Can a Chicken Be an Emotional Support Animal | Here’s the Scoop

You’re looking for an emotional support animal, but a cat or dog won’t cut it? Then it hits you: you like birds, and chickens are surprisingly friendly. Could that work out? Can a chicken be an emotional support animal?

In this guide, we’ll peck into the facts about emotional support chickens. We’ll figure out if chickens can qualify as ESAs, what the benefits of having one are, and what challenges you may face while trying to get a feathery friend.

Can Chickens Be Emotional Support Animals?

As long as you have the proper paperwork, a chicken can be an emotional support animal. The Fair Housing Act (FHA), which is the main federal law that outlines the right of people with mental health problems to have animals in their homes, does not discriminate based on species.

If you have an ESA letter that says that your clucky companion helps you deal with the symptoms of a diagnosed condition, your landlord must provide reasonable accommodation without charging a pet deposit or pet rent.

The ESA letter overrides any no-pet policies landlords may have because your chicken isn’t a pet under the FHA.

The Advantages of Having an Emotional Support Chicken

Although they may not play fetch or curl up on the couch with you, chickens still make for fantastic emotional support animals. When compared to more traditional ESAs, chickens bring some eggcellent advantages to the table:

• They’re low maintenance: Chickens don’t need daily walks or constant attention. If you’ve got a space to let them roam, they’ll be content to cluck about while you do your thing.
• They’re less disruptive: Having a chicken around can be very soothing. In most cases, a chicken will be much quieter than a dog or parrot, which is a massive bonus if you don’t like noise.
• They have a calming presence: Listening to gentle clucking and watching chickens walk around can have a meditative effect.
• They’re fantastic conversation starters: Nothing beats saying “I have a small dinosaur in my house” as a way to start a conversation.
• They help with breakfast: If you’ve got a hen and you’re not a vegan, a fresh egg is on the menu every day.
• They’re nice to pet: Chicken feathers are surprisingly soft to the touch, but you will have to make sure to follow the direction of the feathers. 

However, to ensure your plucky pal enjoys its life to the fullest, you will have to keep a few care tips in mind.

Taking Care of Your Emotional Support Chicken

While chickens are very easy to care for compared to other ESAs, they’re not entirely self-sufficient. Before you spread your wings and get yourself a feathery pal, consider the following needs of chickens:

• Proper space and housing: While you don’t need to walk your chicken, you need to make sure it has enough space to roam. Without enough space to explore, your chicken will get stressed and bored, which could make it get a little peck-happy. Get a coop that’s at least 2–4 square feet and make sure your chicken has a nice perch to rest on.

• A balanced diet: Having vegetables, grains, and feed is important to keeping your chick healthy. Keep in mind that different types of chicks require different feeds. For example, laying hens need layer feed that’s high in calcium to make those eggshells nice and strong.

• Social needs: As they say, the more the merrier. Chickens are social animals, and having only one is a good recipe for getting you both stressed out. Since you can have multiple ESAs, getting your feathery friend a feathery friend may be an awesome idea.

• Regular cleaning: Unlike cats and dogs, chickens feel free to do their business wherever they like. You will have to clean up after your chicken regularly to keep your place fresh.

• Specialized veterinarians: Your ESA chicken needs a vet familiar with poultry care. Like other animals, chickens require regular checkups to stay healthy.

• Mental enrichment: Beyond food and water, your winged companion will need some mental stimulation to stay happy. Set up some foraging puzzles or hanging treats to keep your chick engaged.

Best Chicken Breeds for Emotional Support 

Chicken breeds can have quite different looks and personalities. Some breeds are quieter, more relaxed, and softer to the touch, making them great roommates who don’t cause problems or require extra effort. If that sounds like an ESA you want to get, here are a few that fit the bill:

• Silkie: These funny-looking chickens are probably the most popular pet breed because of their small size and tolerant, friendly personality. Silkies are also very soft, which is a big plus if you’d like to pet your ESA chicken.

• Speckled Sussex: If you’d like a chicken that will follow you around, a Speckled Sussex is pretty much your best option. These chickens are friendly, curious, and enjoy attention.

• Buff Orpington: As the name suggests, these are large, heavy chickens. They’re affectionate, patient, and docile chickens that will easily bond with you.

• Cochin: Another large breed, Cochins have a lot of loose feathers that make them look bigger than they really are. But those extra features make them heavenly soft to the touch. They tend to be very patient and tolerant, and won’t mind if you pick them up for cuddles.

