Chick-Inn Farm

Our experience tells us that some service users with autistic spectrum disorders do show positive responses with access to animals. We have a chicken farm with coop for the exclusive benefits of our service users. They visit the farm in turn to be around chickens, feeding and watering them, cleaning the coop, collecting eggs, and laying down new bedding and engaging in ways that stimulate the service user verbal communication, as they socialise with other service users and play with the chicken.

The experience promotes interaction and can make those who are shy, reserved or withdrawn want to join in and hold a chicken. The chickens are being stroked or cuddled and perching on people’s laps, which makes them more therapeutic animal.

The chickens are also safely taken to the homes (chicken petting) which we find to be therapeutic for our service users as they try to care for the chickens emotionally, by communicating with the chicken, showing them care and displaying empathy, which we hope the service users might be able to transfer to real-life situations of dealing with people in their own life. During their physical engagement with the chicken and petting the chicken, the service users become focused, calm, and feel relaxed and safe, therefore we believe that this Chicken therapy is transformational in diverting the service user from potential aggression, successfully de-escalating challenging behaviours.