Raising Chickens

Have you ever noticed the price of free-range or organic eggs from the supermarket? In most cases they can cost at least twice as much as their mass-produced counterparts. One way to make sure your family is eating clean safe eggs without overpaying is to raise your own chickens for eggs.

Have you ever noticed the price of free-range or organic eggs from the supermarket? In most cases they can cost at least twice as much as their mass-produced counterparts. One way to make sure your family is eating clean safe eggs without overpaying is to raise your own chickens for eggs.

Raising chickens for eggs is a lot easier to swallow for the average gardener than raising them for meat. Taking their eggs doesn’t harm the birds at all and they can live a full, happy life in your backyard. Just be sure to check legal regulations before bringing a few birds home.

If you’re new to raising chickens, you’ll want to start by buying birds that are ready to lay eggs. This means they are mature, adult hens. Be sure to buy hens from a reputable supplier to make sure they are healthy birds. As far as how many chickens… Hens generally lay one egg each day, so two or three chickens would be enough to provide eggs for your family and friends.

Chickens will need a coop for sleeping and laying eggs. A simple coop made with chicken wire and wood will suffice, or you can purchase chicken coop kits to build your own from a ready-made design. Chickens will need space to walk around as well as space to roost.

Chickens at just about anything, but a grain pellet is a good choice to give them nutrition to lay eggs regularly. In addition to the grain you feed them, chickens will munch on grass and weeds. You can also give them kitchen food scraps. Don’t forget to collect the chicken waste every so often–it’s a great garden fertilizer!

Whether you start with one or take on a coop-full, raising chickens can be a rewarding activity that you and your family will enjoy!