Why do you guys choose to have backyard chickens?

[chickchicks]

what your wrote sounds very interesting,
i love the idea of it but i think for myself i would not know wherer to start and be overwhelmed by it all, love the idea though - do you have a large property for all thisand your ideas of expansin ... sadly i live with my mum for now and live in street with no large grounds just small gardens and busy traffic.
the idea though does sound amazing to be that self sustained and be able to want more too the idea is very intreguing to me .

 

[kizanne]

Why I keep chickens

1. I'm a bit paranoid and like the fact if the world goes to hell I have a food source, I don't have a rooster but my girls free range well. I of course give them all they can eat food but in a pinch I could cut back.

2. I don't want to eat chicken sadness. Anyone who looks at the way chickens are treated in the ConAg setting really should have a hard time eating eggs or meat.

3. I want to control more of what I eat. I know exactly what my chickens eat and what goes into their bodies which ends up in mine.

4. I want to eat healthier. My eggs are higher in beta carotene, vitamin D, omega 3's and lower in saturated fat.

4. I don't want to contribute to GMO corn production. I can not fathom how people think spraying acres and acres of food about to be harvested with round up is a great idea for either their food or for the animals in the area.

5. I don't want to contribute to the mass production of soy. Soy is also GMO now and many of the rainforests are being torn down to grow soy. The feed I give my chickens is Non-GMO, no soy.

6. I love my girls they are just really funny and have their own personalities, and other than initial start up cost they pay for themselves and give me free eggs.

7. I save money. I go through $24 worth of feed about every 3 weeks depending on what snacks they get from the garden, kitchen and mealworm treats. I sell 3-4 dozen eggs a week at $3/doz so in that same three weeks I make $27 to $32 which allows me to pay for their feed, shavings, grits, oyster shell and anything else I need. I am also eating 2 dozen eggs a week, saving $3-$10 depending on weather you compare that to regular eggs or Organic, Cage Free, Free Range, Omega 3 eggs.

8. Mine don't take much time. Every pet I own has to become low maintenance or go. My dogs and cats are self feed with dog and cat doors. I can go on vacation and not hire a pet sitter. My chickens are the same except for eggs. I have a self feeder and waterer that would last a week. A predator proof run of adequate size. My last vacation I did have someone come over to collect eggs and check on things but this wasn't necessary. With the waterer and feeder, I spend 5 minutes in the morning thowing out scratch, giving treats and making sure the food and waterer are working right. Then in the evening I spend 5 minutes collecting eggs, letting the chickens out to free range and closing the door after dark. On the weekend I spend a few more filling waterer and feeder and scooping poop of the roosting area. I use deep litter so I only clean the coop about 2 times a year.

9. They also seem to be doing a good job of getting rid of some bugs I don't want. When we first moved into our house we have giant black millipedes that were everywhere. This year I saw 3 the whole year. ticks seem to be down, and i saw them eat a snake.

 

[OldGuy43]

I have to disagree with those who say they are an expense. I built all the structures that they needed from found lumber, mostly pallets. I did have to spend some cash on fencing, hardware and the chickens themselves. We've had our flock of 12 for a little over a year and selling the excess eggs has netted enough to buy feed, etc. with enough excess income that we are now planning on expanding into keeping ducks.

Yes it is possible to spend a lot of time and money, but it isn't necessary. About a 1/2 hour a day to feed and water is all you really need to do. You don't have to have a coop, any shelter will do. Here's what our flock has and they thrive:



Feed comes from a local miller and costs about $10-12 for 50 pounds.

I don't take a $10 chicken to the vet. I can replace it cheaper. Of course if you're going to treat them like pets instead of livestock...

You aren't going to get rich with a small flock, but you can show a profit.

 

[Hyline]

To me they are not livestock, they are family members. I have spent at least $1k at the vet on my favourite hen who had repeated uterine infections (long story) and she is with us still happy and healthy I don't eat chicken or eggs. My horses are livestock to me lol.

Why do I choose to have chickens? Because I love them!

 

[enjoyin' my chickens]

I keep chickens because they are fun. I also get eggs from them and don't, technically, have to buy the store eggs. I know that my eggs that I cook are within an week old. If I get more than my immediate family can eat we give them to other family members and then to friends. I have not sold any eggs but have given to cut others cost on food. They are very appreciative for it. In return for eggs some will give back to me from their excess, such as one gives me fresh venison and crops from his garden. Everything that helps cut the cost of food in the slightest way helps in this day. I also enjoy the holidays watching people scramble for eggs at that really high price to make the holiday cakes, cookies, and pies. I laugh and am very thankful that I do not have to buy eggs anymore. Did I mention that they are very fun to watch and very relaxing after a hard day at work or in preparation for a long night at work, as my schedule is now.

