Shannin Rettig enjoys raising all types of chickens. She especially loves seeing the different-colored eggs they produce.
Along with the standard white and brown, her heritage birds lay dark brown-, blue-, green- and pink-toned eggs. There s so much variety, Rettig said.
Rettig started raising heritage chickens in her backyard in Denver. When she moved back home to Kansas, she had them sit beside her in the moving van. They re just fun pets, Rettig said. When I met Chad, he let me expand to about 40.
Rettig and her husband, Chad Mathis, live on their farm in Haven, Circle Open R. Along with their chickens, the couple has four goats and the same number of horses.
Hobby Farms
Getting Started: 3 Other Reasons To Raise Chickens
There are more reasons to keep chickens than just eggs, including for conservation, competition and even companionship!
2K views PHOTO: Ana Hotaling
Believe it or not, egg production is not the only reason people raise chickens. For some flock owners, fresh eggs are just a tasty and profitable bonus. If you are positive you want to keep chickens but are not sure why, perhaps one or more of the following reasons is right for you.
Conservation
Several pure breeds are endangered some of them critically. The Livestock Conservancy keeps careful track of poultry and other domesticated animals whose numbers have dwindled to precariously low levels.
Some chicken breeders and poultry groups say the coronavirus pandemic has led more people in the United States to start raising their own chickens. The practice provides people with a new interest, animal friendships and a continuous supply of fresh eggs.
SHOW TRANSCRIPT We found ourselves stuck at home with COVID-19, with the pandemic and a lot of time on our hands and a lot of thinking and realized that we could do this, Allison Abta, a backyard chicken keeper, said.
Amid the pandemic, more Americans are adding something new to their backyards: chickens. These chickens are, like, my favorite thing, honestly. When I get back from school every day, this is the first place I go to, Violet Abta, a 12-year-old backyard chicken keeper, said.
The Abta family had talked about setting up a backyard coop for years at their home in Northern California s Marin County. But it wasn t until August that they thought, now s the time.