Owning and raising chickens can have long-lasting benefits for the entire family. Many owners of chickens will tell you their initial reason for raising chickens is farm fresh eggs. While that may be their primary reason for continuing to keep chickens, over time they have realized there are many more benefits to keeping chickens.
Pasture-raised eggs
Chicken owners enjoy fresh eggs with a greater nutritional value than industry-sourced eggs. As a chicken owner, you have the opportunity to provide your chickens with organic feed rich in protein and calcium which keeps your chickens healthy and produces organic eggs. Further, chickens raised on your property can walk around, stretch their legs, and socialize. This behavior ensures healthier chickens. If purchased, organic eggs are more expensive than factory-farmed eggs. However, chicken owners enjoy healthier eggs at the same, or sometimes a lower price than purchased eggs.
Affectionate Pets
Owning chickens provides kids an opportunity to participate in all aspects of an animals’ health and wellbeing. Children will enjoy gathering eggs and caring for the animals that produce them. Kids may even compete to be the first to select the eggs! Playing with the chickens can be fun for everyone and provides hours of enjoyment for the chickens. Chickens are full of personality which will cause your family to become very attached to the flock. As long as your family is gentle with their flock, chickens make great social and even affectionate pets.
Gardening
In addition to healthy feed (organic if possible), chickens will eat just about anything that comes from your kitchen. By adding kitchen scraps with proper feed to their diet, your chickens will be healthy and lay strong eggs. Further, you can add the chicken’s waste to your compost pile and use it as garden fertilizer. Your chickens are great to ward of pests and mosquitoes that can be harmful to your garden. They will even help control the weeds in and around the garden!
Remember, you will want to provide your chickens with a chicken coop that provides space for laying eggs as well as a run to exercise and peck. It’s important to ensure your coop protects from weather conditions as well as serves as a haven from predators.
Lastly, before you buy a flock of chicks, be sure to check your local ordinances to confirm backyard chickens are permitted where you live. Municipalities may even limit how many chickens you can keep on your property. For more information read our article on the basics of raising chickens.