What are the Benefits of Chickens on a Homestead?

Some of the benefits of chickens on a homestead include fresh eggs, fresh meat, insect control, cash value, and their kid friendliness. In addition, chickens do not require a lot of space, and help in the garden.

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How Much Space Do Chickens Need?

In general, chickens need at least 3 to 5 square feet per chicken in a coop. However, access to the outdoors will benefit the birds by allowing fresh air and foraging. On a small homestead with six grown chickens, a coop that is 3ft by 6ft for a total of 18 square feet would be sufficient. Keep in mind that more space is not harmful to chickens as long as they are protected from predators.

There are stores that offer prebuilt chicken coops like this one from Tractor Supply https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-mini-defender-coop-mdc001

Or you can build your own coop with wood and blueprints. Here is a construction plan from Home and Garden Plans. http://www.homegardendesignplan.com/2011/06/chicken-coop-m101.html

Chickens are Cheap to Feed

One of the benefits of chickens is their ability to eat for cheap. Chicken feed is available online or at your local feed store. For us, a 40lb bag of 16%-layer feed is less than $20. For example, one chicken will eat 1.5lbs of food per week, or 6 chickens will eat 9lbs of food a week. Therefore, a 40lb bag of food will last for over a month.

In addition, chickens love to eat leftover vegetables and any weeds in the garden. Free range chickens will eat bugs, grasses, and other plants as well. With the addition of vegetables and free-range foraging, chickens may eat less than 1.5lbs of food a week. Overall, chickens are cheaper to feed.

Real Homegrown Meat

With lab grown meat getting approvals, growing your own meat at home is very desirable. Another one of the benefits of chickens is their ability to produce meat in a short amount of time. Broilers, or chickens raised for meat, are fattened until 6 to 12 weeks of age and then taken to slaughter. If raising chickens for egg laying, hens may be slaughtered once they are past their egg laying period (typically 5+ years).

In addition to being food for human consumption, chickens are a great source of food for other animals on your homestead like dogs. Old stringy chicken can be made into food for homestead dogs, or even buried to promote soil health. Chicken bones can be made into broth and then ground up to add back to the garden for calcium.

Farm Fresh Eggs

One of the most popular benefits of chickens are the farm fresh eggs they produce. A mature hen will produce one egg per day on average. Eggs can be used for several recipes in the kitchen and can even be fed back to the chickens to increase their calcium. There is old wives’ tale about feeding eggs to chickens; they state that a chicken will eat their own eggs if they are fed eggs. However, this is not common unless the chickens are starving.

Fresh unwashed eggs can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, and washed eggs can be refrigerated for a similar amount of time. To test if eggs are still good, perform a “float” test. Place an egg in cold water, if the egg floats, or does not sink to the bottom, it is rotten and should be discarded. If the egg sinks and lays flat, or stands on its bottom, it is safe to eat.

Egg Shells have MANY Uses

In addition to the nutrients found in eggs, eggshells are very beneficial to the garden setting. Egg shells can be chopped up and added to the garden soil to increase calcium. In addition, you can bake eggshells at 350F for 8 minutes, grind into a fine powder, and use as a calcium supplement in smoothies or sauces. Egg shells can also be used as an abrasive for cleaning. The shells create a rough texture that can scourer the toughest pots and pans.

Benefits of Chickens in the Garden

Fertilizer and “Chicken Compost”

Chickens in a free-range setting will defecate wherever they are roaming. Their manure is seen as a way to fertilize soil and add back nitrogen and potassium. In addition, the bedding used in chicken coops can be used in compost or as added material to garden soil.

Using a deep layering method with bedding, as seen with pigs and chickens, can be beneficial for reduction of smell as well as creating nutrient dense compost. Deep layering involves adding green matter to brown matter. Once or twice a year, the bedding is removed and labeled as “chicken compost” to be spread in the garden beds.

