I need your pros and cons of owning your backyard flock!

[wombat]

Pros

Fresh eggs

Children learning responsibility, and learning where food comes from.

Time spent with kids building runs and coops, hatching and raising birds.

Insect control - haven't seen a tick on the dog in ages.

More composting material for the garden!

I used to fret over damaged garden produce; now I delight in feeding the chickens extra treats. Nothing goes to waste!

Chickens are fun to watch.

It's amazing how many people at the large company I work at found out that I keep chickens and want to go "do lunch" to talk about how they can get started with their own flock.

Cons

Eventually your yard gets too small and you start looking at buying a small farm so you can get more chickens and animals.

 

[ducks4you]

I was gonna say "cheap eggs," then our friend brought over eggs from the U of I Ag dept, Tuesday egg sale, at $3.00/100 eggs (Welsummer and Leghorn, I think).

I guess I'll have to say entertainment, now...

 

[fldiver97]

Now these are in random order.....
Pro:
free fertilizer
great entertainment
bug control
weed contol (except dandelions....my chickens don't know they are supposed to eat dandelions)
eat kitchenscraps, banged up fruit
organic eggs from happy chickens (soon, I hope)
the knowledge that I know my eggs DO NOT COME FROM THOSE POOR BATTERY HENS
spend more time outside
I finally cleaned out the old gardenshed (to turn it into a chicken coop of course....)
they eat japanese beetles!!!!!
Getting rid of old paint (to paint the coop of course....)

Cons:
concern about neighbors
the urge to get more chickens
worry about predators

 

[SunAngel]

Pros:
A new experience for the whole family
The thrill of watching them grow/change
Friendliness
Meeting other BYC'ers
Hatching chicks from your own chickens
Having tons of eggs in the fridge at all times

Cons:
Refilling waterers (I am really beginning to hate this part)
Buying food constantly (my chicken food bill has doubled lately)
Raising chicks just to find out they are roos after getting attached
The losses (from sales, illnesses and predators)
Wanting every breed/chicken you see and then realizing you have too many and have to downsize.
Too much money spent on chicks/adults, coops, feeders, waterers, food, meds, heat lamp bulbs, wood, shavings, straw, sand, etc.
Not being able to go anywhere for more than a day (noone to watch them)
Worrying about the neighbors complaining about the rooster/s
The constant threat of germs, lice, mites, mice, flies, etc.
Noise
Cleaning coops & runs

I think I am a bit burned out....my con list is way more than my pro one.