The Joys and Perils of Raising Chickens

The Joys and Perils of Raising Chickens
Backyard hens will give you incomparable eggs for eating and fertilizer for your garden—but also a fair share of loss and frustration. mavo/Shutterstock
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I’ve raised a lot of chickens. Probably hundreds. For eggs, not meat. I give them the best lives I can, including a generous retirement plan when they reach a certain age, with free room and board, yet they rarely arrive at those emerald pastures. Precious few have lived long enough to die in their sleep. I blame myself.

If you aspire to keep hens, don’t let me discourage you. The eggs are of incomparable quality, and the byproduct is rich manure that’s like steroids for your garden, which will produce plenty of weeds and garden waste that your chickens can turn into more eggs and byproduct. It’s a nutritious, virtuous circle, without the bother of a compost pile.

Ari LeVaux
Ari LeVaux
Author
Ari LeVaux writes about food in Missoula, Mont.
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