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Chicken keeping is a fun hobby, but it also takes a lot of work! So many people enjoy having fresh eggs and meat for their family. Others enjoy having chickens as pets, or showing them in competitions. Whatever reason you choose to enjoy chickens, it is necessary to get the facts before you jump into raising these birds. There are so many interesting facts about chickens, that it is easy to see how so many people are drawn to these birds. For example, you can tell the color egg a chicken will lay by the patch of skin around their ears. A white skin patch on a chicken will yield white eggs; a brown skin patch will yield brown eggs. Oddly enough, a reddish skin patch on a chicken will almost guarantee that your chicken will lay greenish blue eggs. When you raise chickens for eggs and meat, you are also guaranteeing optimum health for your family. Did you know that chickens left to roam and graze on fresh grass produce eggs that are lower in cholesterol, higher in Vitamin E, and higher in Omega-3 fatty acids? By letting your chickens roam free, and by not feeding them chemicals you are able to feed your family the optimum in nutritious protein. Chickens eat insects! In fact, when you let your flock roam and graze freely you can minimize many pesky bugs that can live in your grass. Of course, chickens enjoy eating flowers and garden plants too, so be sure your chickens are only grazing where you want them to. Contrary to what many people think, chickens can be quite low maintenance. 15-30 minutes a day is all you need to feed and water your chickens, and to clean out their coop. Other than also cleaning out their bedding every few weeks, there is not much more involved in taking care of your chickens. While chickens make great additions to many family homes, raising chickens is not something anyone should jump into, and many considerations need to be made. If you don’t have 30 minutes a day to take care of your chickens, you should consider whether or not you have enough time to maintain a flock. Chickens require safe and clean housing in order to be safe and productive, and they prefer to be social. Because of this, you should not purchase only one chicken. It is your responsibility to provide adequate housing for your birds. Another important consideration is whether or not you can legally raise chickens where you live. Many coding regulations prevent households from owning livestock, so check your local regulations before making any decisions. If you don’t have adequate space to raise a flock, then you may need to put your chicken keeping dreams on hold until you have more space. Chicken keeping is a wonderful way to educate your family about raising animals, and about independence from commercially produced food. Consider whether or not you can feasibly raise healthy chickens before making any major decisions. Once you have carefully planned how you can take care of a flock, enjoy these birds for all they can provide. Chicken keeping can be fun for the entire family but you will need to get all the facts before diving in to raising these birds. Pick up a FREE Mini-Course at http://www.getplansforchickencoops.com/ and get the skinny on chicken housing and what you should know before committing to raising chickens.
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