There are a lot of ways to make chickens happy. One way is to get them used to you and then hold them. I do this and rub the neck and heckled part of their backs. If a chicken is used to you, they love this. Another thing to do is to take your chicken with you from time to time. Again, this is one of those things that require the chicken to be comfortable with surroundings. Taking a chicken out for a stroll on the 4th of the July, for example would not be a good idea but strolling down the dirt road from time to time in her own neighborhood would be acceptable.
Recently on Facebook, someone posted their Buff Orpington chicken in a carriage. This was such a cute picture and so I took my carriage and put “Rhodie”, a Rhode Island Red inside of it . At first she was a bit anxious and bobbed her neck in and out trying to figure out how to get through the mesh ropes but after a while, she settled down and was fine with her surroundings. Chickens are really not like other pets, on a whole, but at the same time, they respond to love and kindness as do all warm blooded animals.
Happy Strolling everyone!
Josie