If you’re on the fence about getting chickens, these seven reasons will help you decide if starting a backyard flock is right for you.
I remember the day I brought home my first dozen chicks several years ago. I didn’t plan on bringing home chicks that day, I only wanted to learn more about them.
But there I was, sitting in my car with a box of twelve chicks on my lap and the biggest grin on my face.
I am so happy that I took the plunge and brought them home.
Not only do they bring us one step closer to self-sufficiency, but there are also a several other great reasons to keep chickens around.
Fresh, nutritious eggs
If you’re thinking about getting chickens, this is probably the one of the main reasons why. And with good reason.
You know exactly how the hens are raised. What their diet is, how clean their coop is, and how happy they are.
The eggs you collect from your backyard are going to be more nutritious than the industry-sourced eggs from the grocery store.
There’s a saying that happy hens lay healthy eggs – and it’s the truth.
Maybe you’ll even make a few extra bucks selling some eggs.
Organic pest control
If you allow your chickens to free range, they will eat up all the bugs, including ticks, in your yard.
They also enjoy feasting on the pests I find for them in the garden.
There’s nothing like getting revenge on that sucker that’s destroying your plants by feeding it to your chickens.
Free fertilizer
Chicken manure is an excellent fertilizer for both the lawn and garden, providing a good amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that feeds the plants.
Free ranging chickens will fertilize the yard for you as they roam around throughout the day.
Take the shavings and droppings from inside the coop and put it into a compost pile to decompose until it’s ready to use.
Note that chicken manure has very high nitrogen content. It needs to be properly composted for several months before adding it to the garden as to not burn the plants.
Easy to care for
Compared to other farm animals, chickens are pretty easy to care for.
Provide them with a secure shelter (a coop), fresh food and water and they are otherwise pretty self-sufficient.
Chickens can get sick like any other animal. Clean their coop weekly and keep an eye on your flock to stomp out any illness quickly.
Tillers and spreaders
If you have mulch that needs to be spread, the chickens will get right to it spreading it around for you.
When the cooler weather hits and you’re wrapping up the garden for the winter, let the chickens help clean it up.
They will scratch up the ground and eat any leftover plants and hidden pests.
You can fence off an area or use a chicken tractor to keep the chickens in one place.
Natural garbage disposal
They’ll eat every bit of your kitchen scraps and won’t even complain about it.
When pruning the garden they’ll gobble up all the prunings.
They’ll be more than happy, and it makes for very nutritious eggs.
To learn more about what chickens can and can’t eat check out Amy’s post on Chicken Snack Ideas over on her blog Our Faith Filled Homestead.
They bring a lot of happiness
I love to sit on my porch or look through the kitchen window to see all of the chickens roaming around.
They are fun to watch as they interact and jump around.
Each chicken has its own little personality, and it is fun getting to know each one of them.
If you’ve been on the fence about starting your flock, take a walk into a place selling chicks.
You won’t be going home without one – or a dozen.
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Until next time –
[…] Related: 7 Reasons to Start a Backyard Flock […]