5 Reasons to Convince You to Raise Chickens

Let’s face it, when you think of keeping an animal at home, chickens aren’t usually the first thing that comes to mind. We usually gravitate to animals that are considered cute and friendly such as dogs or cats. However, if you have just a small amount of outdoor space, there are many benefits to raising chickens at home.

1. Free Food!

What could be better than having your pet provide you with a daily source for healthy food. We’re talking about eggs here. Eggs are one of the most versatile and healthy things you can put on your plate. Maybe you like them fried, scrambled, in an omelet, or perhaps you want to whip up a tasty strawberry pavlova with fresh egg meringues.

There’s nothing better that fresh free range, organic eggs. You can literally eat them minutes or hours after they are laid. Fresh eggs always taste better and they also contain more nutritional value, the sooner they are eaten. Try it for yourself. Compare a battery farmed egg with one that’s fresh from your local farmers market and you will immediately notice the difference in texture color and taste.

2. Natural Recycling

You might think that chicken eat a diet of grains or just want to peck away at seeds. Buy chickens actually love leftovers. These feathered creatures have a voracious appetite for just about anything you put in front of them. So instead of throwing out your food scraps fro the dinner table, you can now recycle them in the most efficient way, and your chickens will love you for it! As well as proving a more varied diet for them, you are also saving money on chicken feed and also reducing your own environmental impact by producing less waste in your household. Of course, you need to do some research into what chickens can and can;t digest. Although they will generally attempt to devour anything that’s put in front of them, it may not be best for their health, so if in doubt get some expert advice.

3. Free Fertilizer And Pest Control.

There’s nothing more satisfying that letting your chickens walk around freely in your garden or yard space. They love to roam around and forage, pecking at the ground for any potential food sources, such as seeds, or small insects, grubs and worms.

This has a double benefit for you and your lawn. The chickens will happily eat as many insect pests that they can find. This provides a great natural pest control solution. At the same time they will be transforming their waste into a highly effective fertilizer that will enrich your lawn.

4. Mowing The Lawn

Yo will also find that chicken will love to peck at the various grass and weeds around your garden. It’s a bit like having a cow or sheep at home and they will happily keep your weeds and grass trimmed, saving you hours of labor pushing that lawnmower around!

5. A Friendly Low Maintenance Pet

Chickens are the ultimate low maintenance pets. Unlike a dog who needs constant attention such as walks and grooming, chickens are happy to look after themselves. All you need to provide is a shelter for them, make sure they’ve got enough food and water, and once or twice a month provide them with fresh bedding.

Apart from this you can let them get on with their own lives and just collect your eggs on a daily basis.