There are so many reasons why someone would want or wouldn't want a chicken in their backyard. There are debates about it so here are some of the pros and cons of becoming a chicken owner. There are not many cons and I had to really stretch to get them, but I gave you a couple because that's why you are here. But yes, I love chickens and after reading this article hopefully you will realize that they are amazing pets and the pros definitely outweigh the cons.
1. Costs incredibly cheap. - When we say cheap, not only does the chicken itself count but also the maintenance of it all. Compared to keeping a dog or a cat for a pet, it is much cheaper to take care of a number of chickens most likely because they are not choosy when it comes to food. You can feed them scraps and table leftovers and they will happily gobble it up. With as little as $2 a day, you can spend on a bunch of layer mash.
2. They lay eggs and unfortunately can be eaten. - Chickens will lay you fresh eggs to eat all the time. What other pet is going to deliver you delicious food on a regular basis. If you don't eat eggs, you can sell them. I think this is the main selling point on buying chickens. Although I don't want to mention it, I know I must because it is another main reason people get chickens. They of course can be killed and eaten. I personally do not do this, but I know many chicken owners do, so yes, this is another pro for owning chickens.
3. Extremely low maintenance. - Dogs and cats, your typical pets, require a lot of maintenance. You need to groom them, take them to the vet, take them out for walks and give them a ton of your attention. Chickens on the other hand, require very little and none of the above. You need to feed your chickens and give them fresh water every day. Their coops need to be clean at least once a week, which is not difficult if you have a decent chicken coop. They don't need your attention and are perfectly content with roaming your yard all day, but I would hang out with them occasionally because they are very fun animals.
4. Fertilizers for free and an instant pest control agent. - These are the two things that chicken raisers love about owning a chicken. When you allow your chickens to roam around your backyard, it is in their nature to peck on whatever it is that catches their interest and their hunger. Chickens love anything that came from the ground most especially the ones that are moving. They eat insects, bugs, worms and the like. For them, these are special treats. Furthermore, it is in their nature to eradicate their internal wastes anywhere they please. But their poops are considered as natural fertilizers that the ground needs to grow plants and root crops in a healthy state.
Now for the cons of owning chickens. These two stretches for cons are the only things I could come up with, because nobody wants to read a completely biased article. So here they are. First off, chickens are messy pets. They poop a lot, and like I said before this is great fertilizer, but when they are pooping all over the coop it can get gross. So you will need to keep their coops clean so your chickens do not get sick. Which leads me to the second con of pet chickens, when one of your chickens gets sick, it is likely that most of them will get sick. That is why it is vital to make sure they are living in a healthy environment.
1. Costs incredibly cheap. - When we say cheap, not only does the chicken itself count but also the maintenance of it all. Compared to keeping a dog or a cat for a pet, it is much cheaper to take care of a number of chickens most likely because they are not choosy when it comes to food. You can feed them scraps and table leftovers and they will happily gobble it up. With as little as $2 a day, you can spend on a bunch of layer mash.
2. They lay eggs and unfortunately can be eaten. - Chickens will lay you fresh eggs to eat all the time. What other pet is going to deliver you delicious food on a regular basis. If you don't eat eggs, you can sell them. I think this is the main selling point on buying chickens. Although I don't want to mention it, I know I must because it is another main reason people get chickens. They of course can be killed and eaten. I personally do not do this, but I know many chicken owners do, so yes, this is another pro for owning chickens.
3. Extremely low maintenance. - Dogs and cats, your typical pets, require a lot of maintenance. You need to groom them, take them to the vet, take them out for walks and give them a ton of your attention. Chickens on the other hand, require very little and none of the above. You need to feed your chickens and give them fresh water every day. Their coops need to be clean at least once a week, which is not difficult if you have a decent chicken coop. They don't need your attention and are perfectly content with roaming your yard all day, but I would hang out with them occasionally because they are very fun animals.
4. Fertilizers for free and an instant pest control agent. - These are the two things that chicken raisers love about owning a chicken. When you allow your chickens to roam around your backyard, it is in their nature to peck on whatever it is that catches their interest and their hunger. Chickens love anything that came from the ground most especially the ones that are moving. They eat insects, bugs, worms and the like. For them, these are special treats. Furthermore, it is in their nature to eradicate their internal wastes anywhere they please. But their poops are considered as natural fertilizers that the ground needs to grow plants and root crops in a healthy state.
Now for the cons of owning chickens. These two stretches for cons are the only things I could come up with, because nobody wants to read a completely biased article. So here they are. First off, chickens are messy pets. They poop a lot, and like I said before this is great fertilizer, but when they are pooping all over the coop it can get gross. So you will need to keep their coops clean so your chickens do not get sick. Which leads me to the second con of pet chickens, when one of your chickens gets sick, it is likely that most of them will get sick. That is why it is vital to make sure they are living in a healthy environment.
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Want to find out more about Owning Chickens, then visit Jerry Gallo's site on how to choose the best Blueprints for a Chicken Coop for your needs.
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