Don't worry, when we talk about raising chickens we are talking about for egg production. Our chickens are pets and though others may choose to eat their's, we do not.

Raising chickens allows you a food source not brought to you on a truck. Having food right out your front door saves fuel!

Chemical fertilizers run into streams and rivers causing algae to grow too quickly leeching oxygen from the water and killing fish. Organic fertilizers also provide better plant nutrition. Chickens "provide" earth friendly compost to fertilize your plants on a daily basis.

When you own chickens, garden pests are exterminated by a little feathered bug eating army. That means that NOT using dangerous pesticides becomes a lot easier, and I know I don't need to tell you why pesticides are bad (more on organic gardening coming soon).

Chickens love to recycle! You won't find them sorting your glass and plastic, but give them those ends you cut off of your broccoli spears and they will be thrilled (or that lettuce that has gone a little brown). Vegetable scraps are good for the chickens, the chickens love them, and it keeps stuff out of the landfill.

Owning chickens means saving a few from a dreadful life on a factory farm. If you don't know what happens to chickens on factory farms click a link at the bottom of the page (don't do it shortly after or before you eat lunch). Besides being harmful to the animals factory farms are harmful to the environment.

Raising food, whether it be growing vegetables or farming, brings one closer to the earth. Respect for the earth and learning not to waste what we get from it is integral for becoming greener.

Chickens eat the things you'd put in a compost pile and put them on the fast track to becoming fertilizer.

Those pesky garden bugs will meet their match when they are spotted by one of our beaked friends. Then the nasty bugs will soon be feeding the garden they tried to feed on.

Egg shells are good for plants. Crush them a bit and put them in your watering can (really, plants like it). Take your used shells and throw them in the compost.

For more on organic gardening vist our gardening lens

1. FRESH EGGS! Better for you, better tasting, better all around.

2. CHICKENS ARE CUTE! Yeah, they are. Not just when they are baby chicks but even when they are full grown.

3. CHICKENS PAY FOR THEMSELVES. Whether you eat the eggs or sell them, you get something out of the deal. You won't get rich raising them, but then again I don't see Fido making your breakfast either.

4. YOU'LL HAVE A UNIQUE PET. True, chickens are sort of commonplace, but tell someone you have PET chickens and you'll have a conversation starter.

5. AREN'T THE OTHER REASONS GOOD ENOUGH!

First you will want to prepare and be ready before you bring home your baby chicks. You'll need something to keep them in like one of those big plastic storage containers (get the biggest one, one you can see through is better). You could also use a nice big box. However, you will also need something to keep the chicks warm, like a heat lamp. Plastic is less likely to catch fire than a box. You'll need some bedding (like the kind you'd get for a hampster). Don't try to use newspaper. Baby chicks need firm footing or they can develop leg problems and die. Use plenty of bedding so there is no chance of the chicks slipping on the plastic below. Invest in a heatlamp and a thermometer. Buy some chick feed, we like chick crumbles. You'll have a choice between medicated or not. You'll need a chick waterer or a small shallow dish if you are willing to change it several times a day (the chicks like to kick their bedding around) and a feeder or another shallow dish. Feeders are well worth the extra money. DO NOT USE a bowl that is even anywhere close to being deep enough for a chick to drown in. Chickens don't have teeth so they need grit to digest their food. You can use clean sand. Give a little to them in a dish or sprinkle on their food. You will then be ready for the arrival of your chicks.

Getting chicks is easiest in the spring. Your local farm or feed store will probably have some or will order some for you. You can also buy them online (I thought it was crazy when I heard about it too). Most places online will have a minimum order of 25 chicks (the chicks keep each other warm during shipping). Mypetchicken.com allows smaller orders (they have special packaging that keeps the babies warm). There minimum order is three if you live in a major city. Five if you are 30 minutes from a major city. Eight if you live in a rural area. Keep in mind that many chick websites will send you one or two extra just in case.

Once you have your chicks you should make sure they are drinking water. If they don't right away, encourage them by gently tipping their beak into the dish. Give them as much food as they want. Make sure no chicken poo is stuck to them when they first arrive. This can be a deadly condition. Immediately clean it off with a warm paper towel. The temp should be 90-95 F in their box for the first week and go down 5 degrees per week thereafter. Monitor your chicks, the temperature (chicks huddling together are too cold, if they appear to be panting or are avoiding each other they are too hot), change their water and check their food SEVERAL times a day. You may have escapees once they start to fly if you don't put some sort of netting over the top. For a detailed ebook on chick and chicken care go to The My Pet Chicken Guide to Chicken Care.

[Dumpling, Nugget, Noodle & Popcorn]

For more content (pictures, more information, chicken coop ideas and more websites to visit) visit our website Green Eggs & Chickens.