What do you mean, feeding food to dogs and cats is better than opening a bank in a chicken's ass?
In the past, in the countryside, cats caught mice and dogs looked after the house. But in the sixties and seventies, at that time, there was no road in the countryside, and every household was not closed at night, so it was of little use to keep a dog.
Similarly, in the previous era, rural families had limited sources of food for a year, and there was not much food at home. In many cases, they have to eat vegetables such as jiaozi, coarse grains and wild vegetables.
If you eat less at home, there are relatively few mice. Cats and dogs are the same at this time. They only take away the limited food at home and have no other functions. Therefore, farmers basically do not raise these two animals, but prefer to raise chickens.
In the 1960s and 1970s, when it was collective production, farmers could not go out to do business as freely as they do now. At that time, the annual income of farmers mainly depended on the work points earned by the collective, and they could exchange some food and money at the end of the year. Work points are settled once a year, and if they are not settled, farmers will have no income.
At that time, there was no sideline business, and there was no such thing as going out to work to make money during the slack season. At that time, farmers could only raise chickens and pigs at home to earn some money. The pig raising cycle is too long. When the family needs to spend money, the pig will not grow up, and it will lose a lot if it is sold. So farmers can only increase their income by raising chickens and laying eggs.
Eggs were expensive at that time. Only women are confined to their confinement, and children lack nutrition. When the elderly are sick and need to make up, they may eat by themselves. At other times, we sell our eggs and buy some cooking oil and salt at home to pay for our children's schooling. So many farmers have to raise more chickens when they don't eat much.
Because eggs can not only get some money, but also get some food, and even improve the food at home. At that time, farmers ate coarse grains such as sweet potatoes and little meat. Eggs are the only meat dishes in the family. Some greedy children eat eggs at home directly and secretly.
Conclusion: In the sixties and seventies, farmers' livelihood at that time mainly depended on farming, and the source of economic income at home could only rely on the harvest of those fields. The money earned by farming is settled once a year, and sometimes it may be owed to the collective in a bad harvest year. At this time, most farmers will improve their livelihood and put it on raising chickens.
Earn income by constantly laying eggs by chickens. So this chicken lays eggs, just like a bank, it can give some money every time and provide family expenses for farmers.
However, with the advent of the 1980s, farmers can go to cities to work without registered permanent residence, or engage in self-employment. With the increase of farmers' income, the role of eggs is not so great.