Increasingly people are preferring to keep chicken in their backyard. People who keep chicken are often asked by their neighbors and others Why Keep Chickens? A lot of effort is required for keeping chicken in their home.
This includes purchasing a chicken coop for the chicken, keeping it clean, and feeding it regularly. The chicken owner will also have to choose the right breed of chicken. Some of the advantages of keeping chicken are discussed.
Eggs
One of the most common reasons why chicken is kept in homes is that their owners will get a steady source of fresh eggs regularly. Most of the eggs which are available in supermarkets and stores are from poultry farms. In these farms, the hens may be fed with chemicals and other additives which are not good for health.
In contrast, the pet owner has complete control over the diet of the hens he is keeping and can ensure that their diet is healthy. Though the hen owner may have to spend some money initially to purchase the hens, the money saved due to the free supply of fresh eggs will help the pet owner recover their cost.
Pets for entertainment
While there are other pets for entertainment like cats, dogs, birds, these pets are more expensive compared to the hens. Hens also recover their cost quickly after they start laying eggs. Like other pets, each hen has its own character making it unique.
Watching the chicken can be a good source of entertainment, helping the pet owner de-stress. There are also many different varieties of chicken, and colorful chicken can make the backyard more exciting. In families with children, the pet chicken can be used to keep the children busy. The children can be taught to look after the chicken, feeding, and cleaning after them.
Environment
Keeping chicken helps reduce household waste since the chicken will usually consume food scraps and other waste material. This reduces the time and effort required to recycle the waste using other methods. Additionally, the chicken manure can be added to the soil, to boost and make it more fertile.
Any garden waste like lawn trimming, leaves, can be given to the chicken. The chicken will also eat the various pests in the garden, like worms and insects. Hence you as the pet owner will not have to spend money on expensive pesticides, and the eggs will remain organic.
Some of the reasons Why Keep Chickens at all? are discussed above. Unlike other pets which mainly provide entertainment, chicken are inexpensive. Additionally the eggs laid by them helps recover their cost quickly.
