Homegrown Organic Eggs

I’ve personally never given much thought to owning chickens but I have given a ton of thought to organic eggs. Although I like the idea of not having to pay for organic eggs and knowing where my eggs really come from I do have some issues with owning egg hens. First of all, I just don’t know enough about it, and secondly, it seems like A LOT of hassle for eggs; even organic eggs.

That said, chickens and having your own organic egg system might be for you, so today and tomorrow we’ve got a couple of cool guest posts to tell you all about it. The post author, Marguerite Inscoe, is a homemaker and part-time employee of Egganic Industries and her co-author is her dad, the inventor of the Henspa and many other backyard chicken coops. Enjoy!

Homegrown Organic Eggs

For those of us who live an organic lifestyle (or try really hard to), it’s knowing where our food comes from that matters to us most. What confirmed my conversion was learning my son’s developmental delays were due to a dysfunctional digestive system and vitamin deficiency. Since his system can’t efficiently remove toxins, I have to minimize his exposure. My sister’s organic choices are based on healthy eating and being environmentally conscious. Both of us have chicken coops in the backyard because homegrown organic eggs are an important way we can contribute to our family’s health and be environmentally “green”.

Many supermarkets today do a terrific job carrying organic products, but that still requires us to trust a label. The term “certified organic” can be really confusing because of differing state regulations and industries. Raising your own backyard hens in a chicken-tractor has some distinct advantages over the carton of organic eggs purchased in a store. It can be achieved in even very small backyards. Here are some of the advantages:

1. No egg is more rewarding than eating the one you just collected that morning from your own chickens.
2. You know exactly what you are eating because you feed the chickens – grass, scraps, organic feed, soy-free feed, etc… Grass-fed or pastured chickens have the highest levels of Omega 3, beta carotene, and vitamin E in their eggs compared to store bought.
3. Unless you buy local organic eggs, there is the carbon footprint from shipping and transportation (may even be out-of-state).
4. If you have children, chickens are perfect way to communicate the values of responsibility and informed food choices. Kids these days are disconnected to the origins of food. Many have never seen a live farm animal, much less tended one.
5. Proper use of a chicken-tractor fertilizes the yard with no use of chemicals. It’s green living.
6. Chickens are fun and beautiful animals. They can provide hours of entertainment (running, pecking, exploring) and many become beloved household pets.
7. Home raised chickens are happy chickens. They don’t live in tiny cages or have their beaks cut off. They aren’t stuffed with medication or forced to molt. They can live a carefree lifestyle envious of anyone.
8. Chicken owners are like a special community. You’ll connect with people who have a fascinating view on life, just like you.

Even with these terrific reasons for raising backyard chickens, many still hesitate. There are the questions of time, money, convenience, city regulations, and all that chicken poop. For you doubters, we’ll look at some answers in the next post…

Thanks to Marguerite Inscoe for the post! Very interesting info.

[image via stock.xchng]