Beautiful Backyard Poultry
Take an imaginary walk with me for a moment. Out the back door and into your sanctuary of peace that we refer to as the backyard. The garden over there looks as though it’s grown half an inch overnight. The seating is warm from the sun. The birds flying overhead offer a light song that is so lovely. Now, imagine a house, with a little fence and the soft clucking of a few hens as they scratch the grass for bugs that would otherwise eat your tomatoes. We’ll walk over to the coop and find there some delicate brown eggs that will make the best omelets this morning for you and your loved ones. You call softly to your favorite golden colored hen, and she comes over to us and begins pecking at your shoe. We chuckle softly and grab a handful of grains and toss It to the ladies and watch them, enjoying the humor of them cracking the corn and pecking up every morsel. We’ll turn on the sprinkler for the garden and open the coop doors for the day, allowing the hens to graze the garden and yard, keeping it weed free and reducing the bugs so that the masterpiece of a garden will remain beautiful with just a little less work. We carry our fresh eggs to the bench and sit with them for a moment, watching the birds, listening to the chickens, feeling the warm sun on our faces, and simply enjoying a delightful, peaceful, and yet exciting start to our day. We notice the flowers opening to the morning sun and the sound of the wind through our favorite tree in the corner. As we amble in to put these new eggs to beneficial use in the kitchen, we think what a perfect backyard we have – our mini-homestead that allows us to be both more natural and happier as we enjoy our sanctuary just a bit more than we did before the chickens.
If you’re like me and this sounds like a little piece of heaven, then you are reading the right article. The best part is, the clucking of hens in our scenario could be quacking and splashing of ducks, honking of geese, or even the calling of guinea hens. In recent years, it’s widely been thought that the nature of what we consider farm animals can only be enjoyed as that- farm animals. It’s just not reality. These versatile birds can be kept in quantities of just 3 or 4 and, because they require only a couple square feet per bird for living space, they can be raised and enjoyed right in your backyard.
The many benefits of having poultry can be yours, in your very own space. Chickens and their feathered counterparts will help your garden by eating both weed seeds and the bugs that might otherwise infest your vegetables. They offer natural fertilizer to any place that you care to let them roam, and the bedding from the coop is a spectacular addition to your compost pile. Chickens and ducks, along with guineas, quail, and turkey as well as others, are a fantastic source of fresh farm meat if you are willing, and those wonderfully nutritious fresh eggs are the best reward. If you don’t think you’ll need all the eggs, they can be sold to cover the cost of feed, and therefore be the least expensive animal you’ve ever decided to keep. Extra garden produce makes the perfect treats for your birds, too.
With all of these benefits, we have to wonder why everyone doesn’t keep backyard poultry. I mean, sure, there’s an initial investment in the coop, bedding, fencing as necessary and the investment in feed and the birds themselves, but isn’t everything worthwhile an investment? These birds are hardy and will do well through the coldest winter with just small accommodations to keep the water from freezing and will continue to lay in the hottest of summers. They offer endless hours of entertainment and natural, healthy self-sufficiency that can be enjoyed by everyone around you, ages 1 to 92. The lessons gained by keeping these birds are invaluable in today’s society, and these fully-feathered friends come in so many varieties, there is surely one that will be perfect for you. Chickens come in every type from the soft fluffy silkies to artfully patterned feathers of a laced variety to the naked necks of a turkey. Both chickens and ducks come in standard size, mini, or large. If you have access to water or are willing to entertain the idea of having a little pool, you can have exotic wild ducks, colorful domestic ducks in just about any color, or humorous runner ducks that stand straight up and follow one another as seen in the cartoons of yesteryear.
This doesn’t have to be a moment enjoyed in the imagination. You can begin the process of adding these blessed gifts without even leaving the relaxation of the position you are likely in right now. Just log on to purelypoultry.com or call and talk to one of their super friendly and helpful customer service reps today! Let’s improve the world and share the beauty of poultry together, one backyard at a time.
