You would think that raising backyard chickens is something that you would normally do in a farm far away from the city. However, as it is, raising backyard chickens is slowly gaining momentum and popularity.
Many publications and news agencies have even reported on this matter since early last year—proof that backyard chickens have become a new trend. The likes of Time, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and the New York Times have reported on this movement which, they say, is part of the popular urban farming movement many people are engaged in.
People raise backyard chickens for many reasons, which range from the practical to the somewhat silly or mundane. But just the same, they raise their chickens anyway. These reports cite that many of those who raise backyard chickens are from the rural area who have just recently moved to the city. And since they raised chickens there, they see no reason why they shouldn’t continue the practice now.
Still, even if you discount this fact, there are still a significant number of city dwellers who are raising backyard chickens today. But why? Why are people suddenly going out of their way to raise backyard chicken?
For one, many consider it as a fresh new practice. Many people keep these backyard chickens as pets, and many have testified how taking care of a chicken as one is indeed as fulfilling as taking care of a cat or dog. Of course, you have to take into account that backyard chickens are low-maintenance pets; you will not need to take them out for a walk or dote on them the same way you would on a dog. But they are much more exciting pets compared to other exotic house animals. They have personality, at least as far as pets go—something you will appreciate once you place them in your backyard.
But the real clincher here is how, for pets, they are extremely useful and practical. There are chicken feeds available in the market today, but if you do not want to buy them these feeds, you can resort to feeding them with leftovers. You can feed them your leftover rice or you can buy them chicken feeds—the difference wouldn’t be as drastic compared to if you feed a dog scraps instead of actual dog food.
And of course, who can forget the eggs? Backyard chickens lay eggs. Not just any eggs—they are fresh eggs, far fresher than what you would be able to buy in the supermarket or in the grocery. What kind of house pet could give such benefit? If you raise backyard chickens, you will never run out of fresh eggs. In a way, you could save money, especially if you’re the type of person who really has to take care of a pet in his house (which means pet expenses are really part of your budget).
Backyard chickens can also be very useful in the garden. Their waste or their manure makes for great fertilizer. Not all animal waste can be a fertilizer; in fact, some animal waste can do the opposite of what a fertilizer does. Chickens also eat weeds and insects that do damage to your garden. It’s like you have a pest killer in your backyard!
With this, it is easy to see why raising backyard chicken is slowly but surely becoming a popular practice. Many say (and have proven) that owning a pet can be extremely useful and beneficial, but backyard chickens can actually take that to the next level. The benefits backyard chickens provide are practical, along with the other benefits taking care of pet provides.
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