We have been raising animals on our farm for over 10 years—sheep, dogs, cats, chickens, turkeys, guinea pigs, ponies, donkeys, and a pig.
We love keeping chickens. It was really tragic after a skunk teamed up with a raccoon one year and killed them all. Not only did we miss watching them run around, but it also reminded us all of all the great things about chickens. Poultry are an important part of our farm ecosystem, and chickens also provide immense benefits as urban pets.
1. Feeding the Garden
Chicken poop is high in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium and it does wonders for the garden. We brood our chicks on pine shavings, and we add the bedding directly into the flowerbed when the birds move out of the brooder house. Wood shavings can take a long time to break down in the soil, but adding this small quantity every year or two really improves the soil’s vitality and tilth.
Our hen house, on the other hand, produces a large quantity of manure-infused straw bedding every year. This goes straight into the compost bins and produces magnificent fertilizer when added to the vegetable garden.
The downside is I hate the smell of chicken poop… especially that black sticky stuff that doesn’t wash off.
2. Tilling
For being so small, chickens are able to make a significant impact with their feet. Our chicken run is also one of our winter sheep pens, and we pile all the sheep bedding and manure into a heap after the sheep move out. The chickens scratch through the pile looking for seeds and insects and slowly turn this mound of unpleasantries into a pile of sweet-smelling humus.
3. Bug Control
We never fully grasped how many bugs a chicken eats until we didn’t have chickens for a year, and I am really glad that we built the coup right beside our house. Old farmhouses like ours are a magnet for flies, but our brood next door keeps the flies at a manageable level. In wet years, the mosquitos will be so thick in the fields they will turn your clothes black, but there are always noticeably fewer bloodsuckers at the house.
Our area is also particularly bad for ticks, but we have never seen one, and I think our chickens are to thank.
4. Managing Waste
Besides eating all the bugs, chickens definitely like consuming a variety of things. As well as wintering sheep, our chicken run is also a temporary pen for maternal foster dogs and their puppies.
Momma dogs and puppies (especially puppies) produce a lot of poop, but there is not a scrap to be found after the chickens have been through. Gross, but effective.
5. Cockadoodledoo!
I love waking to the sounds of a rooster crowing and listening to the hens clucking throughout the day. Is this a pro or a con? I guess that is a personal opinion.
6. No More Wasted Table Scraps
Pretty much everything off our plates ends up in the chicken house (and toddlers sure produce a lot of gummed up uneaten food). I am so glad that this "waste" goes to good use. Not only does it save on chicken feed costs, but everything they won't eat gets scratched into the bedding and ends up in the garden.
# 7
Did we mention that they're cute?!
