Who would’ve thought that chickens would become the most popular pet in 2014?
Okay, so maybe chickens aren’t exactly the MOST popular pet…yet, but trust me, they will be soon. Give it five years and everybody will be walking their chickens on a leash in the mornings instead of walking their dogs.
Sorry, dogs. Learn how to lay eggs and maybe you’ll get to be the favorite again.
Have you ever wanted to raise chickens, but have been on the fence about it? Well, today’s the day you’ll stop going back and forth on that decision. Today’s the day to make the right choice for your family. And I’m 99% sure that choice will include purchasing some chickens.
6 Reasons to Keep Backyard Chickens
1. Chickens give you food.
Did you know that chickens lay eggs?! And did you know that YOU can eat those eggs?! It’s true! One chicken can lay one egg a day about 330 out of 365 days in the year. Not too shabby. Eggs are full of vitamins A, D, & E, as well as B1, B2, B6, & B12. Additionally, eggs provide folate, riboflavin, choline and the minerals Phosphorus, Calcium, Iron, Iodine, Selenium, & Zinc as well as the antioxidants lutein & zeaxanthin. Eggs also are a good source of omega 3 fatty acids, including DHA, EPA, ALA, and AA.
In addition to that, according to this study of 14 flocks across the United States, eggs that come from chicken who are allowed to roam on a yard and be in the sunlight (also called “pastured-raised”) have:
- 3 times MORE Vitamin A
- 2 times MORE Omega-3’s
- 7 times MORE Beta-carotene
- 6 times MORE Vitamin D
2. Feeding chickens is easy.
I literally spend about 5 minutes a day feeding & watering our chickens. Actually, I take that back. My KIDS spend about 5 minutes each day feeding & watering out chickens. Other than that, I don’t worry too much about them. We provide a gorgeous coop with a place to lay eggs, roost at night, & keep warm & dry. We give them fresh water and organic, GMO-free, canola & soy free grain.
Caring for chickens is incredibly easy because you can leave for vacation and just leave enough food & water out for them and they’ll be fine while you’re gone. Chickens are definitely low-maintenance pets.
3. Feeding chickens is inexpensive.
Regular feed will cost you about $11.00 for a 50 lb. bag. With the price of regular feed, a dozen eggs will cost you about 82 cents. Organic, GMO-free, canola & soy free feed will cost you about $24.00 for a 50 lb. bag and a dozen eggs will cost you about $1.75.
Paying $1.75 for 100% Organic, GMO-free, canola & soy free, pasture-raised eggs is an AMAZING deal!
You will have to factor in your start up costs. Baby chicks are about $2-$3 per chick and won’t start laying until around 6 months of age. You can purchase older chickens, but they cost more money, around $20.
As far as a coop goes, you can go as big or as little as you like. Just be sure it’s one that you can winterize, as my friend Claire from The Happy Chicken Coop writes about in her book.
4. Chickens are free pest control.
This is sustainable living at its finest. You definitely won’t have to worry about bugs at your house if you have chickens. They will eat ’em up before they can even make it inside your house. Free pest control is amazing.
In Arizona where I live, scorpions are a big problem. Chickens will eat scorpions if they come across them, but scorpions come out at night and chickens are out during the days, so it’s rare that their paths cross. Chickens are more likely to eat the scorpions food source (aka bugs), making the scorpions move elsewhere. Our scorpion population is a LOT lower than our neighbors. Yet another reason to keep chickens:)
5. Chickens are entertaining.
I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard as the first time I saw one of our chickens run across the yard full speed. It’s hilarious how they are interested in everything and recognize you as their friend with food. If you have children, then they’ll have an amazing time raising chickens and laughing while doing it!
6. Chickens are sustainable.
Chickens will start decreasing their egg production from 3 years old on. Last July there was an article titled, “Backyard chickens dumped at shelters when hipsters can’t cope, critics say“. The article criticizes those who choose to have backyard chickens and then don’t know what to do with them when they no longer can lay eggs.
My opinion is when chickens are no longer able to lay eggs, they make a perfect broth or soup. Older chickens tend to be tougher, so they are best for this purpose. They would also make a great meal for a dog or cat. Our ancestors wouldn’t allow their chickens to live past their egg-laying days, it simply wasn’t sustainable. We love our chickens and care for them holistically and let them enjoy a full life, but we use them for food, and we have no issues with butchering them when the time comes. It’s the circle of life:)
Want to learn more about Raising Chickens?
Introducing the brand new book ALL about chickens!
I love this book. The images are gorgeous, the coop ideas make me envious, and the advice is genius. This book even helped me stretch my feed even further by a fermentation process & I was able to save 50 cents per dozen on my eggs! Woohoo!
If you want to get chickens and do it the right way from the beginning, then buy this book. You won’t regret it!
Hi Danella!
