Celeb Pawrents: Rearing Silkie chickens gives actress Chantalle Ng a slice of ‘farm life’

SINGAPORE – Pets bring joy and offer companionship. Chantalle Ng gets more than that – she gets freshly laid eggs too.

The local actress adopted two Silkie chickens from a friend in 2023.

“He had five and asked if I’d like to give rearing chickens a try,” the 29-year-old says.

Her feathered kids are a brown hen named Fluffy and a grey hen named Happy.

Ng has always dreamt of living a “farm life”, and having chickens around “makes the home feel like a little farm”, she says.

“They’re always roaming around the garden and, on slow afternoons, I like to sit and quietly observe them,” she adds. “It is also a joy to share their fresh eggs with our friends.”

Ng – who has a starring role in the upcoming blockbuster drama Emerald Hill, premiering on Channel 8 on March 10 – also has a white dog named Pretty. She adopted the Singapore Special in 2015 from SOSD, a local welfare organisation dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming stray and abandoned dogs.

She had a toy poodle called Dasher, who was also adopted from SOSD. The 17-year-old died in 2024 from ill health.

An avid animal lover, Ng used to bring cats, dogs and hamsters home. It helps that her mother, actress Lin Meijiao, shares a similar love for animals.

But it is unlikely that Ng will expand her fur and feather family any time soon. “My mother has warned that if I bring a new animal home, I’d have to move out with them,” she says. 

Raising chickens is much easier than caring for dogs, says the All That Glitters (2023) actress. 

“When I first got them, I didn’t know about rearing chickens. Thankfully, my friend guided me through the process, from setting up their coop to the type of food they can be fed,” she says.

She adds that her chickens are food-motivated and she trains them with treats.

“They can spend the day digging for food in the garden,” says Ng, who lives with Lin in a one-storey conservation house.

The hens’ diet consists of a mix of grains and seeds, wholemeal worms and a variety of fruit and vegetables.

Ng hides freeze-dried mealworms in the garden so that the fowl can forage for their food.

She says: “Chickens are low-maintenance compared with dogs. They don’t need daily walks or constant attention. They groom themselves with sand baths and, occasionally, I give them a bath with soap.”

She spends an estimated $100 monthly on her chickens’ food and bedding, while Pretty’s monthly expenses are about $500.

Both chickens have “very different personalities”, she says.

“Fluffy is the leader, fearless and adventurous. She explores the garden, and once even ventured into my neighbour’s yard when she found a hole in the fence,” says Ng, adding that Fluffy is an attention seeker. “She’s very vocal when she’s hungry.”

Happy, on the other hand, is timid. “She follows Fluffy’s lead and tends to stay in the same areas of the garden.”

Says Ng: “They are easy to care for, fluffy and cute, and they lay fresh eggs every other day. We just need to make sure they have fresh water, food and a safe space to live and roam.”

The actress, who is preparing for a new drama where she will share screen time with veteran actor Xie Shaoguang, says her three pets get along with one another very well.

“Pretty was initially very hesitant about them. She would growl and bark at them,” says Ng. 

To help Pretty accept the newcomers, she carried the chickens in her arms and let the dog smell them.

Ng says her neighbours have no issues with her chickens, as they are not noisy.

“My neighbours adore the chickens and often bring their children over to see them from outside the gate. It feels like a mini zoo.”

She adds that one of her neighbours has started rearing chickens as well.

As Ng’s pets are easy-going, she can travel with her mum without worrying about them.

When they travel, Pretty is looked after by her dog-walker, who takes her out for doggy excursions twice a week. 

“Pretty is very familiar and comfortable with him, so there’s no issue. Our gardener would come to our house to feed Fluffy and Happy every day (when we’re away),” she adds.

While rearing chickens has been an absolute joy, as they run to her when she gets home or whenever she and her mum are in the garden, Pretty will always be Ng’s favourite. 

“She’s my best friend. For the past 10 years, she has been with me through my 20s. As she gets older, I’m starting to feel a sense of anticipated sadness, knowing that one day she’ll leave me,” says Ng. 

“When I think about a fulfilling life – one that gives me a sense of purpose – it always involves working with animals.”