Chickens are some of the best backyard animals and often the first animals people introduce on their small homestead. We’ve been raising chickens for well over 10 years and love getting fresh eggs directly from our coop. But eggs aren’t the only benefits of having chickens! Below you can see some of the benefits of chickens
If you are new to raising chickens, start with our complete guide to raising chickens to help get you started on the right track.
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Benefits of Having Chickens
Fresh Eggs
A steady stream of fresh eggs is the most obvious and best benefits of having chickens. Not only will you have your own supply at your home, but you will know exactly wher eyou eggs came from.
Fresh eggs from a chicken coop are so much more rich and delicious that store bought eggs. This occurs mostly because backyard chickens have a wider diet and the protien and nutrients from bugs and plants make the eggs more delicious.
Benefits to the Garden
Chickens can benefit your garden in several ways. While free-roaming chickens tend to dig up plants, but you can create chicken tunnels and moveable runs to help guide chickens into the garden. Chickens can help clear garden space, eat bugs, and their poop will add rich nutrients to the ground.
Compost
When you clean out your chicken coop, make sure to use the material. Put the coop bedding and waste into a compost bin and in a year you will have rich and healthy compost to add to your garden.
Companions
Chickens make wonderful pets and have their own fun personalities. If you are keeping just a few chickens you will quickly get to know their sounds, their preferences and can enjoy watching them in their run or your yard. Kids will also love having chickens and getting the change to name each one.
Reduce Waste
Chickens love food scraps and are one of the best ways to reduce your food waste and overall trash. We love feeding left over apple cores, pasta, and other scraps to our chickens. Not only does this produce waste, but it also provide healthy food for your chickens to turn into delicious eggs.
Education
Having chickens in your yard is an opportunity to learn the importance of raising your own food. This is a wonderful way to teach kids about where food comes from and get them involved in raising animals on their own property. Kids learn the importance of feeding, watering and keeping chickens healthy.
Ethically Raised Meat
While many people choose to raise chickens just for their eggs, you can also raise backyard chickens for meat. We have chosen to just raise hens for eggs on our homestead, but many small homesteaders supply their family with healthy meat from their chickens.
Promoting Sustainability
Keeping chickens is one of the simplest ways to lead a more sustainable lifestyle. They help reduce kitchen scraps, provide natural fertilizer, eliminate bothersome garden pests, aid in composting, and deliver fresh, free-range eggs. Embracing chicken-keeping is among the most fulfilling steps towards a greener life.
Community
Raising chickens can also be a catalyst for building a stronger sense of community. Sharing your surplus eggs or even knowledge about chicken-keeping with neighbors and friends can foster connections and camaraderie within your local area. It’s a conversation starter and an opportunity to engage with others who may have similar interests, ultimately contributing to a more tightly-knit community.
Health Benefits
In addition to the protient from eggs, spending time outdoors taking care of chickens can have physical and mental health benefits, such as reducing stress and promoting exercise. Even on cold and rainy days, we still spend time outside with our chickens
Eggs and Feathers
Chickens can provide feathers and down, which can be used for crafting or sold. In addition, crushed eggshells can be used as a calcium supplement for plants or fed back to your chickens.
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