Are there any benefits of raising backyard chickens you ask? So, you find yourself daydreaming about pasture-raised eggs often these days. You have a handful of friends who are chicken owners and rave about all the benefits. You’ve already visualized where the backyard coop will go.
Now you just need to put together your pros and cons list to be certain this is for you. Chicken keeping is much more common these days. People are even raising small flocks in urban areas and learning more about how to pick the right chicken breed for their environment.
Whether you’re looking to adopt an adult chicken flock or start with baby chicks, there are so many benefits. Yes, there are some downsides too. Let’s get started going over the pros and cons of keeping chickens.
Benefits of Chickens in Your Backyard and The Downsides
1. A Source of Organic Eggs
Organic eggs are a great alternative to store-bought options. Homeowners are raising flocks for both egg production and a healthier meat source. Certain breeds need certain care. Do your homework to learn which breed would be right for you and what the needs of the birds are. If you live in a part of the country that has harsh winters, know which breeds are cold-hardy.
How Many Chickens Will You Need?
If you’re raising hens for egg collection you don’t need many. We suggest you have a flock size of no less than 3 and up to 6 hens. Many breeds will lay one egg every 24 hours. This is a manageable size flock and will produce enough for most families. Just one bird is not advised. If you’re unable to accommodate at least 3 chicks, you may want to wait.
Find out more about how long a chicken will lay for and their average life expectancy.
Health Benefits of fresh backyard eggs vs store-bought eggs
If you’ve ever had a fresh egg, you know there are visible differences. The shells are harder, the yolks are brighter, and even harder to break up. Crack a store-bought egg next to a fresh egg and the yolk color is not hard to identify at all.
Eggs from hens that roam free are given the chance to consume a varied diet of seeds, bugs, and fresh grass. Free Range hens also get sunshine and exercise which are proven to produce eggs that are higher in Calcium, Lutein, Vitamin A, Vitamin E as well as Vitamin D. Not only do farm eggs have less saturated fat and cholesterol but they’re higher in omega-3 fatty acids which are essential for your day-to-day functioning.
Farm fresh eggs are higher in omega-3 fatty acids because free-range hens are able to forage for foods that are natural for a chicken to eat. This isn’t found in the diets of commercial factory farms that produce store-bought eggs.
Note: During shorter daylight hours, the Vitamin content may decline, similar to how it does in humans.
2. Natural, Healthy, and Humane Source of Meats
Raising your own backyard flock is a great way to make meat and eggs without using hormones. The birds eat well, live a natural life, and the meat quality reflects this.
Raising backyard chickens can benefit you by providing fresh meals for dinner.
Knowing your meal is coming from a humanely raised bird, along with knowing what feeds went into the meal you are about to consume is about making healthy choices.
3. Fresh Eggs Can Put Some Extra Cash in Your Pocket
If you’re looking for ways to make a little extra cash, raising backyard chickens is a great option. There is a range of ways to make money from your chicken coops and the eggs that come from them.
You can sell fresh eggs in the spring and summer. Not to mention that you will save money producing your own backyard eggs.
Raising your own backyard flock can offer a number of benefits, including the ability to create your own food and build a more self-sufficient homestead.
4. Free Fertilizer from Your Chicken Coop
One of the benefits of raising chickens in your backyard is that you can get free fertilizer for your garden. Chicken manure is an excellent source of nitrogen and other nutrients for your garden. In fact, chicken droppings are high in nitrogen and can easily be added to the garden. However, you must compost chicken droppings before applying them to a vegetable garden.
Add the chicken manure (droppings) to your compost pile over the winter and you’ll have a healthy free compost mixture ready for your spring garden.
5. Backyard Flock = Free Weed Control
Feathered Flocks are excellent for pulling weeds. In fact, they may do a better job of it than herbicides. They love to eat dandelions, thistles, and other pesky plants.
However, you will need to keep an eye on them or make a separate chicken garden to prevent them from foraging in your vegetable garden or plants.
Your backyard flock of chickens eats insect populations with the best of them, but they also eat lettuce, other plants you’d rather be eating. Backyard chicken keepers everywhere have experienced this dilemma. They eventually need to look into controlling their own chickens from devouring their hard-earned garden crop.
No worries, we have all the tips you need for keeping chickens out of unwanted areas.
6. Natural Pest Control
There are many benefits to raising backyard chickens, one of which is that they can act as natural pest control. Your flock will forage for bugs and garden pests, helping to keep the insect population under control.
Having a few backyard chickens around is a great way to keep your garden and yard healthy and free of unwanted pests!
Bonus: This all contributes to healthier eggs.
7. Family Friendly Pets for Children of All Ages
Many young children would love to have a pet, but parents are hesitant because they think the child will not be able to take care of it. Pets are a big responsibility and should not be taken lightly. However, there are some pets that are relatively low maintenance and make great family pets for young children.
A small flock of kid-friendly breed of chicks can be just what you’re looking for. They’re easily cared for, and teach a lot of life skills and lessons. Chickens don’t need to be walked and they’re relatively quiet. Of course, they need proper care but needs are easy enough for anyone to handle, especially first-time pet owners.
Teaching your kids to help in collecting eggs and the basics of chicken keeping are great family bonding moments that can also lead to some wonderful educational opportunities.
Another advantage of having backyard chickens is that they provide an opportunity for family bonding and spending time outside together.
8. Chickens are Entertaining
Chickens are a great source of entertainment for the whole family.
Picture sitting out in your yard sipping on a nice cold glass of iced tea (insert your favorite cold beverage here) and gazing into your yard watching your own flock of backyard hens wandering, foraging, or playing a game of hide and seek behind a plant or two.
They can be relaxing and enjoyable to just sit back and watch as you relax on a hot summer day away.
