As a breeder of Heritage chickens, I have really noticed the keeping of backyard chickens has been steadily on the rise with more families choosing to “know where their food comes from” and learning about sustainable living.
There is a definite shift of ISA brown back into the gorgeous Heritage Breed chickens. They are not only beautiful, but come in many shapes, sizes and colours. Some Heritage Breeds lay more than others, some even produce different coloured egg shells. They start laying around 23-26 weeks of age and reward you with eggs for up to 5-6 years.
Did you know there are so many more benefits for keeping your own chickens;
• Wonderful flavoursome eggs that have been shown to have greater nutritional value than caged eggs.
• Your own organic eggs free of chemicals, hormones. You know exactly what they are eating.
• Less need for pesticides as they love to eat beetles, bugs, ticks and snails.
• Free manure for your garden and citrus trees. Chook poop is probably the most beneficial manure as it is packed with essential nutrients for your garden.
• Reducing landfill. Chookies love kitchen scraps, food peels (excluding potatoes) rice, oats, plain yoghurt that is close to expiry, cabbage and the list goes on.
• The joy of watching your children race down and collect the eggs.
• There is something just so therapeutic about watching your chickens roam around your backyard and seeing their different personalities and antics.
• Did you know chickens have also been proven to be beneficial for sufferers of depression or anxiety. Chickens are now being taken to nursing homes and used as therapy.
• A great way to meet your neighbours – sharing a dozen eggs, they will be friends for life.
At Leah’s Chook Shed, we sell professionally sexed and vaccinated day old chicks through to 8 weeks of age. We have focussed on this age bracket as we truly believe the younger a chick enters your family the more social and family friendly they will become. The smiles and laughter coming from your children and grandchildren is priceless.
