Of all the animals that people can raise as pets, https://emilybrydon.com/what-does-chicken-jerky-taste-like/ are unique in the sense that they produce something edible compared to other pets like dogs, horses, cats and fish. In fact, raising chickens for pets pay off in the long run as they are a source of fresh meat and eggs unlike what you normally obtain at the supermarket.
And considering the craze about organic food, with your own backyard chickens it is very easy to produce your own organic eggs and poultry meat – all you have to do is feed your chickens organic chicken feed. Organically fed chicken that roam freely, eat grass are proven to lay eggs that have higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin E while having lower cholesterol content!
It may come as a surprise but each chicken has their own distinctive and endearing personality traits. Aside from this, chickens are very pleasing to look at because their plumages have an assortment of colors and patterns; they also come in all shapes and sizes. You will certainly be tempted to spoil them, pick them up and hug them to show them off to your friends and give them their individual names as you get familiarized with their characteristics.
Chickens naturally love to range freely. By letting them range freely, you get two very tangible benefits in return – they would gladly eat any garden pest they encounter and help you with your grass cutting chores as they love to eat grass as well. As an added bonus, they’ll turn all they have eaten in the form of organic fertilizer! All you have to do is sit down on the porch and watch them as they happily go about their daily routine.
Most people are not aware that chickens can eat almost anything people can, even leftover foods. Although you may reconsider feeding them onions and garlic as they would make their eggs taste funny.
Chickens are the best producers of black gold soil their waste is a naturally nitrogen-rich. Chickens also thrive on leaves, weeds and grass clippings – they actually help people get rid of their garden/farm refuse instead of simply getting rid of them.
Of all animals that can be taken cared of as pets, chickens are the ones that need almost no maintenance compared to others. All you have to do is make sure their food and water containers are freshly filled and replenished on a daily basis. And once they start laying eggs, then you have to gather the eggs daily as well. Cleaning their coops daily or every other day is good enough and their beddings have to be changed once every 3 or 4 weeks depending on weather conditions.
Despite the advantages of raising backyard chicken, the practice is still somewhat uncommon. Most people are simply not aware that aside from the healthy eggs and poultry meat chickens can provide their family on a regular basis, chickens are fun pets too that you can cuddle.
Here are important considerations that have to be carefully evaluated and assessed if you are considering backyard chicken raising – for fun and pleasure and poultry meat and eggs.
> Do You Have Time? Although chickens are relatively low-maintenance, they do require time for daily care and maintenance. The necessary time is almost negligible as you only need 15 to 20 minutes daily (depending on the number of chickens in your flock) for replenishing their food and water and making sure that their areas are dry.
> Do You Have Space? If chickens are cooped (housed) then you have to ensure that the run (where they are allowed to range freely during the day is big enough and secure from predators. It is highly recommended that at least six square feet per bird is allotted in the outside run, the more space the better. Chickens are natural foragers and they eat insects, grass and weeds and any other that they can find in the run – the more they are able to forage, the healthier and more contented they will be. This is to your advantage since you will reap the benefits in tastier eggs and poultry meat.
