Chances are if you’re reading a post on why it’s a good idea to raise chickens, you’re already convinced, but maybe your partner (or parent) isn’t and you need some ammunition to throw at them. Or perhaps your friends and neighbors think you’ve gone bonkers when you tell them you’re thinking about starting a backyard flock and you need to defend your brilliant decision. So, here are some positive tidbits to persuade even the strongest skeptic that chickens are amazing.
The number one reason to keep chickens is that perfect, ovular, God-given food: the egg. Opening the top of the nest box and finding little gifts of nutrition is like experiencing Easter every day. The excitement and wonder over this miracle never wanes, and what you are collecting from your own yard is far superior and fresher than what the grocery store has to offer. And with supply chain issues, who knows whether or not the grocery store will even have eggs available in a week or if you’ll be limited on how much you can buy.
Can you really trust any food company out there? It seems like they’re all trying to deceive and sell us short. Raising your own chickens, whether for meat, eggs, or both, ensures you’re getting exactly the quality you want. You control what your chickens are eating, how much sunshine and fresh grass they’re exposed to, and how clean their living quarters and water are. It’s a beautiful thing when you have control of your own food.
Forget all the expensive, harsh chemical fertilizers that need to be manually applied every year. Chickens produce an abundance of manure and, if they’re free to roam, they distribute it around your lawn for free. Manure can be collected from the coop and composted into your garden’s favorite treat, providing nitrogen for plants and organic matter for the soil.
Chickens love themselves some tasty bugs. I really think they prefer bugs over all other foods and they’ll hunt all day for the little critters. Our yard is especially loaded with mosquitoes and I like to keep a chicken or two at the ready to peck the bloodsuckers off my legs. Mosquito eats me, chicken eats mosquito, I eat egg. It’s the circle of life, baby. Aside from bugs, chickens enjoy all kinds of weeds and will gladly peck away at them.
Before you plant a garden, put your chickens to work in there. They will till and fertilize your soil while eating away weeds and bugs. Gardens and chickens are best friends, when observing certain boundaries.
I need either a shirt, car decal, or coffee mug with “Easily Distracted By Chickens” printed on it, because, seriously, I can’t stop watching those fluff-butts. Chickens are hilarious, quirky, dramatic, riotous, charming things and so hard to stop watching. They’re the best entertainment and my family is so much the richer for having them around. And they make wonderful pets. My poor deprived children never had a cat, dog, or any pet until we had chickens and they’re in love. Maybe they’d like a dog better, but I’m not so convinced. They’re pretty smitten with their chickens.
Chickens are relatively low maintenance and a perfect introduction to animal husbandry and responsibility for kids. My children have learned how to care for, love, and say goodbye to our chickens. They have learned about life and death, the joys and challenges of raising their own food, and patience (it feels like forever-and-a-day before that first egg comes).
What have I gleaned from owning chickens? The most noticeable change is that I am far more conscious and connected with nature. Nothing makes my heart swell with gratitude and awe like a rising or setting sun while letting the chickens out or putting them to bed. Before having chickens, there was nothing prompting me outdoors during those glorious moments of the day and I appreciate my chickens for giving me that draw to nature.
One minor but noteworthy benefit of being a chicken owner, you are just a little more interesting than you were before. People will look at you a bit differently and with a touch more awe. And that’s worth something, I think.
Those are my top 9 reasons for raising chickens! I hope you found it helpful and full of convincing arguments for any doubters in your life.
Do you have a pesky chicken or two who is trying to fly out of their space? It might be time for you to trim their flight feathers. Don’t worry, though. It’s painless to the chicken (think clipping your fingernails or cutting your hair) and super easy to do. All you’ll need is a pair of good scissors and maybe someone to help.
If you’re not having any problems with your birds flying out, then I would just let nature alone and put the scissors down. Chickens’ flight feathers are helpful for escape if they are attacked by a predator and there is always a possibility of accidentally injuring your bird. There is also a risk of the trimmed feathers not falling out naturally during the molt and needing assistance in removal. I’m not privileged enough to know the psychology of a chicken, but I also can’t help and wonder if their dignity gets bruised just a little bit, too. Hopefully not.
Wait until your birds have matured and are flying short distances. Young birds develop their strength, coordination, and balance from these short flights. Make sure the feathers are mature by checking there is no pink tinge (blood) in the quills. If they are hollow and an opaque white color, there is no blood and they will not be hurt. You will also have to reclip after they have molted and grown in new flight feathers; it can be only a few months for young birds and up to a year for older ones.
You will only need to clip the primary flight feathers; the first, longest ten feathers on the wing. You will not need to trim the secondary, shorter feathers. Cut about halfway up the feather, stopping at the edge of where the next layer of feathers grows. It is best to cut too little than too much. Some people only trim one wing to create imbalance, but others trim both for uniformity. I prefer to do both wings so they don’t feel awkward and lopsided. And don’t worry about the way your chicken will look; you won’t be able to tell at all once the wings are lying flat.
And there you go! Hopefully everyone will be behaving and staying where they’re supposed to.
If you are doing this by yourself and holding your chicken on your lap, do not wear shorts. I clipped some feathers this morning and now have little scratches all over my thighs. Y-ouch.
