Why a Flower-class corvette might carry a chicken

Why would a Flower-class corvette carry a pet chicken?

Chickens could consume scraps and provide fresh eggs, combining companionship with a useful supplement to preserved rations.

Pets and animals aboard ships were common enough to serve practical as well as morale purposes. A chicken on a Flower-class corvette could eat stale bread and other scraps that were no longer attractive to the crew. In return it might supply fresh eggs, a valuable change from preserved food during a long escort voyage. The example offers a small but concrete view of improvisation in shipboard logistics and daily life.