7 Ways Backyard Chickens Make Life Better (YES They Are Worth It!)
There are truly limitless positive things that can be said about the benefits and joys of keeping backyard chickens. While adopting livestock animals is not without cost, responsibility, and effort, all that the experience requires from you is met with many rewards. Chickens don’t need nothing from you, but what they need is very simple and affordable to provide. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to provide your backyard chickens with an amazing existence! Chickens will repay your kindness and effort with eggs, meat, pest control, show opportunities, and companionship. I can describe how wonderful the experience is but nothing compares to living the wonder yourself.
Before I talk about some of the things I truly love about keeping backyard chickens, I’m going to mention some of the less pleasant realities. Chickens are living animals and they produce droppings. You will need to develop an effective cleaning routine to keep their housing sanitary and to keep them healthy and productive. Adopting any animal without doing prior research is inviting a negative experience. I highly encourage anyone considering adopting chickens for the first time to get a guide book and thoroughly research which breed and type of housing is right for their homestead goals. Chickens can’t survive on forage alone. Unlike their wild ancestors the red jungle fowl, chickens are domesticated livestock animals with different nutritional requirements depending on their age, breed, and purpose. While forage can absolutely be a portion of their diet, you will need to supplement their diet in some way, either with premade feed or other options, in order for them to produce eggs or meat and to remain healthy. The needs of egg laying flocks versus meat chicken flocks are very different both in housing and nutrition. Tailor your research efforts based on your specific homestead and family goals. *Additionally, learn about the legal implications of owning backyard chickens (or any animals) in your specific area before adopting your first chickens.
Backyard chickens make life amazing because…
Chickens provide your family with a reliable food source. A well cared for egg laying backyard flock can provide for a family for many years. A properly managed flock is healthy and productive. Living closer to the source of your family’s food can provide a sense of peace and stability.
Chickens teach you about the cycles of life. From baby chicks to aging flock members and those who have crossed the rainbow bridge, chickens will demonstrate to you on a daily basis the wonders and magnificence of the miracle that is life.
Chickens give you a reason to be outside daily. Sedentary lifestyles and endless hours working with screens have been shown in many ways to detrimentally impact individual health. Adopting chickens ensures you will be outside daily to provide them with basic care, collect eggs, and interact with your flock.
Chickens provide a sense of structure to your day. Chickens leave their coop in the morning and return to sleep and roost in their coop at night. Personally, I have found the natural rhythm of caring for backyard chickens immensely beneficial to my general sense of time and my awareness of the seasons.
Chickens help you connect with nature. While yes chickens are domesticated livestock animals many of the behaviors and instincts of their wild ancestors still remain with them. You can spend hours watching your backyard flock peacefully graze the backyard or play with toys and enrichment items in their well-maintained enclosure. Watching chickens is like having your own personal nature show. Even if you don’t have the option to free-range your chickens in your area, you can still build a safe run enclosure for them and provide them with an enriched, healthy, and happy life.
Chickens give you a way to network with other amazing backyard chicken people. Chickens break down barriers in our hearts and in our social circles. While you may differ from your neighbor in some ways, keeping backyard chickens is one of the wonderful things that builds bridges between families. People all over the world keep backyard flocks for their families.
Chickens help you rediscover your heritage. My great grandmother that I’m named after also kept a backyard flock her entire life. I regret I never was able to know her from my own memory, she passed shortly after I was born. From what I’m told, we have many things in common and I would like to think part of her heart and her legacy lives on in me and my family today. For the most part my parents didn’t have chickens while I was young and we lived in urban and suburban environments. Beginning my homesteading journey felt like coming home. Chickens help connect you with a slower, more fulfilling, traditional way of life. Homesteading is not a new concept. It is the basis of how our nation was founded and what our great grandparents simply thought of as daily life. Chickens are the heart of my homestead and pieces of my heart. When I work with my flock, I’m not only celebrating them but I’m connecting to my great grandmother and all of the amazing people who lived before me on small farms and homesteads everywhere who saw the virtues, benefits, and joys of a simple life.
Is it possible to have a negative experience with backyard chickens? Yes, as it is with any endeavor. However, this is usually a result of a lack of research or preparation. With a little forethought and planning, you can create a wonderful and rewarding experience for you, your family, and your new flock.
I hope this was helpful information regarding some of the wonderful things to expect once you begin your backyard chicken and homesteading journey. Before adopting any animals for your homestead or family, don’t forget to do your research to set you and your new homestead additions up for success! If you liked this post, be sure to check out Chuck’s other social media for more backyard chicken and homesteading content.
Chuck and the Chicks 