Many people are saying no to store-bought eggs, and yes to backyards chickens! I mean hey, what’s better than a pet that poops breakfast? But is it more than just fresh eggs? From the basics of raising your own birds, to the warnings and issues that accompany really having them, the realm of backyard poultry is an agricultural roller coaster.

Although their laying productivity is dependent on many factors, (diet, exercise, lighting, and lifespan, just to mention a few) non-commercial chickens lay on average, 200 eggs a year. Purchase a few hens and you should almost be able to go without ever having to purchase eggs again. As if that doesn’t sound good enough, you can make some money too, selling your surplus eggs!

Despite there being few diseases that people can actually contract from chickens, many people are unaware of both the health and learning benefits of them! Chickens have been proven to be successful therapy animals, cost much less to keep than a dog, and are a form of stress relief, and relaxation. They are extremely sociable, both with other animals and people. As a matter of fact, chickens develop their own personalities which allows them to be both comical and loving! If you have kids, chickens can provide a simple example of the “farm-to-table” food concept. Once described to me as “fun fluffy land piranhas of pest doom” (a perfect description, may I add!), poultry are a natural bug repellent. They may draw flies due to their manure, but this can be eliminated with frequent cleaning. If they are allowed to free range and graze they will remove harmful bugs and even rodents, from your garden and yard!

But beware, it’s a gateway lifestyle! It starts out with a couple chickens and next thing you know you’re getting ducks and geese, guineas and turkeys, and really, what harm could there be in a goat? Then there’s the concept of chicken math. This allows for you to start your flock with about ten chickens. Say you lose two to a predator, to replace those you rescue five and buy four more. Easter rolls around and you buy ten chicks from the feed store. And wow, you had no idea there were chickens that lay blue eggs! Gotta get some of those! Next thing you know you have seventy-five chickens, and a few other miscellaneous animals, without a real explanation as to how, when, or why? Oh, and when someone asks how many birds you have, twenty seems like a solid number, but then you go home and count, only to find out that you have close to fifty!

Raising backyard chickens can be pricy, if you don’t first do your research and decide how many, what kind, and how to best care for your flock. Perhaps the worst part, and in my opinion, the only drawback of backyard poultry, is having to cope with the loss of your birds. Believe it or not, I can almost guarantee that you can and will, become attached to your poultry. You’ll name them, or maybe the kids will, and pretty soon you’ll be picking favorites and accidently going to work with an egg in your pocket or chicken poop on your shoe. Old age, sickness, and predators can rob you of some of your birds, but regardless the pain of losing one cannot compare to the delight of owning a flock of your own.

Chickens don’t need much. Access to clean unfrozen water, an insulated building with roosts and nesting boxes, and a simple diet of laying feed. Their feed can (and should be, in my opinion) supplemented with oyster shell for calcium, and a scratch grain to promote scratching and pecking. Most don’t suggest a heat lamp in the winter time, for supplemental heat, as they are very dangerous and can cause coop fires and losses of entire flocks, however I live in the Midwest and have lost poultry of all kinds due to lack of supplemental heat in the winter. It’s dangerous, yes, but prevents frost bite in my own flock. I suppose someday I may learn my lesson, but until then, I will continue to use heat lamps and suggest other Midwesterners (and people who suffer below zero winters) use some form of supplemental heat in the wintertime.

I raise farmyard poultry myself- geese, ducks, chickens, and turkeys- and highly suggest it to just about everyone! Although 81% of Americans live in urban areas, more than just farmers can own chickens. Certain cities and rural towns allow chickens in city limits. However it regulates how many you can have, and most say “no roosters”! Check your city ordinances, you may just be able to have a backyard flock of your own! Although the list of what they really need seems complicated, chickens are very easy to care for and can provide so many benefits to you and your family. From therapy to putting breakfast on the table, backyard poultry are something everyone should consider!