The Benefits of Raising Back Yard Chickens
Whether you have a full homestead or a mini homestead in the city you can make use of chickens to help with your garden, feed your family, and even provide educational opportunities for your kids.
As the recession goes on and a full-on economic depression is looming more and more families are looking to add homesteading skills to their homes.
Whether you’re looking for fresh eggs, backyard entertainment, or a new way to reduce your carbon footprint, chickens are a great option to consider.
The benefits of raising chickens in your backyard
One of the most obvious benefits of raising backyard chickens is the fresh eggs they provide. Nothing beats the taste of a freshly laid egg, and having your own chickens means you’ll always have access to eggs that are both fresh and nutritious. Chickens lay eggs an average of every 24 to 26 hours, so you’ll have a constant supply of eggs to enjoy.
Backyard Entertainment
In addition to providing you with fresh eggs, chickens are also great entertainment. They have unique personalities, and watching them roam around your backyard can be a fun and relaxing way to spend your time. You’ll enjoy watching them take dust baths, hunt for bugs, and interact with each other.
Garden Helpers
Chickens can also be great helpers in your garden. They love to scratch around and will happily hunt for bugs and other pests, which can help keep your garden healthy and thriving. Plus, their manure is a great fertilizer for your plants, so you’ll be able to enjoy fresh vegetables from your garden and fresh eggs from your chickens.
Sustainability
Raising backyard chickens is also a great way to live a more sustainable lifestyle. By keeping chickens, you’ll be able to reduce your carbon footprint, since you’ll no longer need to buy eggs from the grocery store that were shipped from far away.
You’ll also be able to recycle food scraps by feeding them to your chickens, which helps reduce food waste. Chickens love to eat table and cooking scraps as a supplement to their chicken feed. This is a great way to reduce food waste.
The bedding from your chicken coop can also be composted helping to provide nourishment to your garden soil.
An educational opportunity for families
Raising backyard chickens is a great way to teach children about responsibility and agriculture. Children can learn about the importance of feeding and caring for animals, as well as the cycle of life. They can also learn about the process of egg production, which can help foster an appreciation for where their food comes from.
Connect with your local community
Raising backyard chickens can also help you build a sense of community with your neighbors. Chickens are social animals and they love to interact with people. You may find that your chickens become a source of conversation with your neighbors, and you may even find that you’re able to share eggs with others in your community.
Chickens have always been a great way to get local kids excited to come and learn a bit of science with my homeschooled kids and my homeschoolers love shooing off all of the things they have learned and their pets that make food.
Raising backyard chickens is a great hobby that has many benefits, from providing you with fresh eggs to reducing your carbon footprint. Whether you’re looking for backyard entertainment, a way to live a more sustainable lifestyle, or an opportunity to teach children about responsibility and agriculture, chickens are a great option to consider. So why not give it a try and enjoy all the joys of backyard chicken ownership!
