Why Keep Chickens?

With the current global financial situation, affording a decent life is becoming increasingly hard. Prices of food items like all other commodities are on the rise. To survive these hard economic times many people around the world are now opting to grow their own food and rearing animals and birds to provide nutritional supplements. This applies to both the rural and urban setups. Scenarios of suspended farms on roof tops, chicken coops at the backyard etcetera are becoming a common phenomenon in the urban areas. As the prices of food products escalate, the cost of chicken and chicken products are not spared either. Keeping your own chicken can help save a lot on the cost spent buying chicken and related products as well as generate income from the sale of some products to neighbours.

The cost of keeping chicken is perhaps the lowest compared to other farm animals. They are cheap to buy and the cost of their maintenance is also low. The number of chickens to keep depends on a number of factors which include the requirements for eggs and meat on a daily basis, the size of your compound and whether or not you will be selling some eggs and meat to neighbours or friends. With an area of approximately six square feet you can keep a flock of between four to six birds which are enough to provide a family with a constant supply of eggs. Selling extra eggs and sometimes chicken, will help earn a few dollars on a regular basis which though unnoticeable at the time, will go a long way in complementing the normal family income. With the current economic times this can be a great boost.

Chicken products (meat and eggs) are rich in a variety of minerals, which include high percentage proteins, carbohydrates, Vitamins (A and D) and choline. These are the main components of a balanced diet, important for healthy living of your family.

Raising chickens should therefore be the dream of any home owner either in the rural or urban areas due to their ease of management and their contribution to the family well being both in terms of diet as well as increased income. This practice is a wonderful adventure which calls for a bit of commitment and investment as all animals either pets or domestic animals require management. For anyone interested in keeping chicken, making a choice on the chickens to keep would probably be the first thing to do. This will depend on whether you want your chicken only for eggs, meat or as pets. Whether you like to have good looking chickens around your compound or not is also a factor to consider. A good way to approach this is to get advice by talking to a breeder who should direct you on the best breeds for you. Breeds like White Star, Isa Brown, Loman and Black Rock are good layers and would be good for one interested in keeping chickens for eggs. Finding out about any restrictions by the local authority is also important before one starts keeping the birds.

If you found this article helpful and would like to learn more about choosing the right chickens to keep you can find lots of useful information at chicken keeping answers

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