To prevent the onset of sour crop, check the chickens once in a while as the crops are likely to be empty every morning before they feed. Observe also the kind of grass that the chicken feeds on when they have a sour crop so you can chop the grass into smaller sizes and feed this to the chicken to treat the sour crop or when a similar problem occurs in the future. You may need only one chicken for a pet however, chicken are happier when in the company of chickens. If you want to keep a few have at least two or three. The Hen House Where there are hens, there are predators. Chickens will be happy to be strutting around free range-like but sooner, without a place to roost, you'll end up losing some. It only requires keeping healthy hens that are free from infection. The things to do: Reduce stress in the chicken house. Chickens that are not over stressed are more resistant to infections. For this the chickens must not be disturbed, if that cannot be avoided, prevent disturbances to the least possible. Whether the dirt run is free range, confined, or fenced will vary on the type of predators that are in the area. The Design - Typically, a chicken will need about four square feet of space and three hens could share a nest. Each hen will also need a perch about 9" long. The design should also include a hatchway, storage area, ventilation, lighting and a feeder system. In that parlance, hens make better pets than cockerels since they are more docile in nature. The fact that hens are capable of providing you a steady supply of eggs without the requirement of fertilization only fuels that premise. Sexing the chicken is not as easy as it looks, so you are better off asking the help of a chick sexer if you're not well trained to do it on your own. It is important that you familiarize yourself with some facts and general guidelines in raising chickens before making a decision. I ll enumerate them all one by one. Raising Chickens Is Illegal In Some Cities. You might do well to call your municipality and ask about the city laws that involve the matter of housing poultries.