chickens help keep down on ticks which carry lyme disease- guinne foul do too-
not to mention they keep down other destructive insects as well- they help rototill your garden (as they are constantly scratchign the dirt) and they help fertilize the lawn- plus they taste great- and the eggs are good and fresh- whats’ not to like?
^^^This!!^^^
I had chickens and ducks.
I loved them both but the ducks were smarter.
I raised the ducks in the kitchen until they were old enough to go outside and they viewed me as their “mommy”.
One night, the Dobes of that time set up a commotion and I ran outside, wondering what was going on.
Here came my ducks running up the lane, screaming, with a skunk in hot pursuit.
I flung the door open and yelled “DUCKS!” and they raced inside with the skunk mere steps behind.
I barely got the door shut before *it* could come in, too and there was a horrible THUD as it hit the closing door.
The ducks huddled around my feet “whimpering”.
We all slept together in the kitchen that night, because the skunk was outside, scratching the door and that terrified them.
I woke up in a pile of ducks the next morning.
They stayed way over against the wall when I opened the door to see if the skunk had gone and I had to go out and in several times before they believed he really was.
Thankfully, the skunk never came back.
I miss those ducks.
I taught my chickens tricks, so they were not entirely stupid.
Can’t have either now as the infernal chicken hawks...oh, sorry Sacred Redtail Hawks are now protected and they’re scads of them, killing everything that moves.
I cannot imagine penning fowl up in a coop.
Guinea fowl are basically wild ancestor of chickens; the only problem is they make too much freaking noise, LOL!
I am waiting to get chickens again, until I have a suitable arrangement set up, i.e. raccoon proof. Had 25 of 25 chickens get pulled through chicken wire by raccoons.
My lack of amusement led to 5 raccoons meeting their end by crossbow bolts. Didn’t see a single raccoon after that for 6 months.