So you’ve been thinking about getting some chickens. For many people, raising backyard chickens is a logical next step in the homesteading/self-sufficiency adventure.
As far as livestock go, they’re small and don’t require a lot of space, expense, or hands-on care. They’re fun to have around, a good experience for the kids, and a great source of natural fertilizer. And of course, they produce eggs, one of the healthiest sources of protein you’ll find. I had some doubts too, but in my experience, chickens are about as easy as it gets. If you have a cat or dog, chickens shouldn’t be any more work, plus dogs don’t lay eggs.
I could (and many people have) write a book about raising backyard chickens, but for those of you who like the abridged version of things, I’ll try to boil it down to the basics. Obviously, there are numerous specific topics that you may run into that aren’t covered here. In those cases, a quick search is all you need. Otherwise, I hope to touch on enough to get you comfortable with the idea of raising backyard chickens yourself!
