naming your chickens may start out innocently enough…you notice they have their own unique personalities, and you warm to them. for example, the first year we raised chickens, i had one hen that loved to dine in my herb garden, which was conveniently placed next to the coop. she quickly earned the name “Basil”, followed by “Rosemary” (for obvious reasons). “Chiclet” was next, and so on. all was well for a while.
the problem with the naming of the hens may not be immediately evident, but some of you who are chicken farmers know where i’m headed with this: chickens lives are (often) not long, and not without peril. in other words, sometimes bad things happen to good chickens: illnesses. accidents. sometimes their misery needs mercy, and it is so much harder to bestow that mercy on Chiclet, versus on ‘that yellowish older chicken over there’, who is one of many faces in the crowd.
here’s a link with some helpful information about raising chickens: http://www.backyardchickens.com/
Karen Creamer Author, Coach, Speaker 