Why Keep Chickens?

There are many reasons for wanting to keep chickens. For me it is about wanting to be responsible for producing food for me and my family and knowing where our food comes from. I personally don't want to be a part of a system of intensively rearing animals where chickens are packed into tiny cages where the only thing they have to do is to peck out their own feathers. My chickens are able to roam free, forage about for bugs and to explore their surroundings. I often have comments that our eggs are better than those bought in supermarkets, and I am sure that this is as a result of the life that our hens have.

It does require a certain amount of work of course. You will need to make sure that you clean out the chicken coop on a regular basis. The chicken manure is great for the garden though!

The biggest expense when first starting out is your chicken coop. However, you can save yourself a lot of money by building one yourself. This is made a whole lot easier of course if you have plans available. Fortunately, to make life easier you can download chicken coop plans here.