Sugg Plantation & Alpaca Farm
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Chicken and Duck Farmin'
It’s true that chickens are addictive and considered the “gateway farm animal.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to Riverview Farm & Garden for chicken feed, only to come home with more chickens! They’re just too cute to resist, and anyone with chickens has to admit, there’s nothing better than waking up to farm fresh, delicious, and hormone free eggs!
Why Raise Chickens?
There are many benefits to having free range chickens. From entertainment to learning about self-sustainability, below are a few reasons why you should keep your own backyard chickens...
Fresh Eggs
Imagine having an endless supply of fresh eggs right in your own backyard. How convenient!
Free range eggs have been shown to have a far greater nutritional value than store bought. They're organic and non-GMO. You'll know exactly what kind of eggs you're eating because you know what you feed your hens. Research shows free range eggs have more Vitamin A, Beta Carotene, and Vitamin E, the essential fatty acid Omega 3, as well as less saturated fat.
Educational and Entertainment Value
Raising chickens is a great way for kids to learn about nature, agriculture, and the responsibility of caring for animals.
Chickens are fascinating creatures! Did you know chickens have a great memory and can differentiate between over 100 human or animal faces? They love to play, they dream, they mourn for each other and they feel pain and distress. They also make great mothers – hens talk to their chicks while still in the egg, and turn the eggs around 50 times a day.
Keeping backyard chickens will give you an opportunity to learn more about them and see their individual personalities and quirks. They are clever creatures, each occupying a different role in the pecking order. Hens have an ordered social structure based on a hierarchy.
Free Fertilizer
Utilizing fertilizer is an important part of sustainable and organic
agriculture. It's one of the most desirable manures due to its high
nutrient level. 5-10 chickens should produce enough fertilizer to take care of your garden for the year.
Pest Control
Ditch the pesticides. Chickens will eat pretty much any bug including beetles, slugs, grasshoppers and ticks!
Between a steady supply of fertilizer and a slug-free garden, your roses will look amazing!
A Source of Therapy
Move over Rover, these chicks could be the next therapy animal! They’re already being used to help those with autism as well as the elderly. Keeping chickens can be therapeutic for children on the autism spectrum. Feeding and caring for chickens promotes independent living skills. They have also been used for patients with dementia and other psychiatric disorders.