We have all heard of the recent egg recall due to a salmonella outbreak. Personally I haven't followed this story very closely because I do not buy eggs from the store. I have my own flock of backyard chickens and have since 2001. I cannot bear to think of how these factory farms keep their chickens cooped up 4 to a cage, de-beak them and never let them out into the sunshine. The spend their whole, miserable lives in a cage and their feet never touch the earth. To me, this is just not acceptable. Now with this latest news of salmonella, it makes you wonder if eggs are even safe to eat.
So what is the solution? Well, it is quite simple really. Raise your own chickens. I know, many people have an aversion to livestock, especially in residential areas, however, chickens are really quite easy to care for, do not have to be an eyesore, are quieter than dogs and are a lot of fun to watch. Plus they earn their keep by providing you with wonderful, fresh, healthy, delicious eggs.
If you do not keep a rooster, then there will not be that much noise from the chickens. Yes, they make some noise when laying an egg, but if you had to go through labor and delivery every day or so, you would yell too! The only other time they make a fuss, is if they feel threatened by a dog or coyote, which is actually a good thing as it alerts me that something is outside the coop. They are much nicer to listen to than a barking dog and when they do make noise it is for a reason. Normally they just go about their business looking for bugs, eating, drinking and taking dirt baths,
Chickens are pretty self sufficient and just need a little care from their human each day. They need fresh, clean water, food and a safe, fenced in place they can stratch around outside. The amount of space needed depends on how many chickens you have. Of course, the more chickens you have, the more space you will need for them.
You will need a shelter for them. If you search online, you will find some pretty imaginative set ups. These can be simple or elaborate. Some communities now have a chicken coop tour each summer and some chicken owners take this whole coop buisiness very seriously. If you are only going to have a few chickens, a dog house would work. Just make sure it has good ventilation and protects them from predators and the elements.
Daily care consists of feeding them, giving them water, gathering the eggs and I try to clean out the nest boxes ever day or two. There is always one or two chickens who decide the nest boxes make great beds and settle in one each evening. A couple times a year you will need to clean out the entire coop. A clean coop makes for healthy chickens. This takes and hour or two to accomplish and I usually do it in the spring after winter is over and in the fall right before it begins again. When I clean out the coop in the spring, the droppings and shavings all go into to the compost bin. When I clean it out in the winter, it goes directly into the garden to compost over the winter months. You can also hose down the walls and the floor once the coop is all cleaned out.
In the evening, the chickens will put themselves to bed with no coaxing from you. Just be sure they have a place to go that is secure from preditors. Chickens like to perch at night and it is easy to provide them a place to perch. Wooden closet rods work very well as perches as do tree branches. What you use will depend on your coop set up and what sort of materials you have available to you
They will need a good chicken food formulated for laying chickens and some scratch, which is just cracked corn. You can also provide grit and oyster shell for them. The great thing about chickens though is that they can eat your kitchen scraps. They will eat a wide variety of food from your kitchen, there by eliminating a lot of wasted food. Just don't give them any meat, potato peels or citrus. Fruits, veggies, salad, bread, pasta, they love it all. Even certain plants from the garden are safe to give them. I keep a chicken bowl in my fridge and that is where I put all my scraps throughout the day. Come dinner time, they get their treat. The means there is almost no waste in my kitchen.
Keeping chickens has been such a wonderful and rewarding hobby for my family. There is nothing like going out to the coop and gathering the eggs. I never will tire of that ever. It is still so amazing to me that they do that. The eggs from your chickens will taste so much better than the ones from the store and you will wonder how you ever ate the store bought eggs. You will notice that the yolks are a bright orange rather than a pale yellow. The more fruits and veggies you feed them, the darker and more flavorful the yolks will be come. You can also add flax seed to their diet and there by increase the Omega 3 fatty acids in your diet. Eggs from a backyard flock of chickens that are well cared for can be extremely healthy for you.
There are a couple of schools of thought on how to store eggs once you gather them from the coop. Some wash and refrigerate others do not. That is a decision you will have to make for yourself. Do some research and see which method is right for you. Eggs do have a protective coating on them when they are laid and washing them will remove that coating. I do minimal washing and follow this rule. If there is poo on them they get washed and if there isn't, they do not. I do refrigerate my eggs, although others do not.
If you haven't considered raising your own chickens, think about it. Here is a wonderful link to start your research with.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/eggs.aspx
There are many sites online that have a wealth of information about raising chickens and what the benefits are. In this day and age, it might be wise to go back to some of the old ways, because apparently the new ways are working out so well, but don't get me started on that!
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