Starting with Chickens

Chickens are usually the first farm animal and for good reason.  Chickens are very easy to care for, inexpensive and entertaining. Once you have chickens you won’t think a rational person would ever actually pay for eggs; especially when small farm, free range chickens produce an egg like you will never get from a factory farm dozen priced at $4.00. A good dozen of eggs packed with nutrients would cost closer to $10 a dozen so you may as well raise your own chickens at that price.

Let your hens free range on the lawn and feed them table scraps and organic layer pellets. Your eggs will have more nutrients, color, and weight than the pale, runny eggs sold by ‘big ag’ farms. The reason? Chickens at big ag farms are fed pellets containing growth hormones, live in very stressful conditions inside a large enclosed building. They essentially are not allowed to live like chickens and the results are evident in their eggs.

I compared one of my chicken’s eggs with a $4 priced dozen and the difference was astounding. My eggs had a bright orange yoke and the yoke and egg white stood firm and substantial on the plate. The big ag egg was pale-yoked and runny. Scientists have found that the two types of eggs contain completely different vitamins and minerals as well, with the home raised eggs being the clear winner. The home eggs have more types of nutrients and more of them.