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For thousands of years, people have kept chickens for food and eggs. Today, there is hardly any place in the world that does not have a thriving population of chickens. There are many breeds of chickens that are hardy and most hens will lay several hundred eggs a year.
Raising chickens in your backyard has become part of the urban farming movement. As the nutritional value of a commercially raised chicken has become questionable, “buy local, grow local, and eat local” has become a popular slogan for raising your own chickens.
Chickens are the easiest animal in the world to keep. They are easy to care for, easy to handle, inexpensive to purchase, and they do not eat much. People trying to achieve self-sufficiency view chickens as a must for their backyard mini-farm.
Here are some reasons you could benefit from a small flock of your own:
Fresh Eggs
Farm fresh eggs are the number one reason people have chosen to have chickens. Chickens that run free and regularly forage lay eggs with a yolk that is a deep, beautiful orange color. Farm fresh eggs contain two thirds more vitamin A, three times more vitamin E, four to six times more vitamin D, one third the amount of bad cholesterol, two times more Omega-3 fatty acids and one fourth the amount of saturated fat .
Chickens Are Great At Pest Control
Chickens can eat hundreds of ticks in a very short time. They also enjoy snacking on fleas, mosquitoes, slugs, beetles, ants, maggots, grubs, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and even mice. Ridding your yard of these pests with chickens is the ultimate low-cost, chemical-free approach.
Free Fertilizer
Chicken manure contains high levels of nutrients that plants need to establish a strong root system and to produce foliage and fruit. Chicken manure also contains a bacteria found from the chicken’s digestive process that is essential for breaking down organic matter. This bacteria makes chicken manure more soluble so the plants can readily absorb it.
Easy Keepers
Chickens are easy keepers requiring minimal care. You can make a DIY coop or buy from a dealer. Chickens only require a dry, draft-free shelter for protection from wind, rain, and predators. Most chickens like a roost. You will also need something to use as a nesting box to collect eggs. In the morning, you open the coop door and turn your chickens out. Around dusk the chickens put themselves to bed, you just have to lock the coop door. Pine shavings work great on the floor and only require a weekly cleaning to keep your chickens healthy.
As for food, chickens require about a one fourth pound of a pellet feed a day for older chickens and a starter feed for younger chickens. As your chickens that wonder throughout your yard during the day, they will eat a variety of pests from your yard or garden. They also love various table scraps. Clean water should be provided daily.
Natural Tiller
Chickens are excellent in your garden as a tiller. They can have your garden soil completely turned over in a matter of hours due to their scratching and rooting for bugs. Your garden will be completely bug and weed free once the chickens are done.
Chickens are Entertaining
Each chicken has its own personality. Some are extremely friendly and social, while others are skittish. Chickens will chase others if a worm or mouse is located. They can also be very curious wanting to see all that you are doing. Chickens are very smart and can be trained to do tricks or learn their own name.
Chickens are a Great Educational Tool For Children
Since chickens are smaller, cheaper and easier to raise, they are great for kids to learn responsibility. Smaller kids can collect eggs, where older kids can feed, supply water and clean coops.
Flock of chickens – Photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels
Basket of eggs – Photo by Kaboompics .com from Pexels
Hand feeding chicken – Photo by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi from Pexels
Women & hen picture – Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels
