Chickens are such a lovely flock of birds that every home should have. These domestic birds play a very important role in our lives. When taken good care of, they can benefit us in one way or the other. So, when you invest your time and money in raising chickens, rest assured that sooner or later you will reap their benefits. Speaking of benefits, let’s find out more about these birds’ importance in our lives. What are the 5 benefits of raising chickens? Many benefits come with keeping a flock of chickens on your farm. Since we cannot exhaust all of them in this little space, we have narrowed down to just a few that we found to be the most important.
That being said, chickens are a good source of free organic eggs, free organic manure, free source of labor, free pest and weed control, last but not the least, free entertainment.
All these are some of the great benefits you will get by raising your chickens as required. Given that nothing comes for free, you will also need to play your part to make your flock of birds more productive. With that in mind, you must ensure that your chickens are well-fed, have plenty of fresh, clean water, enough space in their coops, and on the run and tight security to protect them from dangerous predators. Once you fulfill all these requirements, nothing will prevent you from achieving your dream of raising chickens. Let’s look at how you can benefit from rearing chickens in your home.
Top Benefits of Keeping Chickens
They are a Great Source of Fresh Organic Eggs
There is no better way of acquiring fresh organic eggs if not from your own group of layers. In the real sense, you will save a lot of cash and time you would spend running to the store for eggs. Eggs taste better when you know their source. Since they come from your farm, you will enjoy their taste without any doubts.
More often than not, backyard chickens are left to free-range. This way they feed on anything they come across as they forage all day long. Foraging allows chickens to access more natural food in addition to what you are feeding them. This type of diet makes their eggs to have a better quality than those you will find on the display in the supermarkets.
From grass to vegetation and from bugs to small rodents, your birds will have a diverse diet that changes their eggs a little bit. You can attest to this by checking their yolks when preparing your breakfast. Much to your surprise, you will see a big difference in their color compared to those obtained from other sources.
When it comes to the nutritional benefits, eggs from your hens will take the top slot. These types of organic eggs contain omega-3, beta carotene, vitamin E, and lower levels of cholesterol. Make sure that you practice proper handling procedures after collecting eggs, working in the coop, or coming into contact with your birds.
A Good Source of Organic Manure
Organic manure can help you improve your garden and have better food yields. Actually, this type of fertilizer works pretty well for homegrown vegetables, flower beds, and fruits. At least you will not have to spend a fortune looking for inorganic fertilizer when you can use organic manure from your chickens. This is one of the greatest benefits of raising birds in your home.
Instead of disposing of your chicken waste, you can pile it somewhere and later use it as fertilizer. This is a nice addition to your garden because it will improve the soil structure as well as adding essential nutrients for the crops to grow well.
Most significantly, you can use organic manure from your chickens to augment the type of soil found in your garden. Above all, this composted manure is better for your environment plus you will not worry about spending your cash to obtain it.
Chickens will help You Reduce Food Waste
When you have chickens in your backyard, you will rarely waste your food. We all know that food is expensive and if we find the best way of cutting down on food costs at home, we can save a lot.
Instead of throwing away a stale piece of bread, vegetables, and fruits, you can pass them to your chickens. Also, you may use your leftover table scraps as food for your chickens rather than disposing of them.
When feeding your chickens on leftovers or stale food, you are advised not to overdo it. Some foods may contain harmful substances when they are in their bad state and this can affect your birds negatively. Avoid giving them foods that have mold or those that are already decomposed.
Table scraps should be given to your chickens as a special treat and in reasonable amounts. Too much of it can be detrimental to the wellbeing of your birds. Before you decide to feed them on this type of treat, take your time and research to find out which foods are safe and which ones are not.
Otherwise, your chickens can help you save a lot of money by simply feeding them on unwanted foodstuffs from your kitchen. This is one way that benefits from raising chickens in your backyard. At least, they will become a useful asset rather than a wasteful liability.
Free Weed and Pest Control
You will be surprised to find out that your chickens love different types of weeds and pests. For instance, they will happily feast on dandelions, or other random weeds found in your garden. On the other hand, they will spend most of their time searching for bugs, grubs, red ants, and worms to be part of their daily diet.
Even though the average chicken diet consists mainly of grain, you must understand that these domestic birds are excellent foragers. This means they can spend most of their time free-ranging and feed on small animals or vegetation found in your backyard. In the end, the population of pests and the number of weeds will go down much to your delight.
In fact, this is the safest way of controlling weeds and pests on your farm instead of using toxic chemicals to control them. You will not spend money looking for better means of reducing pests and weeds if you have several chickens around. In other words, your chickens will get fed while your garden stays protected, thus saving you money on chicken feed in the process.
Chickens Provide Free Entertainment and Companionship
At this point and time, you should know that being around certain animals has a whole lot of health benefits. Some of the notable benefits you will get from interacting with your animals include lowering blood pressure and reducing levels of stress. That explains why experienced chicken owners spend time with their birds whenever they are free.
Chickens, in particular, can make a big difference when you take a little of your time to hang out with them. Apart from that, spending time with your flock will show how much you value and cherish them. It is always peaceful interacting with your birds and you will feel part of them every time you listen to their little chatter.
There is nothing less than just a fulfilling entertainment to watch your flock of birds establishing their pecking order. This is the time you will see roosters strutting around several hens. Apart from that, you will discover that each chicken has its own personality and traits that make it stand out from the rest.
When it comes to your kids, nothing will stop them from running around with your birds. Instead of playing video games, they can spend their free time interacting with chickens in the backyard. Most of them like the idea of tossing a few snacks at the ever-hungry chickens while watching them get around to eat. This creates a nice feeling to you, your kids and your birds as well.
Related Questions
How do you protect your garden from your chickens? Even if chickens eat almost every plant they come across, you must keep them away from feeding on your broccoli or other garden plants. So if you will leave them to free-range, ensure that they don’t access your garden in order to protect your plants. Maybe a gate and a small fence will do better in keeping them out completely.
How do you control noise from your chickens? Even though you will need a small space to make a coop for your birds, you will also need more space for their yard. But when roaming in their run, chickens, especially roosters are more likely to make a lot of noise that might upset your neighbors. If that is the case, you may do away with roosters given that hens don’t need them to lay eggs.
In Conclusion
There are a lot of benefits that come with raising chickens. Some of these benefits include providing your family with fresh eggs, free manure, entertainment, weed and pest control, and reduction of food waste. Therefore, keeping chickens is one of the best investments that will bring you more returns in a short time.
