Chickens in Suburbia & On Small Farms

12 Top Reasons to Get Chickens:

• You can enjoy delicious fresh, chemical-free eggs
• They reduce the waste going into your garbage
• You can save money on fertilizers for your garden
• They are heaps of fun
• They're super easy to care for
• You can use them to weed & de-bug your vege patch
• You won't need to feel guilty about where your eggs come from
• You'll lower your food miles to just a couple of feet away
• It's easy to get people to look after them when you go away
• You'll be taking charge of some of your own food supply
• They're an environmentally responsible pet
• Because you can! Because it's the responsible thing to do! And because chooks are fab!

What to say when your partner says "No Chickens, No Way!"

1. "But honey, why don't we just trial them to see what it's like?"

There's a company in Sydney who will rent you some chooks and a coop so you can see how it goes. www.rentachook.com.au

2. "But we'll reduce our garbage by half"

So much of our garbage waste is food scraps. Chickens will eat practically anything and will turn it into valuable manure, (though they're not partial to citrus peel and you shouldn't feed them their own kind!).

3. "And I'll save a fortune on fertiliser"

Chook poo is valuable! Check out how much your local garden centre is selling it for.

4. "And they'll keep all the bugs down"

An added bonus of keeping chooks is that they enjoy feasting on bugs!

5. "It' perfectly legal by the way as long as we don't get a rooster. 3-5 sounds like a good number to me."

Neighbours love fresh eggs but not roosters, but hey, you don't need a rooster anyway!

6. "Don't worry about rats either honey, there's a special chook feeder that keeps the vermin out!"

Yes, you can train your chickens to use a great New Zealand invention called "Grandpa's Chookfeeder"! The chickens stand on a platform which lifts up the top of the weather-proof/rodent-proof feed container so they can eat their grain securely.

7. "And I have a wonderful idea for their housing!"

There is a huge range of portable chicken coops now available for sale in Australia or you can build your own version.

A mobile coop is great for suburban backyards and small farms as you can move the coop around to give the chooks fresh forage and to concentrate the manure where you most want it.

Here are plans for a DIY Coop:

DIY Backyard Chicken Coop Plans

If your partner is still saying no...

8. "You obviously haven't seen the price of eggs lately!"

Eggs continue to go up in price thanks to rising oil prices and the cost of feed and transport, but now you'll have your own supply! You might even be able to barter with the neighbours.

If your partner is still not convinced about chickens...this last one is normally a winner:

9. "I'll make you Eggs Benedict and French Toast every Sunday. I promise!"

Check out some tasty egg recipes here:

• 1. Eggs Benedict: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/11187/eggs benedict
• 2. Cheesy Vegetable Egg Strata Recipe: http://www.lanierbb.com/recipes/data/veg119.html
• 3. Egg Rellenos: http://www.lanierbb.com/recipes/data/veg54.html
• 4. Country Roads Farmstay French Toast for 4: Whisk together 6 fresh eggs, 3/4 cup of milk, tsp vanilla essence, tsp sugar. Dip thick slices of day old bread in the mixture, then fry in butter until golden brown. Serve either with maple syrup or brown sugar & lemon juice. Yummmm!

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Still not convinced? Come on a farm holiday to our place at Country Roads Farmstay and we'll show you a variety of breeds, teach you how to look after them and show you just how easy and fun to care for they are!

Choose Life! Choose Chickens!