conceive it or not , egg output is not the only reason people produce chickens . For some flock owners , fresh eggs are just a tasty — and profitable — bonus . If you are positive you need to keep chicken but are not certain why , perhaps one or more of the following reasons is right for you .
Conservation
Several pure breeds are menace — some of them critically . TheLivestock Conservancykeeps careful cart track of poultry and other naturalize beast whose numbers have dwindle down to precariously abject levels .
The organisation publishes a annual Conservation Priority List , outlining the status of the most threatened breeds and classify them into five family :
When my husband , Jae , and I get going our poultry farm , preservation was our key incentive . We did n’t desire to just keep Gallus gallus . We also want to aid make a remainder by raise breeds in risk of die out .
With a scant handful of exceptions , most of the heritage breeds we have reared over the years were among those classified as Critical or Threatened . It ’s given us heavy expiation to watch several of our strain improve in status , with Orpington even entirely graduate from the list !
Currently , 11 heritage breeds — including the Crevecoeur , Modern Game , Spanish and Sultan — comprise the Critical listing . Eleven others — including the Faverolle , Icelandic , Old English Game , and Sebright — make up the menace lean .
More than two dozen other breed fill out out the other category . Consider raising chickens from the Critical Priority List . This path , you ’re not just keep a flock . You ’re helping a cause . Ana Hotaling
Ana Hotaling
Competition
If you expand on endeavor for the effective , raising an expo flock may be the way to go . Exhibition or show skirt are the ointment of the poultry crop , the chicken that most closely match theAmerican Poultry Association ’s Standards of Perfection ( SOP ) for their particular breeds .
At an exhibition , certified poultry judges nearly examine your bird , look for famous deviations from the SOP . The birds that most intimately match the traits and characteristic outlined for their breed typically win the Best in Breed and Best in Show awards .
Because perfection is the goal , those who raise exhibition chickens — particularly those that vie on the internal circuit — are extremely consecrate and demanding . They reject and cull razzing with even the slender imperfection .
Ana Hotaling
However , at the local level , such as at community and county funfair , competition is much less cutthroat and much more fun . exhibitor range from serious stock breeder to immature kids entering their pet chickens .
mark with your local funfair for their fowl exhibition guidelines . These will help you find out whether raising competitive chickens belong in your list of reasons for poultry keeping .
Read more : Egg contention ? Yep — and here are some tips to keep in head .
Companionship
Kids are n’t the only ones who keep wimp as positron emission tomography . Many adults also ca n’t help but fall in love with these feathered frippery and their whimsical manner .
volaille ’ insatiable curiosity , their societal fundamental interaction and their comedic antics will put up you with nonstop entertainment … just commit up a electric chair and watch Chicken TV , nature ’s skilful show . However , if you take breeds recognize for their affectionate , docile dispositions — Orpingtons and Cochins number to mind — you might very well be unite on your hot seat by a crybaby looking for cuddles .
We have had birds who watch us around like puppies . And our boy Jaeson was practically inseparable from his Silkie , Altaria , who ofttimes joined us for Easter and other home events .
Over the year , I ’ve follow to know wads of poultry owners . The huge majority of them keep chickens solely for the pure delight they contribute . So if you find that companionship is top among your reasons for owning a flock of chickens , you ’re in excellent caller .
