Why keep chickens

You get the benefits of a pet combined with a bonus of fresh eggs for breakfast. While you might not be up to train the chicken to play fetch, their affectionate nature and gentle clucking make them a comforting companion for many people. Some people also enjoy the challenge of raising the more exotic breeds; if you think a chicken can't have colourful plumage then think again. So what are the benefits of keeping chickens?

1. You save money.

Although admittedly not a lot. Whilst you can save money by keeping chickens it probably won't amount to much once you factor in the other costs involved (after all how much do you really spend on eggs every year?). Chickens are quite cheap to maintain however and by my calculations, keeping three chickens will if you don't factor in your labour costs workout slightly cheaper on average than buying free range eggs. The savings increase if you go for the more expensive organic varieties.

2. Your chickens will get a better quality of life.

Battery chicken farming is cruel. There is a real reason why chicken is one of the cheapest meats at the supermarket. Supermarkets don't pay chicken farmers much. Although it must be said that this situation is improving especially as a result of the recent high profile TV campaigns that have been run. Most of the chicken on sale comes from a handful of suppliers with massive factories. These are a far cry from that rural farm setting those pictures on your egg boxes might have you imagining.

Despite the low costs of raising chickens, suppliers have incredibly tight profit margins and in order to make money they need to make sacrifices. This generally starts with the welfare of the chickens. Think, rows upon rows of tiny cages, no sunlight, no exercise. The industry has largely been hidden from view up until recently although more people are starting to become aware of it. The TV programs by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall called Hugh’s Chicken Run highlighted the plight of factory farmed chickens.

Don't think that what the suppliers are doing is illegal either; Katie Thear’s organic poultry book goes into some detail about government standards for all organic and free range eggs. This includes the space requirements needed per chicken. Take a look at what they are, it might surprise you. I'm not saying that every supplier everywhere is called chickens but you must remember that the welfare standards set by government and the demands of business may not coincide with your own views on a basic minimum standard of living for a living creature. This is one of the key benefits of keeping your own chickens. You know that your eggs are coming from birds that are well looked after and not living in a dark cage the size of a shoebox. I guarantee thinking about this while you type into your home praised organic eggs will make them taste even better.

3. You know what's gone into your eggs.

Let me say first that there is nothing wrong with the eggs that are sold in shops today. You don't need to check whether a shop bought egg has gone off before you use it. However I would still argue that the home reared eggs are the better product. This is because you have control of your hens diets so you know that they haven't been pumped full of chemicals that make them grow faster, lay quicker, glow-in-the-dark so that they can be easily found at night etc. Plus many of my chicken owning friends tell me that the varied diet of the home grown chicken produces a tasty egg.

This is not just an old wives tale. Levels of folic acid, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin A have been scientifically proven to be higher in free range eggs than in battery farmed eggs. Since you're chickens will of course be free range then you get the benefit of this as well. Another concern is that you can never know what you might find inside a shop bought egg.

Remember that free range is not the same thing as organic, many free range producers may use foodstuffs liberally the sprayed with fertiliser. Here's one frightening statistic for you; in 1999, 0.5% of eggs tested had levels of the cancer-causing drug Dimetridazole (DMZ). At the same time just less than one in 10 eggs contained levels of Lasalocid, not something that should legally be found in hens laying eggs. You should also bear in mind that the percentage of eggs tested by governments is not reassuring. They test approximately 1 in every 18 million. Why keeping chickens might not be for you.

Hopefully now I have convinced you all to rush out and pick up a few new feathered friends. Before you head to the door however it is worth considering a few reasons why chicken keeping might not be so you.

1. some people have quite bad phobias about birds (especially after a Hitchcock movie night). While chickens don't need a lot of space they do need some. If you have a flat in a high-rise then chickens are probably not you.

2. Health concerns. While avian flu has been blown up out of all proportion in the media, it's still something to think about.

3. Waste disposal. Chickens like all animals produce manure which you will have to deal with. If you don't want it I'm sure a nearby garden will be happy to take it off your hands.

4. Check you are legally allowed to keep chickens. The government agency DEFRA stipulates that you do not need a licence to keep chickens provided that you are responsible for less than 50 birds. However there may be some local laws which prevent you from keeping animals.

5. Like any other pets, someone will need to come to look after your chickens when you are not there. There are very few kennels at accept chickens!