Why do you raise chickens?

I raise chickens because I like being self-sufficient and enjoy the many benefits of fresh eggs. The eggs from my backyard are fresher than anything I can get in a store, and they're more nutritious, too!
It is important to me to know where my food comes from, how it is cared for, and what is in it. My backyard chickens are as free range and organic as I can let them be, eating only things chickens should eat like bugs, worms, whole grains and whatever else they can chase down or scratch out of the earth. Read the full blog on www.poultrytribune.com.

Pet chicken owner, falconer clash

The upsurge in urban chicken populations occasioned by relaxation of city ordinances to allow small egg production flocks has resulted in cases of predation. In a recent incident, a resident of Cary, N.C., complained when a red-tailed hawk, exercised by a falconer, supplemented its usual diet of rodents with a young rooster snatched from a backyard.
The news report, which made the front page of the News and Observer, illustrates the conflict of rights represented by the licensed falconer and the homeowner.
Although raising hens in urban areas has increased, problems associated with disease, cost of feed, parasites, fly infestation and poor egg production may convince urban chicken owners to revert to purchasing their needs at the local supermarket.