subject: Backyard Chickens - Advantages You Should Consider [print this page] Are you considering getting some backyard chickens this fall? The past time of raising and taking care of ones own chickens has been a growing trend over the last few years. What are the advantages of having chickens at home? The first reason most often repeated by chicken-raising enthusiasts is that of the delicious tasting and nutritionally dense fresh eggs. Clocking in at less than 70 calories, a cooked egg can be a diet healthy option. Eggs actually contain all the essential protein, minerals and vitamins your body needs, except Vitamin C. (So be sure you have a glass of orange juice with breakfast so you are starting the day out on the right foot!) Choline, the newest member of the vitamin B family, is found in eggs and is a big brain booster. No wonder they call it the incredible egg. Raising your own chickens is going to give you more than enough of these nutrition powerhouses, as one single hen can lay up to 250 eggs in one year!Another advantage of owning your own backyard chickens is that they are friendly and make fun pets. What was the last thing your cat or dog really did for you? Not only can pet chickens give you fresh eggs they can also help impart valuable life lessons to your children. Watching a baby chick hatch out of an egg will certainly be a thrill your child wont soon forget. Children can be taught responsibility when they are assigned to feed and water the chickens, as well as clean out the coop. The pay off, of course, is allowing them to gather up their very own eggs for breakfast. One taste of those fresh eggs and they will know that hard work pays off.
Chickens can also be a great way to control the bug population in your yard without the need for nasty chemical sprays and poisons. Chickens love to peck around and find tasty things like slugs, worms and fly eggs. Backyard chickens also love to eat seeds, which includes the seeds of weeds. Its like having your own automated weed whacker! Allowing your chickens to peck the yard in fall will show results come spring, with less weeds then ever popping up. What an easy way to reduce bugs and weedsall in one cute pet sized clucker! Backyard chickens are so easy to maintain and are so cost effective you are sure to wonder why you didnt buy them sooner. Their droppings even make the best fertilizer for those interested in growing their own gardens, and their clawing for bugs actually helps aerate the soil. Having chickens is also the perfect conversation starter. Imagine telling someone your hobbies and including raising chickens in your own backyard. That is sure to get the conversation going.
Whatever your reason for having chickens at home, you are sure to find many new advantages to owning them. Start your new hobby by talking to someone knowledgeable about chicken farming.
