Keeping hens in the garden is easy. Hens are friendly and sociable creatures and not hard to care for. Hens do not also need as much space as one might expect. Their owners do not even need to keep roosters. Hens just have to be provided with shelter, food, and fresh water, and they would already make great pets. If one allows hens to roam in his or her garden, it is best to monitor the activities of the hens themselves. This should be done to prevent the hens from devouring plants instead of weeds.
What are the reasons for keeping hens in the garden? They can be kept for business purposes, or they can be kept for more personal purposes. Whichever the reason, keeping them is beneficial for their owners in a lot of ways. The following are the reasons for keeping hens in the garden.
First, hens are kept in the garden as pets. This is because hens are appealing, easy to train and fun-loving animals. They are also a joy to take care of, and they come in hundreds of colors and “styles”. Moreover, they pay with their eggs and pest control for one’s garden.
Second, hens are kept in the garden for meat as many people are now opting for fresh meat instead of the bland ones they find in the supermarket. It is because of this that they are finding ways of keeping hens in their gardens. With this, they are assured of quality meat because of the homegrown hens that they are trying to raise.
Third, hens are kept in the garden because they lay nice, fresh eggs. These eggs can be used for household purposes, or they can be sold in bulk for commercial purposes.
Many people fail to notice the benefits they could get from keeping hens in the garden. For one, hens feed on worms and insects, the reason why their gardens are kept clean of these pests. Hens also loosen up the garden soil and pull out the weeds by scratching. In addition, hens make the soil fertile through their manure. Finally, raising hens are beneficial because their meat can be eaten and they lay eggs. These are the reasons why keeping hens in the garden is a great idea. Not only are raising hens beneficial, their owners are also able to derive hours of pure pleasure in just caring for them.
The Author:
Bob Pearson has raised chickens for over 10 years for meat and eggs. You can learn more about building high quality chicken sheds, raising chickens, and other valuable tips to differentiate yourself from the beginners and avoid the common mistakes.
Photo. Nigel Wedge
Source: EzineArticles.com