Raising Chickens For Eggs
Raising Chickens for Eggs in Your Own Chicken Pens
Probably the first thought any person will have is – why bother raising chickens for eggs when I can head down to the grocery store and buy them? Good question and one that can be answered with a number of points.
The Health Benefits are striking - an egg a day as a feature of a healthy balanced diet has turned peoples heads to the idea of home chicken ownership. Testing has found that, when compared to the official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial eggs, eggs from hens raised on pasture are far superior in almost every aspect. The eggs are a nutrient rich edible food source jammed with essential vitamins, including Vitamin A and Vitamin D.
The average egg should contain six grams of protein and good cholesterols. Eggs are a wonderful source of goodness and are proven to curb the appetite Eggs yokes also have a high lutein level- a carotenoid found in carrots. Lutein is a proven value to eye health and a vital chemical in the treatment of Beta-carotene is another form of carotenoid also most commonly found in fruits and vegetables.
Lutein has been proven to improve eye health and a key chemical when treating muscular degenerative a leading cause of blindness for many over 55 years of age – something that affects and affects millions worldwide and more than 10 million Americans.Happily the organic, free range style of chicken pens and chicken runs gives you the production of healthy eggs and this fact alone gives credence to the idea of raising chickens for eggs in your own chicken pens.
So what does all this have to do with chicken pens and raising chickens for eggs?
A lot,actually! The eggs that we buy at the market are most times commercial production eggs that are laid by battery chickens – millions of chickens that never see the daylight and are cooped up in tiny factory cages. There is no point in going into the horror stories here but a little research on the Net will give you an idea of the conditions and consequent resulting quality of commercial eggs.Chicken pens ensure that the chickens and the eggs they produce are healthy.
The alternative benefits of raising your own chickens for eggs include the resultant natural soil aeration, organic fertilizer and bug control and. As the chickens forage for food, they scratch up the soil and find the bugs. It is a natural process that follows with nitrogen rich potent organic fertilizer.
Okay, so we have decided there are good reasons to raise chickens for eggs. How much is all this going to cost. The cost of the shed is not a lot – a few hundred dollars in supplies and a few weekend dedicated hours will have you completely sorted with the chicken pens.
The Costs of Raising Chickens for Eggs in your Chicken Pens
Now we need to get the chickens. There are roughly fifteen common breeds of chickens that you will find in feed stores. You need to decide on the size of flock you want. If you're new to chicken raising, start small, get confidence and grow accordingly. Each breed of chicken will cost in the region of $2.45 – $3.00 per chick obviously depending on the supplier and your region in the world.
You can get small or larger breeds. The smaller bird like the Leghorn will weigh around 5lbs, but the Plymouth Rock hens or “Rocks” as they are known, can weigh up to 8lbs. If you start with ten hens then you'll be looking at an approximate start up cost of $30. Feed bags of around 50lbs are relatively inexpensive and obviously the cost would be dependent on how many chickens in the coop.
Today's breed of chickens are pretty good at producing eggs – approximately, on average 300 eggs a year. The average person consumes 250+ eggs per year. 10 hens = 3000 eggs. Don't forget that you will also be using eggs for baking and cooking. Determine what your needs would be and add in two extra chickens for luck. If you have an oversupply it's a great way to win some neighborhood friends.
For some owners, raising chickens for eggs is simply an enjoyable pastime with the eggs an added and wonderful benefit,. For others they find chickens keep the insect/bug count down around the house. Every reason for raising chickens is unique to every owner.
Learn about getting the best Chicken Coops for raising chickens for eggs
Building something worthwhile that caters for your own self reliance, your family's good nutrition and the joy of owning easily maintainable livestock makes for an incredibly satisfying experience. All this is easily achievable just by building your own chicken pens and raising chickens for eggs.
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