Best things about adding chickens to our backyard, in no particular order:
1. Their eggs are just better. Homegrown egg on left, organic store-bought on right. Note the larger, darker, richer yolk and the firmer, tighter white on the homegrown egg. They fry up beautifully too.
2. Chickens make very willing weeders and soil cultivators. (I wish my daughter would weed as happily as the chickens.) They also apply and spread manure directly onto vegetable beds.
3. Feeding cutworms to the chickens is so much more fun than just smushing them.
4. Chickens make very pretty garden eye candy. (And let’s face it, these girls are more looks than brains.)
5. The kids love them. Chicken impressions are particularly popular!
6. Finding an egg is like finding a hidden present! (I also feel this way about harvesting potatoes.)
What’s your favorite thing about chickens?
1
I love the "I just laid an egg" song they sing for like an hour after they do it… lol.
Well, so far I like that every day brings something new about my chickens. Today they're acting crazy like teenagers normally do. When I come in they all come to the front and look at me as if to say, "what did we do?" "can we borrow the car?" and "WHAT?". Hehe
I don't have chickens yet, but have wanted them for awhile, and this post just makes me all the more convinced that it's just a question of when I get them, not if. So many good reasons right here that I think it might just be time to figure out who to talk to at city hall to get some city chickens happening.
I have been collecting handfuls of slugs from my artichokes and feeding them to our chickens. Very satisfying. Frying up and egg and eating it with toast and salsa is definitely my favorite part though!
I have to admit that the shock of finding eggs in my coop every day hasn't worn off. I still find myself looking over my shoulder, half expecting a hidden camera crew to pop out and say, "Gotcha!"
I love our chickens. Whenever someone comes to our gate it’s a race between them and my dog to be the first to greet them. They follow everyone around, and have their own personalities.
I love the way chickens come running for a treat at ’round up’ time! There is pure humor in watching a chicken run! And watching them discover something new in the grass is also funny!
All of the above reasons come to mind, but most of all I love my kids new desire to hang out with dad at the garden and coop. My daughter who is a really “girly girl” type is really enjoying spending time with dirty smelly old dad. She has even been getting up early on the weekdays to go with me to let the out into the field each morning. The neighbors love the sights and sounds of my lovely Buff’s and the gentile wakeup call from the hens each morning. From my bedroom about 200 + feet away I hear them clucking as to say “wake up” and “let us out” and they certainly let me know if I am late.