Poultry (pets or otherwise) have been making headlines in Singapore for reasons as varied as the infamous fresh chicken shortage in June, to neighbours grousing about uninhibited crowing – thanks to a sudden wild jungle fowl boom in the heartlands. Amid the chatter, more Singaporeans are taking to raising chickens, ducks and quails as companions or personal food sources.
Wondering what the fuss is all about? We asked six individuals to share what draws them to their poultry pets, and the joys (and challenges) of keeping these birds.
“We got our Pekin duck, Smol, through a friend on July 19, 2021, which also happens to be his birthday. Ducklings are most sensitive to imprinting in the first two days after hatching, so I made sure I was the first person to interact with Smol after he emerged from the egg. You cannot tell a duck’s gender until it’s fully grown. My husband Bryan and I were eager to find out Smol’s gender, so we sent a blood sample to a lab in Taiwan for gender testing. Bryan was hoping for a girl so we would have eggs for char kway teow, but I knew in my gut that Smol was a boy. When we received the results a week later, my suspicions were confirmed!
Smol loves snoozing on my feet under the table as I work. When I let him hang out on my desk, he waddles across my laptop mid-Zoom call and stares at everyone in my meeting. To say that he has shocked a couple of my vendors and partners with his ‘video-bombing’ habit is an understatement.
Our poultry family also includes nine Brahma and Silkie chickens. We occasionally walk our birds to the park and Smol waddles behind us. Neighbours used to gawk and stare in disbelief, but I’m sure they’re used to it now. Smol basks in all the attention he gets from the kids who hang out at the park. He’s a minor celebrity there. One weird quirk that Smol has is his obsession with toe nails, especially painted ones. Once a set of toes has caught his eye, he’ll chase you around trying to nibble them.
Ducks projectile poop everywhere, and you cannot toilet train them. As we wanted to bring Smol out with us, I ordered a pair of fluorescent neoprene duck booties and custom-made diapers for him. We have to line the duck diapers with padding, so Smol shares regular diapers with my two-year-old son – we cut these regular diapers in half to fit Smol’s smaller butt.”
“I love all animals, but livestock are the most practical to keep! While I miss my dairy cows [back in the UK] the most, chickens are the most practical in an apartment. It’s a big change from raising a few hundred chickens outdoors as well as a herd of cattle, but my two hens still play an important role in my family’s sustainability efforts in Singapore.
The reason someone chooses to raise chickens will determine the breed that is suitable for them. My Cochin Bantam hens are my primary composting tool for my family’s food waste, as they are not fussy eaters, aggressive foragers, and are almost obsessive about grooming themselves. Their small size makes them suitable for a [private apartment] balcony, and the fact that they can’t fly makes the required modifications relatively minimal.
While my condominium balcony set-up works great for my Cochin Bantams, it’s completely unsuitable for more flighty breeds such as Leghorns or junglefowl hybrids. In general, the more ‘wild’ the breed, the higher they would like their sleeping roost to be.
The chickens produce a smell-free, microbiologically diverse, organic compost far superior to anything available at any garden store here.
My kids cuddle them regularly, and sometimes sit by the chickens to calm down as watching them forage is quite therapeutic. The kids love searching for insects around the garden and worm compost to feed the chickens, and I feel it’s really important for them to be connected to the natural world in this little way. They’re still excited to hear the hens announce that they have laid an egg and go collect it, still warm from the nest box.”
“I actually started raising poultry with chickens that I rescued; a friend had chicks but soon found that they could not keep the growing birds at home. We used to have chickens at home many years ago, and I thought that it would be a fun throwback to rear them again, and so my family adopted the chicks.
With economies of scale, it made sense to raise more birds when you have bird feed, so we soon expanded the flock to include the quails that another friend was giving away. I have six quails and they are quite docile and curious! They love exploring and checking out every corner of the coop. They also love sand baths. The males chirp occasionally, and the females lay an egg daily.
They take up most of my weekends now. Quails and chickens are quite clever; they can forage for greens and worms if left to their own devices. I find myself spending time just watching them roam about, or feeding and cleaning their coop.
I’m raising them as food, but it’s hard to avoid forming an attachment to them. Still, it is precisely this attachment that allows me to appreciate them fully as living things, and to seek to fully utilise all parts of the animal with minimal wastage. This is in contrast to the urban supermarket, where a chicken may be reduced to drumsticks and thighs.
I am also more cognizant of the carbon footprint that comes with meat consumption. To me, sustainable and food secure consumption means eating locally, or regionally, and eating seasonally in a way that allows nature (and life) to regenerate.”
