Not too long ago, raising chickens was something you only did if you had a farm way out in the country. But as they say, times are changing, and more and more people are interested in knowing where their food comes from, how it was raised, and if maybe they can raise it themselves.
There’s just something so satisfying about raising your own food.
Besides, chickens are fun and interesting. I mean, people have been keeping parakeets as pets forever. Why not chickens.
So now that you know how terribly biased I am, Here are seven reasons why you might want to raise chickens – even if you don’t have a farm.
1. They eat bugs. Nobody likes bugs. Well, chickens do, I mean no people like pesky bugs. Chickens find them to be tasty bits of protein, which means your bugs go from annoying things that eat you and your garden, to chicken feed, providing nutrition for egg laying. Let them forage next to the house to eat the spiders hiding near the foundation for your. Win-win!
2. They lay tasty eggs. This one is so obvious, I should have made it first. Seriously though! When you have your own chickens, you don’t have to look at labels like “free range” or “cage free” and wonder if they’re really all that, because you know how your chickens are being raised, end of story.
3. They make great pets. Yes, you can tame your chickens, and even teach them to come when they’re called. Oh, they’ll probably never show you the same affection a labrador retriever would, but neither will a cat, or cockatiel – and those boogers don’t give you eggs.
4. They don’t need a lot of room. Chickens are one of the few farm animals that you can literally raise in your backyard. Cows and even goats need more area to graze/browse, and lets face it, most of our neighbors wouldn’t be overly happy if red Angus started popping up around the neighborhood.
5. They make great fertilizer. Whether for your garden, or just your pretty lawn, chickens make great fertilizer. You know what I’m talking about. Since you’ll want to keep the area where they sleep clean, you’ll probably be shoveling their fertilizer out onto your compost pile, or scattering it lightly on your garden or law quite frequently.
6. They’re pretty. There are so many different breeds and colors who lay different sizes and colors of eggs – it’s unbelievable. My father-in-law has been cross-breeding grey marans and buff orpingtons, making some of the prettiest chickens you ever saw (they’re the grey and yellow ones in the pictures).
They make for fabulous yard ornaments!
7. They’re good for your kids. It’s good for kids to know where food comes from, it’s good for them to learn the responsibility of having animals to take care of, and it’s good for them to learn how to act around animals. They’ll learn the consequences of mistreating an animal when they scare or upset a hen too badly and she suspends egg production. Taking your kids out to help you with farmy chores is one of the best things you can ever do for them!
So what do you feed chickens anyway? One of the biggest benefits of having your own chickens is that you can feed them the way you believe is healthiest, and as a family who deals with multiple food allergies, and various digestive issues, that’s pretty important to me.
One of the biggest things for us is staying away from genetically modified feeds, and the best guarantee for that is organic feed. Over the last month, we’ve been feeding Purina® Organic Layer Poultry Feed. Our chickens have been loving it, and seriously, they’ve never been healthier!
Why is it so important to stay away from Genetically modified grain? Well, for instance soy is an important ingredient in chicken feed because it provides your birds with lysine – a critical nutrient. Did you just recoil a little bit? I know, most people do! But did you know that organic soy is not the monstrosity that you’ve heard about? Nope. Soy is important to your chickens’ health, and when it’s organic like it was meant to be, you don’t have to worry about any of the negative impacts you’ve heard about.
Are your interested in Purina® Organic Poultry Feed?
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This post has been sponsored by Purina Animal Nutrition, as such I received free product from Purina to share my opinion with my readers. However, my opinions are based on my individual and unique experience. Based on my experience in 2016 I believe this line of feed has been amazing for my flock and I encourage you to try it too!
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Shona Scott says
This article reminded me why I wanted chickens in the first place! !