This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you click on a link I will get a small commission at no cost to you. To see my full disclosure click here. When you think of a homestead, most people automatically think chickens. This is usually the first and easiest of the homestead livestock to acquire and to raise. Some would say that chickens are the gateway to homesteading. I would say this is true. This is what happened to us. 5 years ago we bought 8 chickens and 2 ducks. That is where this path started. We now have about 100 chickens, 7 ducks, 4 turkeys, 2 pigs, and 6 goats plus dogs and cats. It’s been quite a journey to get where we are, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I love all of my animals and spoil them for their entire lifetime. Some of them do end up on the table, but that again, is part of homesteading. We are working on becoming more self sustaining so that we have to rely less on the grocery stores. Chickens are the easiest to acquire of all livestock for your homestead. You can get them at Tractor Supply, most feed stores, and hatcheries such as Murray McMurray Hatchery, and Cackle Hatchery. These are just a couple of the places you can get chickens. Sometimes you can even get them from a neighbor or a person living down the street. Care for chickens is so easy too. Keep their home area clean, provide water, and provide food. If they have what they need, they will provide you with eggs and/ or meat for your table. We use ours for both. I run the incubator most of the year to ensure we have enough birds for both. Of course, you  may also want to start breeding as a way to make money on the homestead. You can sell the eggs, the chickens, or both. We have also run a couple classes on how to process the birds so that others can do it without the added cost of paying someone to process the birds. So there are many ways that you can make money from them as one income stream on your homestead. Whatever your purpose for getting chickens, I’m sure they will make you happy as well. Watching them and feeding them can be an adventure some days. The way they run is a bit funny to watch. And if you give them treats, they will play football with them if you don’t make sure there are enough for everyone. So get them chickens and enjoy being out there with them. Just remember, it is a bit of work, but it’s so worth it in the long run.   Have a great day! Renee