First let me start by you are such an amazing MOM and wow i cant get over how beautiful you are and your farm!!!! I see you have loads of experience in all aspects of farming hence here goes some questions hope you can help me!
1.I have purchased from a farm a pullet and i noticed she has bumble foot. Any suggestions how to get rid of it?
2.My roosters are pretty aggressive and 2 of my hens are starting to get a naked neck any suggestions how or what to put so it should grow back. (I did purchase Saddles for my hens with butterfly wings from down and under which is great!) however the neck bothers me.
My hens and roosters are free range pasture raised organic feed etc they are happy and are really spoiled. With alot of space so space isnt an issue thank G-d.
Thank you !
Hi Rose-
This link should help you with your chicken’s bumblefoot:
https://thefewellhomestead.com/treating-bumblefoot-essential-oils-herbs/
As for the rooster make sure he and the others have plenty of space, and protein and mineral rich diet. If he continues to be a problem you may need to separate him from the hens.
You can also try to use German chamomile and Helichrysum. It helps with feather plucking issues.
Best of luck with your chickens.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Recently my 4 hens have been picking at each other. It is mostly around the neck. The quill of the feather is still there but the top is gone. I heard that once chickens start a habit, it is hard to break them from it. Is there anything I can do to stop them?
Hi Danni-
Yes, it is a hard habitat to break. Chickens will do this if they are stressed, low on protein, or if they have a parasite issue.
Try to determine which may be the cause and remedy it accordingly. Hopefully they will quit picking.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Right before they started picking at each other, we left them under a neighbor’s care while we were out of town for a week. He cared for them differently than I usually would. I think that is what stressed them out. How can I remedy this?
Hi Danni-
Yep, that’ll do it.
Now, if possible, increase the space they have (that’s a big helper) and also increase their calcium and protein.
If it doesn’t stop, you can remove the worst offender and/or separate out the one that gets picked on the most.
Good luck with your chickens! -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Great post! We have had chickens over a year now here in deep East Texas and can’t imagine our life without them… We have 17 girls and get 16 eggs a day…plenty to keep and share. We had a horrendous bark scorpion problem here…up to 4 scorpions a week would be found cruising around our house. We paid mega money on all kinds of pesticides and pest control guys….didn’t even put a dent in them. Within 6 months, the girls have decimated the scorpion population! Not one scorpion has been spotted since last year!!
That is great about your chickens, eggs, and scorpions! I hope things keep going well. Thanks for reading and posting! -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hi. I just came across this blog! Great work here. Are chickens generally allowed in most cities and communities in and around Phoenix?
The chickens do a darn good job keeping bugs and weeds at bay, and besides, the hens will peck at anything and everything to check it out, so don t put anything out there for them to eat that you don t want to eat yourself.
I love chickens! I love the personalities of each bird, plus I love that I can get varieties that lay tinted eggs (Really pretty for hand blowing and decorating with). And, another great back yard egg layer are ducks! Their eggs are bigger, and their nutrients vary from a chickens (A little more of some of the vitamins I think, don’t know exactly off the top of my head). One of the things I love most about duck eggs is that they have less water and more fat, which is great for baking. They’re also one of the few alkaline producing foods (leaving your body with more alkaline than before), which is beneficial because cancer cells don’t thrive in an alkaline environment (Huge for me because I have history of breast cancer on both sides of my family). Just thought I would put it out there! They’re also pretty easy keepers. A converted dog house with nest boxes and a kiddy pool they can ‘swim’ in and dip their bills in is some of their basic care needs. Love the blog! (New to it, and new to homesteading. Just got my chickens and ducks this year after a lot of research. Will be getting goats next year probably!)
Awesome!
I love my chickens, especially the green egger I named Olive, because she lays olive colored eggs. (I’m SO literal, I know!) When ever I come out the back door with a bowl full of greens the girls start jumping up and down for joy, it’s hilarious! My county only allows us to have 5 chickens. 5 which is one less than half a dozen. What? Do bureaucrats have something against the number “6” ? Anyway, I’m just glad we can have 5! Love the coop Danelle, it’s gorgeous!
Thank you!
how big of a back yard would we need to have to raise chickens?
Not very big at all! I’d say you’d only need 4 sq. ft per chicken, so just multiply that by how many chickens you want!
We used to feed our chickens commercial feed, until we realized that we have absolutely no idea what’s in it.
Now, we feed a lot more table scraps (meat, veg, peelings, dairy), as well as a mix of wheat, oats, BOSS, and whatever else we have around.
Our chickens free-range our property, so we won’t have to feed as much now that Spring has sprung. They only need enough “human supplied” food to keep them coming back to the chicken coop each night.
Yes, I would also like to know where you buy your feed.
I live in Arizona and I purchase my chicken feed, goat grain (for the milking stand), and goat alfalfa pellets all from a Buyer’s Club called the Phoenix Organic Feed Wholesale Group(https://www.phoenixorganicfeed.com/). A group like this could be started in any city in the US. You just need a big enough group of people ordering and somebody to organize it:) You can also purchase organic feed through Azure Standard (https://www.azurestandard.com/). Call them and they’ll tell you if there is a drop off point close to where you live.
