“Free” Eggs aren’t the only reason to keep poultry!

People keep poultry for all sorts of different reasons – many of which have absolutely nothing to do with the production of meat and eggs. For example… turkeys, chickens, and guinea are often kept as a natural means of pest control. They’ll eat ticks, grasshoppers, june bugs, cicadas, and really any other critter they can catch. Aside from pest control poultry are also kept to create fertilizer and turn compost. Waterfowl droppings and soiled goose or duck pool water in particular make the best water for watering fruit trees. Chickens and other poultry are also a great way to teach children responsibility and about the facts of life. Poultry can teach your children about the importance of nutrition, where food comes from, about the circle of life, and so much more. Geese are often kept as guard animals, to sound the alarm, and to weed between crops or in orchards or vineyards – their value lies in their ability to perform these tasks rather than ability to produce eggs. They lay seasonally so while geese do lay eggs that are perfectly edible and sellable, egg production is not their main draw. For a lot of people poultry are even kept as pets and companions with eggs as an added bonus. Here at Chicken Schmidt Farms we raise poultry for a variety of different reasons. Our chickens are first and foremost pets with perks. Even long after their laying years they’ll eat bugs, create fertilizer, and teach the younger birds the way of the coop. We raise Cornish Cross for meat production, quail for meat and eggs, and our geese to deter hawks and just because they’re a whole lot of fun on the farm. There are many purposes for raising poultry and for many production is secondary.

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