Why I would raise chickens
Why I would raise chickens
By Bill Gates, Gatesnotes, June 7 2016
If you were living on $2 a day, what would you do to improve your life?
That’s a real question for the nearly 1 billion people living in extreme poverty today. There’s no single right answer, of course, and poverty looks different in different places. But through my work with the foundation, I’ve met many people in poor countries who raise chickens, and I have learned a lot about the ins and outs of owning these birds. (As a city boy from Seattle, I had a lot to learn!) It’s pretty clear to me that just about anyone who’s living in extreme poverty is better off if they have chickens.
In fact, if I were in their shoes, that’s what I would do—I would raise chickens.
Here’s why:
They are easy and inexpensive to take care of. Many breeds can eat whatever they find on the ground (although it’s better if you can feed them, because they’ll grow faster). Hens need some kind of shelter where they can nest, and as your flock grows, you might want some wood and wire to make a coop. Finally, chickens need a few vaccines. The one that prevents the deadly Newcastle disease costs less than 20 cents.
They’re a good investment. Suppose a new farmer starts with five hens. One of her neighbors owns a rooster to fertilize the hens’ eggs. After three months, she can have a flock of 40 chicks. Eventually, with a sale price of $5 per chicken—which is typical in West Africa—she can earn more than $1,000 a year, versus the extreme-poverty line of about $700 a year.
They help keep children healthy. Malnutrition kills more than 3.1 million children a year. Although eating more eggs—which are rich in protein and other nutrients—can help fight malnutrition, many farmers with small flocks find that it’s more economical to let the eggs hatch, sell the chicks, and use the money to buy nutritious food. But if a farmer’s flock is big enough to give her extra eggs, or if she has some broken ones, she may decide to cook them for her family.
They empower women. Because chickens are small and typically stay close to home, many cultures regard them as a woman’s animal, in contrast to larger livestock like goats or cows. Women who sell chickens are likely to reinvest the profits in their families. Read more about women and chickens in Melinda’s blog post .
A big bet on chickens
Our foundation is betting on chickens. Alongside partners throughout sub-Saharan Africa, we are working to create sustainable market systems for poultry. It’s especially important for these systems to make sure farmers can buy birds that have been properly vaccinated and are well suited to the local growing conditions. Our goal: to eventually help 30 percent of the rural families in sub-Saharan Africa raise improved breeds of vaccinated chickens, up from just 5 percent now.
When I was growing up, chickens weren’t something you studied, they were something you made silly jokes about. It has been eye-opening for me to learn what a difference they can make in the fight against poverty. It sounds funny, but I mean it when I say that I am excited about chickens.
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When I was in my 60s, and about to retire, I took an aptitude test. It indicated that I was well suited for, and would be happy, with the life of a farmer. No joke!!! Actually, when seriously thinking about it, I know that I would be happy growing things and spending the time and effort to be successful at it. As well, the fresh vegetables, fruit and eggs would have been a boon.
Before you begin to raise chickens, you have GOT to read the book, The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald. It is a hilarious viewpoint of the various aspects of chicken farming, most of which we, as just regular people, are unaware... It's non-technical, but the funniest book ever! Remember the Ma and Pa Kettle movies? They are based on this book! You will love it!
Excerpt from the "I Learn to Hate Even Baby Chickens" chapter:
I confess I could hardly wait for our chicks to come and spent many happy anticipatory hours checking the thermometer and reveling in the warmth and cleanliness of the new brooder house. But I learned to my sorrow that baby chickens are stupid; they smell; they have to be fed, watered and looked at, at least every three hours. Their sole idea in life is to jam themselves under the brooder and get killed; stuff their little boneheads so far into their drinking fountains they 139drown; drink cold water and die; get B.W.D.; coccidiosis or some other disease which means sudden death. The horrid little things pick out each other's eyes and peck each other's feet until they are bloody stumps.
I have read this book over and over and over and never get tired of it! I can't help but think you would find it fun! Much love to you!
Note: I agree with all of your points made above in the article and think it is a wonderful idea! This is a book about the chicken brain/human brain collision...
I don't think anybody thinks chickens are intelligent.
But one can surely see that they are the descendants of dinosaurs...
In fact, the answer to "Which came first, the chicken or the egg," is the EGG.
It was a reptile egg, the hatchling(s) of which mutated/evolved/adapted-or-perished.
Finally, a definitive answer!
A man goes to his family doctor and says; "My brother thinks he's a chicken."
DOCTOR: "How long has this been going on."
MAN: "For the last 25 years."
DOCTOR: "So why did you wait so long to bring this to my attention?"
MAN: "Well, to be honest, we've been enjoying the eggs."
My apologies for that … on the other hand …
SAME MAN, SAME DOCTOR …
MAN: "Doctor, my son swallowed a quarter …
(Maybe I won't finish this; serves all of you right for groaning over the first one.
Chickens eat ticks and other bothersome insects; they are just fine by me.
I have had 3 pet chickens in my live and loved all 3 of them. Miss Cluck, Henny-Penny, and Big Red.
Individually, chickens are great-- I think it is a mass that can get out of control... Sort of like Chicken Mob Rule. Also, chicken doo makes decent fertilizer, just don't use too much.