Garden and Insect Control

Free-range chickens will help control your garden and insects. Roaming chickens will forage on many kinds of bugs including beetles, aphids, ants, caterpillars, and grubs. Chickens will also feast on weeds and other plant matter they have access to. For example, a zucchini has gotten incredibly large and is inedible for human consumption. This zucchini can be given to the chickens to snack on as a treat. In addition, after weeding, feed the weeds to your chickens for a variety of nutrients. Chicken’s eggs are impacted by their diet and will be more flavorful if given multiple food sources.

What Can I Use Chicken Feathers For?

Adult chickens will molt their feathers once a year. Their feathers may be used for several items such as:

Feather Meal
Stuffing for Pillows
Upholstery
Blankets
Fishing Lures
Jewelry
Bird Nesting

Keep in mind that feathers should be cleaned before use. One method is keeping feathers in an airtight container with mothballs (with paradichlorobenzene) for 24 hours, to kill mites and other critters. Another method is to soak feathers in a half and half mixture of hydrogen peroxide and isopropyl alcohol.

Finally, wash the feathers with dish soap and warm water, then leave them to dry in the sun on a flat surface or hanging from a clothesline. Once completely dry, store in an airtight container to prevent damage.

Chickens are Kid Friendly

One of the best benefits of chickens is they are kid friendly. Chickens make excellent companions for children and teach responsibility at a young age. The process of raising chickens from chicks to mature adults is a process that children love to watch and participate in. I remember in my 3^rd grade class we had chicks that our teacher brought in. We got to see them grow up and it was wonderful.

Easy to Care For

Chickens are easy to care for and allow for simple daily tasks to be completed. Children can feed and water chickens, as well as collect their eggs from nesting boxes. Having a variety of chickens that lay multicolor eggs creates a fun “easter egg” appeal to children as well. For breeds that lay multicolor eggs, check out our artible on chicken breeds. https://boonstead.com/what-chicken-breeds-should-i-have-on-my-homestead/

Entertainment

Like most homestead animals, they become part of the family. Chickens are very entertaining. Each bird has a special personality and will showcase various behaviors. Not to be confused with roosters which can be mean or vicious. Hens make various clucks and noises too as if talking.

Do Chickens have a Cash Return on Investment?

Finally, one of the benefits of chickens on a homestead is their cash return on investment. Chicks are inexpensive to purchase, typically a few dollars. Once matured, chickens will lay an average of one egg per day. If your family has an abundance of eggs, they can be sold a farmers’ markets with correct permits and licenses. However, with grocery store prices climbing, paying $3 for a chicken knowing you will receive one egg a day will pay for itself in the long run.

For instance, let us do some math based on 2022 market prices.

One carton of a dozen organic eggs averages about $5

An average family of four consumes 2 eggs per day per person. Therefore, the average family will go through approximately 4.7 dozen eggs a week (or 56 eggs). (2 eggs x 4 people x 7 days = 4.7 dozen) or (2 eggs x 4 people x 30 days = 20 dozen) This comes out to roughly $20 in eggs per week or $80 in eggs per month.

One chick on average costs $3. Purchasing 8 chicks will costs an average of $24. Once laying eggs, chickens will produce approximately 1 egg per chicken per day. With eight chickens totaling 8 eggs per day.

Feeding 8 chickens for one month will cost $26. This is accomplished by purchasing a 40lb bag of feed for $20. Chickens eat 1.5lbs of food a week per chicken. Eight chickens will eat roughly 12lbs of food per week.

Assuming no medical issues, 8 chickens will produce approximately 4.7 dozen eggs per week (or 56 eggs), or 20 dozen eggs in one month. Creating a savings of $54 a month.

This savings will continue for every month the chickens produce eggs, which can be for several years.

Meat, Broth, and Other Byproducts

Saving money on eggs is one thing, but chickens can be used for more at market. Their meat can be sold, in addition to bone broths, feathers, feet, beaks, and other parts of the animal. Overall, chickens are an easy investment to make that will provide for years to come.