Many people keep backyard chickens. In fact, many cities now allow a certain number of chickens within city limits even!
So, if you have not jumped on the chicken keeping bandwagon yet, you may be asking why? Keeping backyard chickens has many advantages (you can even make money with chickens).
Let's take a look at the top reasons to keep backyard chickens
1. Eggs!
This is pretty obvious. Of course a reason to keep backyard chickens is to get your own fresh eggs. If you keep your own chickens, you will know how they are raised and what is going into your eggs.
Plus, fresh eggs are so much better than ones you will buy in the store (yes, even pastured organic store bought eggs).
During spring and summer when laying is at it's peak, you might start to wonder, can you freeze eggs?
Here are some ways to use eggshells.
2. Entertainment
Seriously, chickens are really funny animals. They spend their days running around chasing bugs to eat. Each chicken has it's own little personality.
When we go out in the afternoon, many of our layers RUN to the backyard fence because they know we will be out with their feed soon. It's really fun and cute to watch them.
3. Compost
If you have a garden (or even just a few plants), you probably go to the store and buy compost. Well, you are in luck because chickens will provide you with a ton of high quality compost.
Now that's a BIG chicken!
You can just keep the debris cleaned out of their coop and build a compost pile with it which is just one great way to use everything on your homestead. Feel free to throw in all the egg shells too 🙂
An additional benefit is other people may also want to use some of this compost in their gardens. Depending on the size of your compost pile, you may be able to make some side money selling it to your neighbors.
Here are some other ways to make money homesteading.
4. Tick eating
I feel this is one of the reasons to keep backyard chickens that not everyone may take into account. But as they run all around and eat tons of bugs, some of those bugs will be yucky ticks.
The first year we were at the farm, almost everyday in the summer we would come in and find ticks. It was GROSS! Now that our chickens are free-ranging, we haven't seen a tick in TWO years!
Getting rid of ticks and other bugs can help reduce your (or your pets') health.
What are your reasons for keeping backyard chickens?
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