like to check it out, so check out “Is it worth owning chickens, the pros and cons!” and see what you think!
Conclusion
In summary, finding new homes for unwanted chickens can take time and effort, but it is a crucial step in ensuring that these intelligent and social animals are well-cared for and have a happy life. By utilizing the resources available and carefully screening potential adopters, you can help ensure that your chickens find safe and loving homes.