Top 10 Reasons to Keep Backyard Chickens

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3. Exercise and Health Benefits

You might be wondering what exercise you can get from chickens, but have you ever tried chasing after one? It’s nice to go outside and get some fresh air every day, collecting eggs, checking up on your chickens and their health, feeding them and giving them fresh water, no matter what the weather. Even if you can’t devote a lot of time to them, chickens will at least get you up and out of the house, doing a few chores, even if it’s just for 30 minutes.

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4. Responsibility and Education

Raising and caring for any animal is a great way to teach children responsibility. It’s also a great way to experience exactly how our ancestors used to rely on taking care of these birds for food and eggs. Should you be able to keep a rooster, it’s fascinating to watch momma hen hatch her eggs, watch over her chicks, then watch the chicks grow from little colored fuzz balls to beautiful hens (or roosters) that will lay more eggs. This is a great educational tool for children to understand the circle of life and how living things grow.

5. Entertainment

If you have never really been around chickens, you will be surprised at just how funny they can be. Like dogs, it doesn’t matter how much they have eaten, you can throw them some tasty scraps and they’ll run after them as if they are starving. If one finds a nice worm or insect, a chicken’s best friend will come and take that worm right out of her friend’s beak! Chickens do fight on occasion, but it’s rarely anything serious. You will find some of your birds like to hang out together, they make their own little cliques, and they often look like they are talking smack about each other. Once you sit and watch them for a while, you will find yourself endlessly entertained by their antics.

6. Space Saving

If you are concerned that you need acres to keep chickens, you will be happy to know that this is not true. Chickens actually take up very little space. If you are lucky enough to have some space for them to walk freely, great, but it isn’t necessary. Chickens need very little space and if you have even an average-sized backyard, you can keep at least a couple of hens.

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