Sadly, not everyone in your life will be as mad for chickens as you are. Housemates, partners and children can all have objections to keeping chickens for one reason or another. But, most of the time, these reluctant chicken lovers simply do not understand how fun, easy and rewarding keeping chickens truly are. All they can imagine is the mess, expense and ceaseless cluck-cluck-clucking. That’s why we have created this easy guide to help you counter all the chicken concerns that your anti-poultry pals might have.
1. “No! They’re just too expensive.”
Keeping chickens is no more expensive than keeping any other household pet, like cats or dogs - plus, chickens only eat as much as they need, which means that they’ll only peck at your wallet as much as they really need to. Also, don’t forget about the bounty of nutritious eggs they produce, saving you cash at every meal. At the end of the day keeping chickens is pretty darn cheap. Don’t believe us? We’ve broken down the cost of keeping chickens in this easy guide which you should definitely show your partner or housemates. Have a stickybeak here.
If you’ve got any concerns about the total cost of one of our coops, accessories and delivery, make sure you contact the Backyard Chicken Coops team who can draft up a quote for you and discuss possible layby options.
2. “Why would we even get chickens? Seriously!”
Do they know that 2 chickens can give you up to 14 eggs a week? This of course depends on their breed types. Chooks such as ISA browns, orpingtons and australorps are mad little layers that will keep your fridge bursting with eggs. Who doesn’t love eggs for breakfast? Fried, scrambled, poached - it doesn’t matter - eggs are always the perfect way to start your day!
If you keep chickens in the backyard, your partner or roommates are guaranteed to have fresh eggs for brekky - plus, the eggs your backyard hens produce are guaranteed to taste better, and are proven to be more nutritious generally! Not to mention that everyone will be getting their eggs for free from now on.
If all this talk of eggs has got your mouth watering make sure you fly on into the egg recipe section of our Learning Centre here.
3. “Come on! We don’t have enough room for chooks.”
Most common breeds of hen are perfectly happy to poke around a small enclosed chicken run. If your husband or housemates are nervously imagining scenes of wayward chickens running amuck around the backyard, tell them that’s simply not the way it will be! First tell them that 2-3 hens will lay anywhere between 10 and 21 eggs a week and can live quite comfortably in a small residential backyard. Generally speaking a small flock of chickens require less space than a cat or a dog. If you expect that your chickens will need to spend most of their days inside the chicken coop and run make sure you choose a docile breed like silkies, frizzles or barred plymouth rocks. Stop having nightmares about destructive chickens and feathers flying all over your backyard, the truth is life will be cool, calm and cruisy with chickens.
4. “Ok. I’m sort of interested but I KNOW they’ll destroy the garden”
People with a green thumb can be ultra protective of their garden. Does this sound like your partner or housemate? Never fear! Chickens are more capable gardeners than they might appear. In fact, keeping chickens is one of the easiest ways you can ensure a thriving garden. Chicken manure contains an incredible range of nutrients perfect for garden compost. Chooks also love to devour insects and pests that relish terrorizing precious plants! Most importantly, if it ever looks as though your chooks are lending an unnecessary helping hand in your garden, simply move them back into the chicken run - problem, solved!
5. “Right, they sound great, but we don’t have enough time to look after them.”
Chickens are independent by nature. They keep themselves clean through dust bathing, they only eat as much as they need to, they are quiet, great around small children, and get along well with other pets. All they need from you is an ample supply of food, fresh water, and a comfortable home - no more than any other pet. AND, in payment, they’ll gladly give you eggs in return! “Not enough time”, you’ll only need to spend a few moments with them each day. But, most people with chickens quickly fall head over heels for their girls and end up spending hours in the backyard with their flock out of love.
6. “What if something like a dog or a fox gets them? I can’t be checking up on them every 5 minutes!”
If you’ve got a predator proof coop fitted with galvanised wire mesh, then you can rest easy knowing your chickens are well protected. Many chicken keepers live in known predator areas and their flock is still able to live long happy lives without becoming a burden to their owners. Our coops enable every chook lover to keep their flock comfortable all year round and safe from all of nature’s predators. Our range of safe and secure coops are the chicken equivalent to a suburban gated community - no yolk! In short, get an eggcellent coop and stop worrying.
If you need more information about chicken safety make sure you have a look at our range of wire mesh flooring, Auto Doors and predator sensor lights.
7. “Fine! Chickens sound like a great idea, but they’ll scare the kids!”
There are chicken breeds perfect for families that absolutely LOVE to be cuddled, petted and doted upon - just like a dog or a cat! Breeds such as silkies, ISA browns, barred plymouth rocks, orpingtons and australorps are all calm and gentle ladies by nature that will be patient and oh-so sweet with the littlest members of your family. Though some little boys and girls might be a tad timid around chickens on their first few encounters, most quickly develop deep and meaningful connections with their new feathery friends.
At the end of the day most people are reluctant to try new things out of fear. The important thing to remember is that there is nothing to fear when it comes to keeping chickens. Chooks are easy to maintain, loving and generous with their eggs. So, next time you bring chickens up with your partner or housemates make sure you keep them properly informed by handing them this eggcellent article. Most importantly, make sure you checkout our terrific Taj Mahal, perfect Penthouse and magnificent Mansion, all of which will make an eggceptionally safe home for your loving flock.
