In today’s world, people have become more health-conscious and environmentally friendly than ever before. The trend of organic food has been growing rapidly, and people are looking for ways to live a healthier and organic life. One of the best ways to achieve this is by raising chickens.

Besides being low-maintenance and enjoyable pets, chickens provide numerous benefits to your home and family. In this post, we will discuss the six valuable benefits of raising chickens, making them a gardener’s best friend.

Organic Free Range Eggs

One of the most significant benefits of raising backyard chickens is the availability of fresh and organic eggs. Store-bought eggs may be convenient, but they are nothing compared to organic, free-range eggs. With chickens at home, you will never have to worry about buying eggs from the store again. You don’t need to have a rooster for egg laying hens, only if you want to produce baby chicks, or to have ongoing “meat chickens” to consume or sell.

Moreover, the eggs from home-raised chickens are much fresher and cheaper than store-bought eggs. Have you noticed the price of eggs this past year?! I’ve paid anywhere from $6- $9 dollars for a dozen free range eggs.

Reduce Throwaway Table Scraps

Another benefit of raising chickens is that you can feed them leftover food and kitchen waste. Chickens will eat everything from vegetables and peelings to fruit and cores, grains, rice, meat, and fish. This means you can reduce the amount of waste you produce by feeding your chickens scraps that would otherwise go into the trash.

And much of that type of food scraps is what attract flies and such to your outdoor trash, in turn, your chickens will produce nutritious eggs that are organic and free from harmful chemicals.

Free Organic Fertilizer

Are you tired of spending a fortune on garden fertilizers that provide short-lived results? Look no further than your very own backyard! Chicken manure, a rich source of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, can be an excellent cost-effective alternative for enhancing your garden’s soil health.

When adding chicken manure to your garden, it’s crucial to note that it’s highly concentrated and needs to be composted at least 6 months before application. This process ensures the breakdown of any harmful pathogens and results in a nutrient-rich concoction that can significantly benefit your plants.

With proper care, chicken manure can transform your garden into a thriving oasis. This means that by raising chickens, you will have an abundant supply of free fertilizer for your garden. Chicken manure is an excellent source of compost that will enable your plants to grow healthy and strong. It will also help to reduce the amount of chemical fertilizer that you need to purchase.

So, the next time you’re looking for an organic solution to your garden’s needs, look no further than your very own backyard! With a few simple steps, chicken manure can take your garden from average to extraordinary.

Plants that will thrive with chicken manure fertilizer include vegetables, flowers, and fruit. Tomatoes in particular will benefit greatly from the high nitrogen content found in chicken manure. It helps to speed up their growth cycle as well as producing larger fruits. The potassium content can also help plants resist diseases like blight and rot. Additionally, the phosphorus found in chicken manure is essential for strong root systems and good flower production.

A Source of Organic Meat

Not everyone who raises chicken wants meat chickens, but they’re available to eat if you want. Raising chickens can provide you with a source of organic, free-range meat. When you raise your own chickens, you know that they have lived a happy and healthy life, without the use of hormones or antibiotics or cramped tight living conditions.

This means that you can enjoy delicious, guilt-free meat that is good for you and good for the environment. Chicken is pretty expensive especially if you’re are buying organic chicken which means you care about what you and your family are consuming and how chickens are treated.

Free Weed and Bug Control

Chickens are natural pest controllers. They love to eat bugs and other pests, including ticks, mosquitoes, and slugs. By raising chickens, you can reduce the amount of pesticides you use in your garden, making it more friendly to the environment. Moreover, chickens will also help to keep weeds under control, saving you time and effort on garden maintenance.

Whether you have a vegetable garden or a flower garden or both, eliminating bugs is a huge advantage for the growth of both vegetable and perennial flowers. How many times have you had your beautiful flowering plants have all their leaves eaten to pieces? Or bugs in your vegetables? This is why raising chickens is so beneficial to yard and a gardeners best friend!

Earn Some Extra Cash

Finally, raising chickens can be a good way to make some extra cash. You can sell fresh eggs to friends and family, or even start a small business selling baked goods made from your chickens’ eggs. Many people are willing to pay a premium for organic, free-range eggs, so with a little marketing effort, you can turn your chicken-raising hobby into a profitable side hustle located at the end of your driveway!

Chickens can sometimes have a very large egg production when they are in a safe chicken coop, with a feeder and water, nest box and plenty of square feet to make happy chickens- which sometimes can mean that you have more eggs than your family can consume before they expire. So, why not take advantage of using up those extra eggs and if you’re a vegetable grower, you can make plenty of zucchini or pumpkin breads to freeze for later or sell at your local farmers market.

Conclusion

Raising chickens is an excellent way to live an organic and sustainable lifestyle. In addition to being enjoyable pets, chickens provide a range of benefits to your home and garden. From organic eggs and free fertilizer to natural pest control and a source of meat, chickens are a gardener’s best friend

By raising chickens, you can save money, reduce waste, have low maintenance pets, and help to make the world a healthier and happier place. Of course, you’ll need a durable chicken coup to house your new flock and learn how to get started with chickens, and how to keep them happy. So why not give it a try? Your garden, your wallet, and your taste buds will thank you!

Need help with choosing the right chicken coup? NE Outdoors is here to help you from styles and color choices to delivery and installation, we are here for you. Contact us today or visit our website to get started!