It’s National Bird Day. We love to watch wild birds out on a trail ride and it’s clear how very important their place is in the natural world. Exotic bird pets like parrots or parakeets bring joy to their bird parents and long-lasting friendships. Yet there’s one species that might not be getting the credit they deserve on days like National Bird Day. It’s an animal which is gaining popularity with those of us who already keep horses and other animals - chickens!  

Chickens eat ticks, fleas, mosquitos and other backyard pests which is perfect when you have horses and pets around. They provide us with delicious eggs and meat. And, they’re just plain fun to have around the house or barn. So here’s a big “happy national bird day” to the unsung heroes of our backyards – the humble chicken.

Some fun facts about chickens:

-The Red-billed quelea is the largest wild population of birds at 1.5 billion compared to over 25.9 billion chickens in the world in 2022

-It’s been estimated that there are 13 million people, or 5% of Americans raising backyard chickens though it is hard to measure exactly

-The global pandemic has increased our interest in raising backyard chickens – Google searches of “baby chicks” doubled in 2020 over 2019

-What about other domesticated birds? Ducks are becoming very popular alternatives to chickens, read why at Backyardpoulty.com

Now Absorbine has a new way to help care for chickens – Silver Honey Rapid Wound Repair. Our new natural wound and skin care product comes in a thick Ointment and a convenient Spray Gel, and is perfect for use on chickens. People write us often how Silver Honey helped their chickens heal quickly from the inevitable wounds and skin conditions chickens can get. 

Resources:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/263962/number-of-chickens-worldwide-since-1990

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00381fg 

https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=US&q=baby%20chicks

https://backyardpoultry.iamcountryside.com/poultry-101/10-duck-facts-are-ducks-the-new-chickens/