 

[gryeyes]

I got mine for bug reduction and free fertilizer. I knew they laid eggs and thought that would be a good bonus (but I wasn't much of an egg eater back then). Eggs are a bonus - like presents they leave for me because I have taken care of their needs.

What I learned very quickly was they each have their own personalities, something I would never have guessed.

So, now I keep chickens for the sheer pleasure of it AND their great bug-reduction abilities. I haven't used their fertilizer yet (here) because it hasn't composted long enough yet. I eat a LOT of eggs, sell some, give some away.

But they make me smile all the time and laugh a great deal. Individually and collectively.

 

[Mommy 2 Wee Ones]

I grew up with animals, my Nana raised rabbits, goats & chickens (all before I was born). My uncle & I dug up our backyard 17x17, every spring & planted a garden. After my girls were born, I decided I wanted them to experience the joy I had in raising food & animals. We were living on Base (hubby was Navy), and I built a 4x4 raised bed garden, my girls loved it. Then in 2010 we were getting ready to leave the Navy & move, I knew I wanted land, and a place where we could have chickens. I researched for 9 months, on coop construction, zoning laws, they best types of chickens for what I wanted. I wanted friendly, easily handled & heat & cold hearty. Next month it will be a year that we moved to our one acre piece of heaven, in May it will be a year that we got our chicks, 14 hens, and 1 roo.
We were lucky, there was a shed/greenhouse on the property that we converted to a chicken coop, just needed 3 sheets of OSB board to cover some of the windows (did not want fried chicken during the summer

) Did have to buy a couple rolls of welded wire, deer netting & posts for the run. But as other Posters have said, it is so much fun to sit out in a chair & watch the Chicken TV. My girls love to come over & sit on my lap, or see if I have snacks.

I go out each morning, before I take my girls to school & let them out to free range, I run out a bit quicker on the 32 deg & below days. At night, they put themselves to bed, and I just close their door for the night. My roo is very good at protecting his girls, he just needs a reminder every now & then, that I am the head roo, and not to do the "Man Dance" around me.

I refill the nest boxes when they get flattened, scoop the roost of poop, twice a week. My girls adore collecting the eggs, have not bought store eggs since Oct. 2011.

I am now selling eggs, enough to get their feed. in the last two weeks I sold 6 doz fertile eggs for hatching & 4 doz for eating. Right now I am selling my fertile eggs for the same price as my eating eggs, $3.00 a doz. As long as I can make enough to buy their feed, I am happy.

I love hearing the egg song during the day, going by the kitchen & seeing chicken looking through the sliding glass door at me. Stepping out onto the deck & calling "Chick Chick Chick" and watching them run full speed across the yard to me to get a treat.

Right now I have 7, 1 week old chicks in a brooder in the breakfast room. I love hearing the peep peep peep in the morning. In a week they will be moved to the laundry room, till they finish feathering out. I figure by the time the last frost is done, they will be ready to move out to the grow out pen. This will also give me the needed time to expand it for them.

If you are getting chicks, remember that it will be at least 5 months before you see an egg. Start out with 3 or 4, just to be sure you are ready for this. Have seen a number of people who thought they wanted to raise chickens, and found it was not for them. Spent a lot of time & money on it, and found it was not their cup of tea.

I hope you enjoy chicken rearing as much as the rest of us Happy Chicken People.

Good Luck!

 

[LovinChicknFarmn]

The most cost for us was the coop. I wanted something particular and we built it ourselves so we sunk in a few hundred dollars on lumber and supplies. Chickens themselves can be bought cheaply and the cost of food and hay/straw/litter of whatever type you use in your coop is pretty low. Yes, you can buy nice eggs in the store. So, if you don't want to put in the work (because they do need to be fed and the run/coop need cleaning at least weekly) it's not right for you. Most of the people I see on here are super in love with their chickens and have them for the same reasons a person would have a cat or dog. I'm no exception. I call myself a crazy chicken lady. I even blog about my chickens. I love the little suckers! The eggs are just a deliciously sweet bonus.

 

[brewdaddy]

>> I also enjoy the worry as it keeps you on your toes.

Good point!

 

[Johnboy78]

I have eight in a 1/4 acre suburban backyard.
They sleep in an oft-maligned but easy to clean
plastic coop next to the house and roam the yard
during the day. I never did this before but I was
intrigued by a neighbors chickens. He said they
are less trouble than a cat, and he's about right.
They are fun to watch doing their thing.
You can like them or love them but it's all one way.
To them it's all cost benefit analysis which is cool,
if you want love get a dog. They can get along fine.
Our biggest problem is giving away all the eggs.