There are many reasons why people raise chicken. After all, people have been raising chicken for more than 3,000 years, originally for cockfighting. While some continue to raise chicken for sports, the domestication of chicken has largely evolved into a major food production undertaking for human consumption. Today, there are more domesticated chickens in farmhouses than there are wild fowl in forests across the world.

And why would you and I raise chicken?

I have my own reasons and you probably have yours, too. For me, I just want to go back to the old charm of the countryside after spending sometime in the city. I want to enjoy the smell of natural flowers, feel the caress of fresh air, climb mountains, wade through rivers, and feel free and refreshed in the midst of it all. Perhaps there is an anthropological explanation to this. I believe there is a natural yearning in all of us to be in the midst of nature and our natural sources of food.

But, of course, I also need to continue working to have something to feed my family – and I think poultry-raising is not such a bad idea. Aside from a steady source of income from chicken eggs and meat, I also have a steady supply of fresh chicken and eggs for my family’s consumption. With the price of organic eggs in groceries hitting $4 a dozen, raising chicken in the backyard is certainly a most welcome idea.

Let me give you a rundown of the other benefits of raising chicken in your own backyard:

• Eggs from well-tended backyard chicken are healthier and more ideal for human consumption. Commercially farmed chickens are fed an unnatural diet, mostly chemically produced feeds that are meant to produce more eggs quickly and cheaply. This results in layers that produce eggs that are less nutritious than eggs produced by chicken allowed to exercise, peck for bugs and engage in their natural behavior.

• Eggs from backyard chicken are better tasting than those purchased from groceries and supermarkets, which can be days or weeks old. When eggs are stored too long, air seeps into the naturally porous eggshell, adversely affecting the taste and nutrition of the egg. Fresh eggs from backyard chicken have firmer whites and bright orange yolks, which is a good source of beta carotene.

• Raising backyard chicken teaches children about responsibility and origins of their food.

• Chicken droppings enrich your compost with their nitrogen content. They can be a source of cheaper, healthier, natural fertilizer for your garden crops.

• Chickens provide natural insect control when hunting for their food around the yard.

These are just a few advantages. There are more benefits, but there is just not enough space to include them here. For one, tending chicken is not as demanding as taking care of dogs and other household animals. Chickens do not need to be bathed or taken to a walk, unlike your favorite Labrador or German Shepherd. They just need to be fed and given fresh water like all natural pets. Of course, you need to keep their coop cleaned and the chickens inspected regularly to ensure they are healthy.

You can involve your kids in these activities, including picking up eggs on a daily basis. As a kid, I remember watching a mother hen lay her egg every morning. My brother and I had to wake up very early in the morning to watch this daily ritual. It’s a memory I totally enjoy recalling to my kids even before we decided to transfer to this farmhouse. My brother and I continue to relish this memory to this day.

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