Before you start planning your Backyard Chicken Coop, be sure to read this handy Chicken Coop Checklist. It will save you time and stress!
BEWARE: There are scammers selling chicken coops that you will never receive. They use web addresses similar to ours and appear legitimate at first glance. Do your homework and stay safe.
Why Keep Chickens?
“Every time you consume factory-farmed chicken, veal, beef, pork, EGGS, or dairy, you’re eating antibiotics, pesticides, steroids, and hormones!“
– Rory Freedman
In case you’re not sold yet on chickens, here are ten excellent reasons to call them your own:
Great-tasting, Nutritious Eggs
We all love our dogs, cats and fish, but do they produce something edible? Or pay their way? Chickens do, and once you’ve dined on their eggs, you’ll never reach for a dozen in the supermarket again. They’re so much more flavorful, in no small part, because you’ll eat them when they’re only minutes or hours old, not weeks or months. You’ll even see the difference in the yolks, which are warm orange, not pale yellow.
Plus, you can feel right about the organic eggs you’ll feed your friends and family. All it takes to get organic eggs is to provide natural chicken feed!
Free-range hens lay eggs with:
• 1/3 less cholesterol
• More vitamin A
• Three times the vitamin E
• Two times the omega-3s
• 4-6 times more vitamin D
• Seven times more beta carotene 2/3
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• They taste better.
Chickens Have Personality Galore – Seriously
Each chicken has its own unique, quirky, kooky and endearing personality.
Get One Step Closer to Sustainable Living
- Reduce food waste.
Chickens can eat a variety of food scraps, including vegetable peels, fruit rinds, and bread crusts. It helps reduce the amount of food that goes to waste. - Provide fresh eggs.
Fresh eggs from your chickens are a healthy and sustainable source of protein. They are also free of hormones and antibiotics, which are common in commercial egg production. They are also much fresher than eggs you buy at the store, which can sit in a warehouse for weeks. - Produce compost.
Chicken manure is an excellent source of compost, which you can use to fertilise your garden. It helps to reduce your reliance on chemical fertilisers, which can pollute the environment. - Help control pests.
Chickens will eat insects, snails, and other pests that can damage your garden. It helps to keep your garden healthy and pest-free without the need for pesticides. - Provide companionship.
Chickens can be great pets. They are social animals that enjoy being around people and can provide you with years of enjoyment.
A Healthy Lawn without the Chemicals
Chickens love to range freely, and allowing them to do so kills the proverbial two birds with one stone: they’ll eat any garden pest they can get their beaks on and turn it all into treasure in the form of fertiliser. Say goodbye to toxic, costly pest control solutions, wasteful bags and bottles of commercial fertilisers. Chickens will even cut down on the amount of mowing you do because they love to eat grass.
One Man’s Unappealing Leftovers are Another Chicken’s Feast
Chickens can eat almost anything people can, and they adore “people food”, so you can throw those unwanted leftovers into the chicken run. However, be cautious with the garlic and onion unless you want your eggs to have an unusual taste. Please don’t give them avocados and uncooked potatoes, as they poison chickens.
A Balanced Compost Pile
Composting is a great way to reduce your ecological footprint, and a nitrogen-rich compost pile is a healthy one. What better to provide nitrogen than chicken poo? Eggshells are a great addition, too, especially in areas with high clay content in the soil. At the end of the composting process, you’ll have “black gold” soil because it’s rich and fertile.
Handy Leaf, Weed, and Grass Clipping Removal
Leaves, weeds and grass clippings are a treat for Gallus gallus domesticus; They’ll happily dig through whatever you give them, eat what they can, and pulverise the rest. Give a small flock a heap of the yard and garden debris; a week later, it’ll be gone without a trace.
Save a Chicken from a Factory-Farm Life
If you’re aware of conditions in factory farms, even in some of the so-called “free-range” farms, we needn’t say more. If you’re not, please research it. Factory farming is terrifyingly cruel. The good news is that by keeping a few pet chickens of your own, you’re reducing the demand for store-bought eggs and sending a message to those factory farms that you don’t want what they’re selling.
The Very Definition of Low-Maintenance
Chickens don’t need to be walked, brushed, or fed twice daily. Mostly, all you have to do is gather eggs daily, refill their water and food containers a couple of times a week, and change their bedding once a month.
Be the Coolest Kid on the Block
Despite their many merits, backyard chickens are still relatively uncommon. Impress neighbours, friends and family by being the first person they know to have chickens. Amaze them with the green eggs from your Ameraucana hens. Confound them by scooping up your pet chicken and cuddling it. Astound them when your chicken falls asleep in your arms after you’ve lovingly stroked its comb and wattles. Make them green with envy at the lawn your flock has made effortlessly fabulous.
Chickens are, after all, the most “chic” pets you could have. And we think it’s time for everyone to know.
