1. Endless supply of fresh eggs
Although this may sound like the most obvious point of owning your very own chickens, there are so many benefits of having access to your own home laid organic eggs instead of store bought eggs.
You may or may not know that store bought eggs are laid by hens often kept in confined environments and are exposed to poor conditions, basic food and insecticides, all in which effect the hens wellbeing and quality of her eggs.
Not only can owning your own chickens and giving them better living conditions reduce abuse and scandals that are far too common in the egg and poultry industry, but also gives you access to much healthier and nutritious eggs! Backyard chickens that are free range and can forage their own food can lay eggs that contain up to 25% more vitamin E, 75% more carotene and 20 times more omega – 3 fatty acids according to studies. They are also creamier in consistency and most importantly, tastier than store bought eggs!
2. Low maintenance pets
Chooks are the easiest pets to care for and one of my all time favourites! Unlike cats and dogs, they require minimal effort and are happy to spend time with their other feathered friends and grazing the backyard all day. In addition to each others company and resourcing their own food, they also put themselves to bed. Just make sure they’re locked up in a secure coop at night to ensure their safety from predators such as cats and foxes.
They’re also highly adaptable and with some handling, can become your best friend, making them perfect companions for virtually anyone!
3. Free fertiliser
Chicken poop is one of the most sort after fertilisers due to it’s slow release of nutrients into soil! Compared to other animal manure, chicken manure contains higher quantities of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and a whole heap of other macro and micro soil loving nutrients.
Whether you’re wanting to sell the fertiliser, put it in your compost or just simply let it stay put and enrich the soil in your backyard, you will never have to pay for another bag of manure again!
4. Good for the garden
Along with being good fertilisers, they are the ultimate gardening companion. Chickens are great for grazing soil, pulling out any pesky weeds and unwanted grass in your garden. Just keep in mind that your feathered friends are on the menu for almost every predator, so ensure that your backyard is secured, shaded by trees or well guarded by a chicken loving dog.
5. Free insect and pest control
Speaking of gardens, Chickens are the backyards pest police! Being omnivores, they consume anything from grass to grubs, making them the perfect pest and insect control without the use of any chemicals that can compromise the health of your garden. Just keep in mind that chickens can have big appetites and therefore, a large area for them to forage in is important!
6. Waste reduction
Owning chickens can cut down on your over all kitchen waste significantly. The average Australian throws away around 300 pounds of food wastage every year which only add to further landfill and environmental problems.
Throwing away our food scraps such as peels, untouched foods or seeds to our chickens reduce this issue. In fact a backyard chicken can consume up to 83.2 pounds of food wastage a year, meaning a flock has the ability to perhaps cease your households food wastage all together which is a win win for your chickens and the environment!
Like any animal, there are certain foods that chickens shouldn’t consume such as salts, saturated fats and processed meats, so make sure you research before throwing scraps into the backyard.
7. One step closer to living sustainably
Chickens are the gate way to a greener and healthier lifestyle! Not only do they benefit your garden and provide you with organic eggs, but they also help us reduce our carbon footprint and encourage us to spend more time outdoors and get that fresh air that we’re often deprived of when living in the modern world.
8. Entertainment
Last but certainly not least is the entertainment that chickens provide! Despite being made out to be simple creatures, they’re anything but not. In fact they are rather complex beings with huge personalities.
It is scientifically proven that chickens can remember up to 100 faces, make decisions base off past experiences, empathise with their peers, dream when sleeping and even purr like cats when they’re happy! This only just scratches the surface of their gorgeous characters.
Sitting down and watching your beloved backyard friends will give you a few good laughs and therapy you didn’t know that you needed!
Wander Mak 
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