Folks are looking for sustainable ways of living and raising chickens is a good way to start. Living in a constantly changing climate with natural disasters happening all around us  food shortages are sure to come. More people are looking to buy homes in the country where they can raise their chickens without restrictive city ordinances,  so they can raise poultry and livestock for eggs and meat, bee's for honey, grow fruit and nut trees, setting up greenhouse gardens to protect their plants from the elements, and preserving food for hard times ahead is becoming a growing concern. Most of us interested in this lifestyle are also looking for ways to become more sustainable by using solar power and wind power to reduce overhead costs and conserve our natural resources such as oil, natural gas, and electricity. Raising chickens can be more than just an entertaining hobby, in many cases they are the start of a more sustainable way of living.
  • Chickens lay eggs which can be used for food or sold to help pay the feed bill. For folks that eat chickens they can be raised for eggs and meat.
  • Chickens eat unwanted insects if you have them in a chicken tractor coop and run which can be moved around.
  • Chicken coops can be powered by solar or wind power.
  • You can grow food for your chickens to reduce feed bills.
  • Chicken feces can be composted into fertilizer for your garden or sold to supplement feed bills. 
  • Chickens can even reduce the amount of waste in landfills.
Here is how to compost chicken feces and how chickens can reduce landfill trash:
​Raising chickens can reduce the amount of trash going into landfills, significantly reduce pesky insect populations, and their feces can be composted and used as fertilizer for lawns and gardens. See the statistics below the huge difference raising chickens makes on landfill waste cost. ​
Sustainable living is a real hot topic these days and it is defined as a way of life which is based on energy saving, recycling, and taking responsibility for our health and our environment. Raising chickens represents a sustainable lifestyle because it reduces the amount of trash that goes into landfills, causes the commercial egg industry to lose business which reduces the amount of chickens who suffer horrific abuses for the sole purpose of providing meat and eggs for your table. Another reason raising chickens is  considered as a sustainable lifestyle is the fact that their feces can easily be properly composted to make fertilizer for gardens and lawns. If done properly it will not contaminate the water supply. Backyard and small chicken farms provide farm fresh eggs with less chance of contracting salmonella which is very dangerous.
Average amount of waste which goes into American landfills each year
These statistics are a minimum, each year as our population grows more and more waste goes into our landfills. How Much Waste goes into American landfills each year?
"Americans waste or cause to be wasted nearly 1 million pounds of materials per person every year. 
This figure includes:
  • 3.5 billion pounds of carpet landfilled
  • 3.3 trillion pounds of CO2 gas emitted into the atmosphere
  • 19 billion pounds of polystyrene peanuts, 28 billion pounds of food discarded
  • 360 billion pounds of organic and inorganic chemicals used for manufacturing
  • 710 billion pounds of hazardous waste
  • 3.7 trillion pounds of construction debris.""  
Reference: Student Archive. Utah EDU. http://students.arch.utah.edu/courses/Arch4011/Recycling%20Facts1.pdf

This huge amount of waste at 360 billion pounds of organic and inorganic chemicals can be reduced by raising chickens! Much of organic refuse comes from waste such as food scraps which can easily be fed to chickens. Every year, each American throws out about 1,200 pounds of organic garbage that can be composted.  The chickens will eat the scraps which will reduce the amount of feed you need to buy (food scraps should not replace regular feed) which saves you money and reduces the amount of food scraps which go into the landfills. 
How much organic trash is thrown away each year per person?
"Every year, each Americans throws out about 1,200 pounds of organic garbage that can be composted." 
Reference: Recycling facts. (2011). http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-facts.html
For example, Let's say, chickens were fed half this amount which would be 600 lbs of table scraps, vegetable peelings, etc. per person per year and multiply that by the amount of people in your family. This would mean a family of 4 would throw away approx. 2400 pounds of organic waste per year. That same 2400 pounds of waste per year which could be utilized. Much of it could be fed to chickens and the rest could be composted to be used for lawns and gardens. Many people raising backyard chickens who have started composting chicken feces and organic materials the chickens will not eat have found that soon neighbors want to not only buy their chickens eggs but will buy the composted manure as well. "When we started composting our chicken manure and organic waste not only did our lawn and garden grow beautifully but our neighbors started buying composted manure from us for  their lawns and gardens."-Rev. Penny Dean ​​
Chicken feces can be used in compost because it is high in nitrogen and will make lawns and gardens grow at a fantastic rate. ​
See how to compost chicken manure
See important questions and answers about using chicken poop in your garden.
Can I use chicken feces in my garden? Answers
​What you need to know about using chickens in your garden for fertilizer. Fresh chicken feces will burn your plants.

Facts About Letting Chickens in Your Garden

Memory Verse

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. James 4:3 NIV