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19 thoughts on “10 Fine-Feathered Reasons to Keep Backyard Chickens”

1. I love to raise chickens. My grandparents were egg ranchers during the depression and kept 5,000 chickens. We had a hobby farm as kids with a business selling eggs to friends and neighbors. Then we had hundreds of chickens. My children also raised chickens and showed them at the interstate fair.

   The down side of raising chickens is that the cost of feed will far exceed the value of brown eggs at the store unless they are free range. The other is predators like coyotes and raccoons. Coons can take out your entire flock, of say a dozen, in one night. We have always had Anatolian Shepherd dogs to successfully protect our livestock. But when the dogs died and we were waiting for a new one to arrive we lost all our flock one or two at a time. Also, don’t expect eggs in the cold and long-night winters.

2. I have 8 chickens and they are so much fun. They are great egg layers and everyone is always asking for fresh eggs. They can actually be very loving. They come running to us the minute they see us and some of them love to be picked up and cuddled. My grandson is 5 yrs old and he loves them. He calls them “the girls” and is not afraid to hold them or play with them.

   • Sounds like a very happy family, Dianna. Thanks for writing. (And can I borrow an egg or two?)

3. My backyard crew has grown to 23 I love them. I agree number ten is high on my list watching them just makes me feel good. they are my ladies and as much a part of my family as my dogs. I often tell my kids I replaced them with chickens after they moved out. No more empty nesting for me :)

   • That’s great, Ginger. You found a way to literally fight the empty nest syndrome. ;-)

4. I was wondering about gardening and chicken raising. Do the two work we’ll together on the same land?

   • Hey Neal,
     I think the general consensus is that chickens and gardens don’t mix well. You can keep them nearby, but if you give chickens free range of your garden, they’re likely to eat things you don’t want eaten and dig places you don’t want dug. Sturdy fences are a good thing if you want both.

   • Chickens like to take one peck out of each tomato, the stinkers. Chicken wire will keep them out of your garden. They love fresh fruit and vegies that you give them, especially watermelon!

     • I guess they call it chicken wire for a reason. ;-)
       Happy chicken feeding!
       Bruce

5. chickens do NOT make good inside pets. they crap everywhere. however, outside pets they are wonderful! fresh eggs are awesome, but bug control is my number one benefit of having chickens.

   • Agreed. Though I know plenty of chicken people bring birds—especially chicks—inside for quick visits.

6. We originally got chickens for eggs, but I realized after a while that my anxiety attacks became fewer and further between after we got chickens. Sure enough, I discovered that if I was having an attack, all I needed to do was go out and get some chicken time, and most of the time my anxiety would just vanish.

   We keep chickens now for a lot of reasons–eggs, meat, photography, companionship–but I now know that no matter what, I will always have at least a few, even if only to keep my anxiety at bay.

   • Hi Lyddie— So glad to hear that reason #10 works for you. Maybe I should have placed it higher up on the list. (-;
     Happy Chickening!

     • Yes, all of these reasons are great, but #10 is defintely my favorite reason to keep chickens! To me, they are even more soothing to watch than an aquarium! I can watch mine scratching and dust bathing for hours lol!

       • Thanks for writing, Melissa. I have to say, watching chickens dust bathing does sound pretty adorable!

7. I love my chickens and have named them all — even though I often have to scold them for picking on each other. They are all related; therefore, they shouldn’t peck each other, right? Wrong. They are like young children who display sibling rivalry. Luckily I live on a “farm” in Michigan, because I have a rooster and thirteen hens. I wish I could understand what they are saying, because their vocalizations are so interesting. I even tried imitating the sounds, but they are too high (soprano) whereas I am more “alto.” Now I just hum or sing songs when I am at the barn tending to their needs. They seem to like the sounds that I make just as I like the sounds that they make. This past winter the temperatures dipped to twelve degrees below zero (Fahrenheit), and I lost one rooster and one hen. The remaining rooster’s comb turned black from freezing even though I was running heat lamps and had the flock huddled together in one small pen in order to help keep them cozy. I have even been known to keep hens inside the house when they haven’t finished molting in time to be out in the unheated barn, so I guess that I am really hooked on those cute critters. They are worth all the trouble. Their eggs are fabulous.

   • Congrats on your happy chickens. I’m sure your chicken chorus (with you as soloist) is something to hear!

8. Thanks for the post, very interesting and informative. I live in an apartment, so am not able to have backyard chickens.

   • Thanks for reading, Kathleen! Actually, I’m in the same boat you are—as an apartment-dweller, writing this post is as close as I could get to joining the chicken craze.