Why do you guys choose to have backyard chickens?

Just though I would throw in my two cents.
1) Start up cost is HIGH. For me anyway. Mostly the coop. But there are ways to prevent spending too much and I should have done that looking back like people giving away sheds and other stuff. Overall though cost to build was about $300. It was all new stuff though from Home D. But the city permit was only $15.
2) Chicks are cute, simply put and cheap.
3) Eggs. Lots of them.
4) Closer to nature, understanding more about your own food. As Spencer would say less homogienaity means for a better society.
5) Again, a lot of stuff you would want you can get for free! I can't stress this enough as I am just learning it from not to long ago. I got 6 large bails of straw for free left over from some concert. I havent even used one yet.
6) compost for your garden
7) THEY WEED THE WHOLE YARD!! Seriously though, I hate weeding and dumping poison on the grass.
 
So much to learn about gardening,I have yet to be that successful!!! This sounds great though. I do have a lot of knowledge to get, and a lot of habits to get into it. Its a bit overwhelming, between learning about chicken raising, to learning how to train my dog how to protect and not eat them, to learning how to garden better, to learning how to have a meal worm farm....I wish I knew someone local that could show me their farm and teach me. Then could come to my house and guide me..

Since you (like me) don't have a local mentor, you might find these two books useful:

http://www.amazon.com/Gaias-Garden-...0298/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328223362&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Small-Scale-P...2908/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328223385&sr=8-1

I've recommended the second one so often that the author really ought to buy me a beer or something. ;) But it's a darned useful book, sort of integrating the ideas that people like Plamandon and Salatin are rediscovering with small-scale, sustainable, sort of homesteady living.
 
I had been lobbying my wife for a while to get Ducks, not chickens. Chickens were a compromise and the selling point for her was when I told her they eat a lot of bugs...

Being avid gardeners, this did the trick!!

We had a HORRIBLE time w/ slugs and snails for years, and after we started our girls free ranging in the back yard near the raised beds, the slug/snail problem went to ZERO.

If you are looking at saving some money preparing for your long term needs - take up growing your own garden and get some chickens - they go hand in hand!

As is said above, factor in the great tasting eggs that you merely have to go out and gather, the great fertilizer, pest control and never underestimate the joy of Chicken TV - it's been worth every penny.

It takes all of a two minutes to gather the 3-5 eggs per day we get (5 hens), and I deal with the feed/water twice a week, about 10 minutes each time. I clean the coop/run more often than needed but even that amounts to about 20 minutes a month...

mj

Welcome to BYC, mj!!!
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I had a friend who had raised chickens in 4H as a kid. He started then again on the side of his house when we were in Jr. high and High school. It was alot of fun and mischief to get into.. yes we stole a couple chickens in the 70's. Kids are all grown up, seemed like the thing to do. Economicly I tend to overdue things so I don't think I turn a profit, but I enjoy hangin with the dogs and the girls. My Wife is of North Dakota Ranch stock and can't get enough of those fresh eggs. I guess it's just a natural progression.
 
My lawn maintenance secret is this:

The more chicken run and garden space you have, the less lawn you have to maintain. ;)

I'm lucky in that the entire back yard is there for the taking. Even the sheds have curious chicken prints all over the floors. They also do a good job of raking pine needles from the two pine trees.
 
We definitely haven't saved any money here yet, but the entertainment value is priceless.

I find them fascinating as animals. I love watching the rooster show the girls where to lay an egg, the different noises they make, broody hen raising a chick, etc. It seems like I am always learning something.

Yes, there is quite a bit of work involved, but this is the type of work I love!
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I'll also suggest another book for you--the pictures alone may convince you that you need to add chickens to your backyard:
http://www.amazon.com/Free-Range-Ch...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328280983&sr=1-1

I've wanted chickens since I was a little girl, but it took over 30 years for me to finally get them!
They are probably the most fascinating pets I've ever had, and as others have said, the experience of going out to the nest box and collecting three to five warm, freshly laid eggs every day (I only have 5 hens) is unparalleled!
Granted, my girls' eggs are very expensive, given all of the money I've invested in their health and happiness! But I don't believe that you can put a price on the value of a pet. Like my dog and cat, my hens are a part of my family, and I just won't skimp on them. I'd sooner do without something myself.

They bring me such joy, and I've been fortunate that they have all grown from day-old chicks without any major health or behavioral problems. There's great info. on this forum, but if you read the Emergencies and Health Issues thread, it can have you thinking that chicks and hens are extremely fragile creatures, prone to all sorts of disease and predation.
In reality, they are very easy to maintain and keep predator-free. All that is required is some common sense. I've read many books prior to establishing my small flock, but there is no substitute for actual experience.

This spring's project is creating a chicken garden in my small, suburban backyard--a relaxing, peaceful oasis for my family--furry, feathered and otherwise...
 
I love having multicolored eggs in a basket! Pink, tan, green, blue, rust and big white duck eggs too! Its like Christmas and Easter every day. lol. I like taking a 10 minute chore and turning it into an hour and a half, just to be outside with my chickens and ducks. I have a wonderful livestock guardian dog (half bernese mt. dog and half border collie) who learned from the roosters alert to look to the sky for large birds and chase them off. Also give credit to the crows that roost in the pine trees nearby. Have seen them chase redtailed hawks out of the area more than once. It's just a wonderful way to enjoy nature in general.
 

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