“Diggle starts his day at 5.30am, during which he crows a couple of times. He comes down from his roost by 6.30am, following the staff who have started their first morning feed for rescued baby wildlife.
The first errand that he carries out is to dash all the way to the kitchen, and stare at his reflection in the water dispenser for a good minute or so. He also likes to run and greet certain individuals he is familiar with or excited about, flapping his wings and strutting around.
Diggle appears to be always busy with his routine – walking or running between buildings, checking out visitor vehicles that are parked at Acres, or going to the education hall to eyeball our visitors. Sometimes, he hurries to the office to take a quick nap at certain staff working areas or even to kaypoh (pry) at their screens when they are on Zoom calls. Diggle does not seem to like loud music, but will snooze if there is instrumental or classical music playing.
By 5 to 6pm, he retires to the staff break area, where the day rescue shift hands over the hotline phone duty to the night team. He sits by them and watches the whole conversation, and even observes animals being transferred to the vet room or the rehabilitation area. In the next hour, he lounges at the dogs’ resting area, where the dogs usually wait for their dinner to be served. The dogs do not bother him and vice versa. He does not take their food and by sunset, he flies up to his usual roosting tree. We do not feed or specially care for Diggle, as he seems to have settled well, feeding on naturally available food and water sources in the premises.
Just like humans, animals and birds like Diggle have their preferences and dislikes. He has opened our eyes to his world through his personality, quirks, and even the friends he chooses to be with.”
“When I was four years old, my parents brought me to a local farm at Lim Chu Kang, and bought some ducklings and chicks. I remember vividly that they were actually one of my first pets. My parents wanted us to learn about the responsibility of pet ownership, and did not want us to keep a dog until we were ready. Growing up, I was so blessed to have pets like ducks, chickens, quails, hamsters, terrapins, and even nearly got a pet goat as well.
Four years ago, I started keeping Polish chickens and started my own website (sgpolishchicken.com) to share the joys of keeping pet chickens in Singapore. Chicken keeping was not popular then, and I feel that it is important to educate the public on what to expect. I started writing articles and sharing videos of how affectionate and loving pet chickens can be, and was hoping to change the mindset that ‘chickens are just chickens’.
I have two Cochin Bantams, six Polish chickens, and one Khaki Campbell duck. Each of them has a different personality, food preference, and even the way they like to be hugged and cuddled. They are also our ‘guards’; whenever there are strangers outside, they will make a specific noise or call to ‘tell’ us to go outside and have a look.
Some love going for car rides, and one hen even laid an egg while I was driving! It was such an amazing and heart-warming experience, as hens only do that when they trust you completely. Sometimes, I will also cook salmon, scramble eggs, or make fruit bowls for them. Most of them love durians as well!
For those who are interested, be sure to discuss your plans with your family members. Pet ownership requires a lot of time and dedication, and you also need to set aside a budget for their vet fees, supplements and diet. Daily cleaning is also essential to keep it hygienic and ensure that your chickens are dry and healthy. We wash our chicken run and coop at least twice a day.
Many also ask me what is my secret to forging such strong bonds with my pet chickens. My answer: Just be committed and spend time with them!”
“About 18 months ago, one of our neighbours gifted us with two newborn chicks that were barely three days old. My fatherin- law took them in as he thought my then 10-month-old daughter, Hayley, would enjoy playing with the chicks.
The chicks came in a tiny box, and I had to google how to look after them. Feeding was very much trial and error. I live in an area with many other chicken owners. Thankfully, the neighbours were more than happy to share some tips. Chickens look really cute when they are tiny chicks, but they do grow up to be quite big and noisy. I kept the chicks in the house in the beginning but as they grew, I bought a coop online and shifted them outside.
My daughter loved playing with the chicks, until they grew too big and started to be more aggressive, especially the roosters. Playtime is still possible, but interaction with adult chickens has to be supervised. One time, Hayley was chasing and running around with the chickens. The rooster was probably having a bad day – it jumped and kicked her with its claw. The worst part? Hayley had a cut just under her eye. My wife was furious!
Keeping the chickens has taught me and my family the importance of responsibility, as well as about the cycle of life and death. Unfortunately, Hayley had to witness the passing of an underdeveloped chick. At the same time, she was able to grow up with them, and she was there when we introduced two new additions to our chicken family – I now have three roosters and a hen.
Our chickens make the best companions because they grew up with my first born, and I love to see the interaction between them and my two children.”
ART DIRECTION Adeline Eng
HAIR & MAKEUP Angel Gwee, Vivien Ng & Benedict Choo
Text: Chelsia Tan/HerWorld
- TAGS:
- Chicken
- duck
- pet owners
- pets