Chickens have also been known to follow behind kids, clucking cutely at them when they have treats. This is a great way to get children interested in taking care of chickens and learn more about them!
Raising chickens is an easy way to get your hands dirty and learn about chickens while having lots of fun with your whole family!
Raising chickens in your backyard has so many benefits. Chickens are a project for the whole family to enjoy!
Related Reading: Read About Brahma Hens and Roosters Here.
Related Reading: Find Out About Blue Egg Layers like the Ameraucana and Araucana Hens Here.
9. Gets You Outside
One of the best benefits of having backyard chickens is that everyone in the family gets outside. Even if your children are glued to their phones or gaming systems, they will eventually have to go outside and take care of the chickens, even in the winter.
This goes for the adults stuck at a desk all day either at home or in an office. Having something that forces them to spend time outdoors has health and mental health benefits.
10. They’ll Happily Eat Your Kitchen Scraps
One of the best benefits many chicken keepers enjoy when raising chickens is that they take care of your kitchen scraps. Chickens will often devour leftover food like that head of lettuce that went brown in the bottom of your fridge.
Chicken flocks are great food recyclers and good for the environment. Kitchen scraps are a great way to attract bugs into their run areas too. Toss some in, and insects are sure to swarm their way in, making a well-balanced diet for your flock. They should only be fed 10% scraps and treats in their diet.
This all helps contribute to a healthier, happier flock that can produce eggs that are rich in nutrients. Bonus: You get to say goodbye to Kitchen Waste!
11. Stepping into a Sustainable Living World
Raising chickens helps you learn more about the importance of living sustainably. Chickens are a gateway to homesteading and other sustainable practices. They’re perfect for those who want to reduce their food waste footprint.
They will provide you with food, entertainment (and great therapy), and other benefits. Chickens take up less space than a dog but have more personality than a pet fish. Raising chickens in your backyard assures a steady supply of eggs, which is especially helpful if you like to cook from scratch or want to save money on groceries.
For more information on living a more sustainable life, we suggest reading Mother Earth News here.
Read About The Leghorn Chicken and It’s Prolific Egg Laying (White Eggs) Here.
Everyday Challenges of Raising Chickens in the Suburbs
Watch Your Step! Manure Everywhere
Chicken manure is great for home gardens and growing food. It’s organic, free, and easy to find- just look for a pile of it somewhere near your chicken coop!
Once you’ve got your hands on some chicken manure, what do you do with it? You can pile it somewhere and use it as fertilizer later, or you can add it to your garden’s soil, specifically with the chicken’s waste.
The problem is it’s constant and everywhere. If you’re free-range raising your birds, think twice before wiggling your barefoot toes in the grass.
Behavior Concerns
Chickens are social animals and can form bonds with their caretakers. However, sometimes chickens exhibit undesirable behavior, such as feather picking or bullying. In these cases, it is important to intervene to maintain a healthy flock.
Getting attached is part of owning pets. Chicken keepers often find themselves with too many roosters and need to separate or even rid themselves of the problem. It can be hard to find a good home and, for some, equally as hard sending the bird out to be processed for food products.
Other problems can be aggressive breeds, pecking order battles, and stressed birds that need more space. Know your breeds before you cohabitate with them.
Outlive Their Productive Phase
Chickens are amazing creatures and can provide eggs for 4-5 years. However, after that time they stop laying eggs and become a burden on the farmer. At this point, the farmer has to make a tough decision: keep them around and hope they lay some more eggs or slaughter them for meat. When chickens stop laying eggs, plan ahead by raising more chicks to replace older hens.
Learn about why chickens stop laying eggs here.
Harvesting (aka dressing) Chickens
Chickens are both time-consuming and messy to process. Many people choose to raise chickens for their eggs, but if you’re raising them for meat, you’ll need to know how to properly harvest (aka dress or slaughter) them. There are a few different ways to do this. If you’re not prepared or don’t have the stomach for this stage, be sure you have a local place of business to which you can bring birds for this part.
Not always a Good Side Hustle
If you’re thinking of raising chickens in your backyard as a moneymaker, think carefully! Free-roaming birds and certain breeds do consume less feed than others, thus costing less. Buying large amounts of feed may save you money, but not if the feed gets buggy or moldy in humid hot weather.
However, You can reasonably expect to make the cost of feed and care back from selling eggs. Be sure to ask customers to bring back crates for re-using.
Most people who raise backyard chickens do so more for the pleasure of having them around than anything else.
Initial Expenses
Raising chickens can be a fun and rewarding experience, but there are some upfront costs to consider. For example, you’ll need to buy chicks, and housing them in a coop can be expensive. A good chicken coop will enhance the safety of your chickens and can even ease daily care.
Feed needs to change as chicken gets older, they can have heft appetites if not in a good size run where they can forage for insects. Keeping to the 10% snacks rule, kitchen waste can help contribute to reduced feed costs.
You might find yourself becoming a consummate collector of gadgets for your chickens – from automatic waterers to feeders that dispense just the right amount of food at the right time. Oh, and the chicken toys can be a big waste of money, don’t do it. They’re just as happy with homemade swings and strategically placed branches to roost on in their run.
Know your local laws
If you’re interested in raising backyard chickens, it’s important to be aware of the neighborhoods that have covenants or restrictions against them. Check with your local town for their laws on having backyard poultry. Be neighborly and share the bounty when you can.
Predators Beware
Your new backyard chickens may start attracting predators to your yard. This could mean wild animals like coyotes, foxes, weasels, and skunks. These are not new to neighborhoods but could pose a deadly problem to your backyard flock. Keeping them safe and secure when they are not being watched will go a long way to eliminating the danger
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