Chickens are often viewed negatively by many citizens and Home Owners Association boards. While there are some annoying attributes chickens possess such as being smelly, loud, and having to live inside of big coops that can be an eyesore, there are actually numerous benefits to owning backyard chickens that can outweigh the small annoyances.
First, and most obviously, chickens provide their owners with fresh eggs. When purchasing store bought eggs, they can easily be up to two weeks old by the time the egg is laid, processed, and shipped to the nearest store; however, with backyard chickens their eggs can be collected the same day they were laid. The overall egg is completely different as well. Store bought eggs are mostly white due to the chickens that egg manufacturers mass purchase, but a backyard chicken can lay eggs of multiple colors including: brown, white, blue or even green. Another key difference is the yolk. In store bought eggs the yolk is typically a pale yellow shade, while backyard chickens are pasture raised and their yolks take on a golden color. Backyard chicken eggs are also more rich in Beta Carotene, Vitamin A, and Omega 3’s. Overall store bought eggs are just not as healthy as they can contain more cholesterol and saturated fat than fresh eggs from the back yard.
Another benefit to owning chickens is sustainability. Chickens can help their owners in many ways including composting, exterminating and fertilizing naturally. Most chicken owners can all agree that their chickens diet mainly consists of kitchen scraps. Any extra food that would usually go into the trash can be fed to chickens, meaning the amount of waste in a home can easily be reduced. Chickens also act as natural pest control because they love snacking on small bugs and pests so the backyard will also have less bugs without even needing an exterminator! Finally chicken manure contains high levels of nutrients that can help plants establish stronger root systems acting as a natural fertilizer.
The final benefit of owning backyard chickens is for educational purposes. Not only are they entertaining to watch, but for any family owning chickens can be an extremely beneficial way of teaching children multiple things. First owning chickens can help encourage responsibility by making the necessities for their daily upkeep like feeding and collecting eggs a chore. They can ultimately just teach their owners about nature and agriculture as well.
Even though chickens can pose the risk of disease, and noise and odor complaints, they have so many benefits that can really help a whole community.
images of carter sharpnack’s neighbor’s chickens provided by carter sharpnack