• Australorp: If you like having eggs every day, Australorps are great. These chickens are quiet, friendly, and laid-back. They’re known to be great with people and easy to care for

Keep in mind that chickens can have big personalities despite being small and cute. Your future ESA chicken’s breed is a great way to guess whether you two will get along, but you should still ask around before bringing one home with you.

Hens vs. Roosters

While your ESA chicken is still a baby, you can’t easily tell whether it’s a boy or a girl—nor does it matter since it’s just so cute and soft. However, this becomes a bigger deal as your companion grows up, especially if you live in a building and have to worry about noise bothering your neighbors. Here’s what you should consider before you choose:

While both can be great friends, your choice should depend on your need for an ESA. If you’re looking for an animal to help you calm down, you might be better off with a hen. If you want to have a really strong conversation starter and need a more energetic companion, a rooster might work better.

The Challenges of Getting an Emotional Support Chicken

While living with ESA chickens can help you deal with stress, getting approval for one might test your patience. But when you succeed, you’ll end up with a chicken that will make the process worth it.

According to the HUD (the main enforcer of the FHA), chickens aren’t considered common household animals, meaning you’ll have to jump through extra hoops and possibly deal with:

1. HUD and FHA restrictions
2. Local laws and HOA bans
3. Getting a strong ESA letter

HUD and FHA Restrictions

The FHA gives people with disabilities the right to have an ESA in their home even if there’s a no-pet policy. However, that doesn’t mean your clucking buddy will get the same treatment as a dog.

According to HUD guidance, chickens are considered unique animals. For you, this means you’ll have to go a little further than someone getting an ESA dog or cat. Showing that an ESA will do you good is not enough. You’ll need to prove that having a chicken is the best thing for your emotional well-being.

To avoid your landlord rejecting your ESA letter, make sure that it:

1. Confirms you have a qualifying mental health condition
2. Explains how a chicken helps you manage that condition 

You may have to try harder to get approval for your chicken to move in, but if you make a strong case, your landlord will have to accommodate you both.

Local Laws and HOA Bans

Even if your landlord agrees, your city or HOA may have something to say about your bird moving into the neighborhood. The usual reasons for this are:

• Noise and waste concerns 
• HOA policies that restrict or ban owning poultry
• Zoning laws that restrict backyard chickens 

It’s usually a good idea to check zoning codes and speak to your landlord so that you can get any special permits and necessary documentation without landing in hot water.

If you do get wrongly rejected, the FHA has your back, as it happened in the case of Whiteaker vs City of Southgate. Whiteaker requested six ESA chickens as a way to accommodate his irritability, sleep disturbances, and appetite problems, and the city denied him. 

Instead of stepping back, Whiteaker went higher up the pecking order and filed a federal lawsuit against the city, claiming the rejection violated the FHA. This ended in a win for him, meaning he and his six ESA chickens got to stay together.

Getting a Strong ESA Letter

ESAs have become more popular recently, which has led to an increase in online services that claim they can get you a cheap or free ESA letter or registration. The problems with these services are that there is no “ESA registration” (you only need the letter) and that they usually offer a generic document that doesn’t have the required elements.

A legit service will require you to attend a consultation with an LMPH who practices in your state.

The ESA letter that your landlord can’t reject will:

• Be written on the licensed mental health professional’s (LMHP) official letterhead
• List all of the information about the LMHP, including proof that they practice in your state
• State that you have a qualifying mental condition according to the DSM-5-TR (doesn’t need to state what it is, just that you have it)
• Explain precisely why a chicken will help you with your condition

This isn’t exactly cheap, but you can save yourself a lot of headaches by being careful. If you’re not sure where to start, Your Service Animal is a fantastic option that will support you through the whole process.

Secure Your ESA Chicken with Your Service Animal

Getting a strong, legit ESA letter doesn’t have to be stressful and confusing. With Your Service Animal, you get connected to an LMHP licensed in your state who will write a letter that your landlord (and HOA) won’t be able to reject.

Here’s what puts the YSA service ahead of its competitors:

What You Need To Do

Getting your ESA letter with Your Service Animal is as quick and easy as cracking an egg. All you need to do is: 

1. Find out if you’re a good fit for an ESA letter with our online quiz
2. Schedule an online appointment with a licensed mental health practitioner in your state
3. Attend the online call and receive your ESA letter if clinically appropriate
4. Receive a full refund if the therapist doesn’t issue an ESA letter or your landlord rejects your letter