Sometimes you might be thinking about whether should you raise chickens or not, especially when you see other people in your area are raising chickens and making profits.
As we have mentioned previously, raising chicken is really very profitable and can make you rich if you go through proper plan, love what you are doing and do everything perfectly and timely.
Here we are describing more about why should you start raising chickens and some pros and cons of keeping chickens.
Should You Raise Chickens
Before starting ask yourself ‘why should you start raising chickens?’. You can start raising chickens for fresh meat and eggs supply and as a hobby.
You should raise chickens if you like them, have space to raise them, have time and want to make some extra income along with your other business or current job.
You should not raise chickens if you don’t like them and don’t have enough time to take care of them. And before starting, you should know the pros and cons of starting any animal farming business. Lets see the pros and cons of raising chickens.
Pros of Raising Chickens
These are the main pros of raising chickens. The main pros of raising chickens includes but not limited to the followings.
- Great employment and income source.
- Fresh eggs and meat supply for your family.
- As chickens are small in size, so regular farm tasks are easy if you love your birds and one person can handle hundreds of chickens.
- Huge demand of chicken meat and eggs. Most of the people love chicken products.
- Good value in the market.
- Marketing is very easy.
- Ready-made chicken feeds are available in the market. So you don’t have to prepare their food regularly whether you raise broiler or layer chickens.
- Various types of chicken breeds are available to choose from.
- Usually chickens are friendly in nature and are delightful little animals.
- You can easily utilize your family labor.
- You will get high quality natural fertilizer from chickens which will boost the crop production. You can also use it for any other purposes.
- You don’t need any license for starting chicken farming business (in most areas).
- You can get bank loan if you don’t have enough money for starting this business commercially.
- Chickens are very cute and fluffy. And if you love animals, then raising chickens will give you much pleasure.
Cons of Raising Chickens
Some cons of raising chickens are listed below.
- Like all other animal farming business, raising chickens is hard and is involved with lots of regular hard work. Some people also consider keeping chickens as a dirty work.
- In some areas, all supplies are not available for starting this business. For example chicks, feeds, equipment etc.
- Specialized and experienced fowl vet is not available in some areas or it may be hard to find someone for help.
- Some people also face difficulties for marketing their products.
- Some people (your neighbor) can complain for the noise or odor of chickens.
- Diseases and other health issues are common in chickens.
- Risk of predators (such as birds of prey, coyotes, dogs, foxes etc.).
- Raising chickens commercially is pretty expensive and require high amount of investment. You need to invest a large amount of money for the first time.
So, what do you think? Should you raise chickens? Hope you have determined your plan and goal. But if you are still in a dilemma then consider the followings.
Do You Like Chickens?
This is the first and most important question to ask yourself. If you are sure that you will enjoy being around chickens and love to take care of them, then you should raise chickens.
We recommend visiting some existing chicken farms in your area if you have not spent time with chickens before. Hope you will love them!
Do You Have Land?
On an average, broiler chicken require about 2-2.5 square feet housing space and layer chicken require about 4-4.5 square feet housing space for raising them inside house full time.
You will need additional land if you plan for raising them in free range system. So, keep this in mind before planning for raising chickens.
Do You Have Enough Time?
A small flock will take less maintenance and caring time. But for commercial production, you have to consider about working full time in your chicken farm.
Although, chickens need less maintenance time compared to other farm animals. But involved with some daily routine work. You need to check their feeds, watering system, health condition etc. regularly.
You need to clean their house and equipment on a regular basis. In case of raising layer chickens, you have to collect eggs daily. So, ensure you have time to do all these regularly. You also have to spend time even if everything in your farm is done by labor.
Can You Afford It?
You need money either for raising a few chickens or raising commercially with large number of chickens. You will need money for building house, purchasing chicks, feeds and supplies.
You have to continuously spend on the project until your hens are laying eggs or your broilers are ready for marketing. So, consider wisely whether you can afford the project or not depending on the type and number of chickens your are going to raise.
Consider every aspects discussed above wisely before determining whether should you raise chickens or not. If you want to raise a few chickens for fresh meat and eggs supply for your family, then there are almost nothing to worry about.
But if you plan for commercial production, then consider all major factors wisely. Such as availability of chicks and feeds in your area, medication, marketing, investment etc.
Try to learn how people are making profits from raising chickens in your area. Visit as much farms as possible for gathering practical knowledge.
And then if you love animals and ready for the hard work, then you should raise chickens. Make a plan and go according to it. We cordially wish your success! May God bless you!!
