Backyard Chickens
Chickens are one of the most common and widespread domestic birds and are believed to have descended directly from the wild Indian and south-east Asian Red Jungle fowl. Did you know that there are more chickens in the world than any other kind of bird, with a total population of more than 24 billion? That’s right.
The Smart Yards Co-op team enjoys building chicken coops, and composting systems right next to them. Providing our clients and members of our community with the option of having chickens for the many benefits is key for us:
Home grown eggs that come from happy and healthy hens
Saves $
Provide natural fertilizer
Help with garden pests and insect control
Turn food scraps into eggs
There are many other benefits not of common knowledge that most of us are not aware of and these are:
Chicken owners have better physical health: Free range eggs contain less cholesterol and saturated fats, plus have more vitamins A and E, thus chicken owners who eat their home-grown eggs have a much better nutrition.
Chicken owners have better mental health: Chickens are sweet pets, and pets improve self-esteem, improve responsibility of care for others, fulfill social needs, build resilience in the face of social rejection and decrease negative responses to stress and stressful life events.
They strengthen social relationships: Throughout the exchange of gifts and assistance in the form of eggs and sharing of advice
While having chickens provides a whole range of benefits that we are only just beginning to recognize, we’d like to advise of the great and long term commitments they come with:
Most chickens only lay eggs for three to four years, and they live as long as 15 years, so they are a long-term commitment.
They should be fed with fresh food and water daily, they can eat from scratch but it’s important that they also eat vegetables, small amounts of fruits and grains in addition insects.
They should be examined by a veterinarian at least once a year to help keep them healthy and to make sure their eggs are safe to eat.
Chickens must be provided with mental stimulation and environmental enrichment like areas to exercise, compost piles to dig in, hanging vegetables that they can peck and sand to bathe.
Chickens also have very particular housing needs, constructing a comfortable chicken coop that meets their needs is a must before having chickens. This is a service Smart Yards Co-op provides, we build strong coops to keep predators such as snakes, rats, raccoons, hawks, owls and cats away from the chickens. We also make sure to seal any cracks, holes on the ground or crevices to protect them. Coops, have to be heated when outside in cold climates, to avoid them being frostbitten and ensure you have well rested and healthy chickens. After constructing and having the chickens, you must have the coop well clean, it should be cleaned up weekly and fully swept out weekly to prevent the chickens from ingesting parasite eggs and having infections. Providing safer living spaces will provide healthier chickens and more egg production to enjoy.
Thinking of having chickens?
“A chicken is only an egg’s way of making another egg”