Pros of having a chicken.
Chickens lay eggs that you can eat. You’ll never need to pay for eggs again especially since store-bought eggs now cost 6 dollars. DREAMS 8th grader Jackie Rios said, “The pros are that you get free eggs because eggs are expensive nowadays.¨ DREAMS 8th grader Brian Sorto said, “Pros? I would say eggs so you can cook them.” An SEMS 8th grader said, “The pros are you get free chicken soup or free eggs.
Chickens also cost very little. the average adult chicken costs 11 dollars while baby chicks cost around 3-5 dollars.
Chickens low-maintenance animals; they require less attention like most cats and dogs do. Chickens also don’t get sick as often so you don’t need to worry about vet trips.
If you like gardening, Chickens like eating pests and helping compost the dirt with their waste.
People say they’re quite fun to have around, they also have a lot of spunk/personality!
Cons of having a chicken
Chickens make a lot of noise and may appear unlikable. Jackie Rios said, “The cons are they don’t let you sleep at night and they peck you when you try to get their eggs. I mean they’re not mine and I have been pecked by them, I don’t like them.” Our SEMS 8th grader said, “They’re alright, they don’t really bother you or anything. The roosters can definitely get aggressive if you approach them in a certain way but so far they’re alright.”
Chickens take dirt baths; they will leave holes in your backyard which can sometimes make you trip if you are not looking down at the floor. An anonymous SEMS 8th grader said ¨Cons are just that they don’t really allow you to grab them, they make a mess, and they dig in your yard a lot.”
If you have a garden you might want to put a fence around it before welcoming a chicken in because they will eat all of your plants.
It seems the adults were the ones deciding to get a pet chicken. Jackie Rios said “They are not mine, they are my aunts. I don’t know why she decided to get them, probably because they give you free eggs.”
Brian Sorto said, “My parents decided to get pet chickens because one of them is a rooster and my dad really likes roosters and he decided to get chickens so the rooster wouldn’t be alone.” Our SEMS 8th grader said, “We mostly got them because it’s something that is very common to have in El Salvador and my family just thought it would be nice to have a pet chicken.”
Although most of the students we interviewed didn’t like chickens, it is important to remember that everybody has different preferences. Some people don’t want to deal with all the responsibilities and mess they create while others find the experience enjoyable and fulfilling.
Let’s not forget that chickens bring a lot of pros with them, they give you eggs, free eggs!
This investment may help in the long run because of the uprising inflation with eggs and chicken meat. Think about it, you’ll have eggs for days and free fertilizers for your garden if that floats your boat! A few people’s opinions shouldn’t impact your decisions, if the world worked like that then I believe most of us wouldn’t do the things we do.