I WOULD like to raise chickens but I have been afraid of it. I don’t mind the birds as food part but I am so squeamish I know I can’t do that myself and my husband is even worse than I am! So what do you do to protect them from hawks or eagles? Or other predators for that matter- we have many!
WE have a pet Rooster who come in the house every night also he has his joice of going out are staying in when the weather is bad like to let you know he wears a diaper while in the house we haven’t figure out how to house train him.Along with two dog a golden and a border collie with two cats he fits right in with his place on the sofa he like to watch my wife work on her lap top.you can get the diapers on line.
Another request for feed info…….I live in AZ as well and would like to get I on that deal.
I live in Arizona and I purchase my chicken feed, goat grain (for the milking stand), and goat alfalfa pellets all from a Buyer’s Club called the Phoenix Organic Feed Wholesale Group(https://www.phoenixorganicfeed.com/). A group like this could be started in any city in the US. You just need a big enough group of people ordering and somebody to organize it:) You can also purchase organic feed through Azure Standard (https://www.azurestandard.com/). Call them and they’ll tell you if there is a drop off point close to where you live.
I also would love.to know what brand feed you use !
I live in Arizona and I purchase my chicken feed, goat grain (for the milking stand), and goat alfalfa pellets all from a Buyer’s Club called the Phoenix Organic Feed Wholesale Group(https://www.phoenixorganicfeed.com/). A group like this could be started in any city in the US. You just need a big enough group of people ordering and somebody to organize it:) You can also purchase organic feed through Azure Standard (https://www.azurestandard.com/). Call them and they’ll tell you if there is a drop off point close to where you live.
Chickens are wonderful and a great chore to teach my son responsibility. We have to protect our hens 24/7 from hawks, coyotes, and raccoons, so that makes allowing them to roam very difficult. Also keeping water in liquid form during this very cold winter has been challenging. My husband plans to build a chicken tractor, so hopefully they will be happy eating grass and bugs this summer.
I love my hens, not only are they food producers but they make for some great entertainment. The eggs have actually been some a great bartering tool and have traded them for venison, dog classes, vegetables, small handmade products, and several other things that I can’t think of right now. I let them free roam the backyard so they get to eat more than just what I give them. Actually, between what they find and the table scraps, they don’t really eat much feed so they’ve been pretty cheap to keep.
It really sucks that in my area I can only have 6 hens and no roosters, hoping to one day move to an area where we can have more.
I would love to know what you feed your chickens and where in the world you are able to find it for such a good price. The cheapest organic chicken feed I can find in my whole state is $40 for a 50lb bag after tax!
I live in Arizona and I purchase my chicken feed, goat grain (for the milking stand), and goat alfalfa pellets all from a Buyer’s Club called the Phoenix Organic Feed Wholesale Group(https://www.phoenixorganicfeed.com/). A group like this could be started in any city in the US. You just need a big enough group of people ordering and somebody to organize it:) You can also purchase organic feed through Azure Standard (https://www.azurestandard.com/). Call them and they’ll tell you if there is a drop off point close to where you live.
All great points…but I am ABSOLUTELY terrified of chickens!! Don’t get me started on roosters. I get goosebumps just saying the word and picturing one. Really bad experiences with our chickens and roosters when I was little. Traumatized for life. But I do miss the eggs!!
Like ladies are my babies. All I have to say is here chick chick chick, and I am completely surrounded by hand-holdable, petable adoring pals (even Mr. Rooster). Whenever I am sad or upset all I have to do is go sit in the chicken coop and I am surrounded by my very curious friends. They all come to say hi and jump up on me completely make me forget about the rest of the world! I have a fenced in yard and on nice days I let them roam freely. They always return to their coup every evening. This helps keep them safe from raccoons and other nightly predators as I live next to the woods. I love my ladies and that’s why my Aunt termed me “The Chicken Lady”.
Can you tell me what feed you use for your chickens? I do organic but want to go soy-free. Lovely post BTW 🙂
I live in Arizona and I purchase my chicken feed, goat grain (for the milking stand), and goat alfalfa pellets all from a Buyer’s Club called the Phoenix Organic Feed Wholesale Group(https://www.phoenixorganicfeed.com/). A group like this could be started in any city in the US. You just need a big enough group of people ordering and somebody to organize it:) You can also purchase organic feed through Azure Standard (https://www.azurestandard.com/). Call them and they’ll tell you if there is a drop off point close to where you live.
I completely agree. I love my chickens. I never knew I was going to enjoy th so much. I also live in Az and had scorpions in my house all the time. Since I got my chickens 3 years ago I have not seen one in my house! Plus, I sell my extra eggs at work. My coworkers love them and the money goes to buying their feed.