Why Raise Backyard Chickens? The Many Reasons & Benefits

There are many reasons to raise chickens in your backyard, but here are a few of the most frequently expressed reasons people raise chickens:

Chickens are easy, inexpensive pets when compared to most other pets.

1 Bag of Layer feed lasts a month for many backyard flocks
They mature much quicker than most other pets
No housebreaking required
Its easy to have more than one!

Hens will produce eggs that are fresh and nutritious, not to mention great tasting. Backyard eggs are also much healthier than their store bought counterparts.

Backyard eggs contain:

1/3 the Cholesterol of store bought eggs
2/3 more vitamin A
1/4 less saturated fat
2 times the amount of Omega 3 fatty acids
3 times the amount of Vitamin E

7 times more Beta Carotene
Plus you know what the hen consumed in order to produce the egg!!

Chickens are great for the environment

Chickens love eating our left overs
They save us trips to the store
They save trees! No more buying eggs with cartons
They fortify the soil with their nutrient-rich manure

They make excellent chemical free pest and weed control

Chickens will gobble up those pesky garden snails and slugs
Hate pulling weeds? Chickens would love to help you out with that
Dislike mowing the lawn? Get you chickens a mobile coop and they will do the mowing for you
Own an orchard? Chickens will devour the fallen fruit before it can cause any issues
Crickets, grasshoppers, caterpillars, you name it, the chicken will eat it, therefore providing all-natural bug control for you and your other pets!

Chickens: The world's best and friendliest fertilizer

Chicken manure has great levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
Chicken manure is more economically valuable than synthetic fertilizers
Chicken manure can make great fertilizer tea

Chickens: The perfect backyard pet

Chickens can be very affectionate pets
Kids love to be around them
They make great 4-H Projects
They can even be indoor pets!
Certain breeds of chickens can be as good a pet as your average dog, cat, guinea pig etc.
It's fun to watch them run around in the yard
A fun way for your kids to learn to be responsible
They can help you and your kid(s) to learn how to create a thriving farm and egg business.
You can clicker-train your chicken(s) to go through obstacles, play an instrument, etc.!

Chickens: More than just egg layers

Chickens can be man's best friend!
Need a freind? Alergic to pet hair? Get a chicken!
Chickens will make you smile, even when your sad.
Intelligent, quirky and full of personality, the flock you purchased to just be egg layers will quickly become your pets!
Chickens lower the blood pressure.
Chickens show me how simple life can really be.
They know my daily routine better than I do!
They can help to ease up on depression, sometimes saving lives.

Chicken Owners Enjoy Networking