How My Chickens Are Saving Me Money, Other Than Just Eggs

This post may earn affiliate income from links and/or review products to help support this site from the companies .

Chickens are wonderful backyard pets! They are pretty self sufficient, can entertain themselves, aren’t (too) messy, and are very entertaining yet relaxing to watch.

We are on our third set of chickens and have raised them all from 3 day old chicks. We have learned a lot along the way. While most of the experiences have been amazing, we have had our share of fails.

Since raising our new chickens this last Spring, I have really noticed the financial benefits of having chickens, other than just for their eggs.

• They are the best living compost bins – Chickens can eat just about any fruit, veggies or vegetation around. I would normally have so much waste monthly from fruits and veggies that have wilted or bruised. Most of time that would have just ended up in the garbage = money in the garbage. Now, every scrap, every melon rind, apple peel, what have you… becomes nutritious, wholesome chicken food. It return, that means they are giving back even that much more nutritious eggs for the family.
•  They are excellent exterminators – Aside from fruits and veggies, what do chickens love best…..BUGS. I think our whole neighborhood lives on one giant ant hill and we have had to learn to be somewhat comfortable around the little buggers (as I don’t like or allow chemicals or pesticides on my property). Chickens have an amazing keen eye for insects and can devour them like you wouldn’t believe. Insects are wonderful for the chickens, it provides them with critical protein they need and my yard and home have fewer bugs….. WIN/WIN.
• Chickens are natures yardman – This wasn’t something I learned until my second set of chickens…. but they LOVE vegetation, it is an excellent source of nutrition, vitamins and fluids. The more natural resources they eat… the less feed you will need to buy . They will eat just about any leaf or weed out their. There are a few exceptions.. here are a few know plants to NOT feed them. However they are pretty smart and due to their bitter taste will most likely steer clear from these.
  

  Bloodroot Bull Nettle Bracken Bryony Carelessweed Castor Bean Cocklebur Curly Dock Delphinium Fern, Foxglove Ground Ivy Hemlock

  Horse Chestnut Horse Radish Hyacinth Hydrangea Ivy Laburnum (seed) Lantana Lily of the Valley Nightshade (Also called Deadly Nightshade) Rhododendron St. Johns Wort Tulip Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata L.) Yew

  Be mind full that what ever you put on your grass ( as far as feeds, fertilizers, and insecticides) as these will enter your chicken and in turn be entered into the egg that you will eat. I have also learned not to give the chickens more than they can consume with in about 4 hours. Once they plant or weeds get dried out, they seem to be uninterested and that will just be more that you have to clean out later.

• Chickens will provide you some amazing fertilizer – Why buy fertilizer when you have the factory for free! If you think about everything they are eating, especially all they wonderful things from above, then how could they not produce the most amazing fertilizer for your plants and garden. A word of caution they DO produce some “Hot Sh@t” most likely where that phrase came from. What does that mean?? Their poop is very acidic and it can be too much of a good thing. There are a few plants that can’t handle it and may burn the root system. Here are a few plants that LOVE the additive; tomatoes, peppers, carrots, radishes, and squashes. A little goes a long way, so when you clean out their house or pen, just save a little in a bucket and work it into the garden around your plant for and extra “organic” boost.