To Chicken or not to Chicken?

[repete]

It is impossible to raise chickens on a small scale without spending a lot more than you would to buy the same amount of meat and eggs at the grocery. And no, your chickens and eggs are not “so much better tasting” than the ones from the grocery. Biology dictates the chemical make up of any animal or plant and differences are going to be very minor among health specimens. One of the major news organizations sent eggs to a testing laboratory, everything from the cheapest Walmart eggs to the most expensive, boutique, home schooled, chickens, no detectable differences.

Eggs from home schooled chickens? There is a cartoon in there somewhere.

 

[EddieWalker]

A few years ago we watched a National Geographic show about chicken eggs that was very interesting. Some of the things they said. Egg color is based on the ear color of the chicken. Washing the egg removes a film around the egg that causes the egg to break down. By the time the chick is ready to hatch, the egg shell has broken down, or become thinner, so it's easy for the chick to get out. Unwashed eggs will remain "fresh" for a month without being refrigerated, but a washed egg will only last a few days. Most countries do not refrigerate their eggs.

One of our big selling points is the color of our eggs. Early on, my wife wanted hens that would give us a large variety of colors. I think that free range adds to their flavor, which is also a big selling point. People that buy our eggs, keep buying them. The say the flavor is the big reason. For us, it's really nice to know where they come from. Same with the garden, and eventually, with a few steers.

 

[Jstpssng]

Eggs from home schooled chickens? There is a cartoon in there somewhere.

Have you talked to some of the more hard core chicken lovers? It wouldn't surprise me if the birds went to class every day.

 

[rbstern]

We've been keeping chickens for a few years now. The wife loves it as a hobby. Started with a rooster and a dozen hens. I converted a shed we previously used to keep outdoor sports gear into a coop. Added nesting boxes, roosting bars, created a couple of partitions inside, and added a doggy door that opens to an outside pen. Probably spent a few hundred bucks in posts, lumber, and fencing. We still have at least half of the original hens, and have since added via incubating the eggs or letting the hens sit on some of the eggs. Also raising some new chicks from TSC, now pullet sized. Current roster is 3 roosters, 15 or so hens, and we'll keep about 6 of the pullets. We also have 4 ducks. We're on some acreage, so the roosters crowing all day isn't too much of a problem. They are great at protecting the hens. Very watchful.

They free range during the day, and get locked up snug at night. Hawks can be a problem, and occasionally a racoon or other four legged predator. We have a Weimaraner who, considering she's a bird dog, has adapted very well to being a livestock guardian animal. She spends much of the day keeping an eye on the flock.

We get about a dozen chicken eggs a day, and average 2 to 3 duck eggs as well. We keep neighbors, friends and family supplied with free eggs (we don't sell them). We've talked about doing a charity/self-serve kiosk at the end of our driveway. Not sure we'll ever get to that point.

The duck eggs make the best egg salad I've ever had. The eggs in general are more flavorful than store bought eggs. Part of that is refrigeration (lack thereof). The yolks are a beautiful golden yellow, much brighter than the pale, store-bought eggs.

Up until recently, we've bought flock feed and cracked corn from TSC. We just made our first trip to a local farm supply place, and bought a 55 gallon drum full each of feed and cracked corn. By my calculation, that cuts the feed cost in half vs. the TSC bought stuff.

We till the coop cleanings (pine shavings and chicken poo) into our garden soil in the spring, and I've also used that mix to amend trouble spots on the lawn.

 

[Jstpssng]

he duck eggs make the best egg salad I've ever had. The eggs in general are more flavorful than store bought eggs. Part of that is refrigeration (lack thereof). The yolks are a beautiful golden yellow, much brighter than the pale, store-bought eggs.

Years ago when my father kept ducks and geese, we had homemade ice cream made with their eggs. Talk about a rich dessert! Luckily we were all young and active enough back then so that we didn't worry about cholesterol or weight.
A few years ago at the company camp I cracked a couple eggs open from the refrigerator there. They were so pale and runny after using mine for so long that I threw them out. OTOH I've had people refuse to eat mine because "They're too yellow." It's all a matter of what you are used to. I won't keep an egg that's over 2 weeks old... those in the grocery store are close to that old by the time they hit the shelves.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

I won't keep an egg that's over 2 weeks old... those in the grocery store are close to that old by the time they hit the shelves.

Not sure that’s correct unless you buy from the gas station or dollar store. Walmart and Kroger move eggs fast and the eggs that we get from both are indistinguishable from the $6 a dozen “pasture raised” eggs. The 60 egg boxes from Walmart are very fresh, thick whites that stand up and nice orange yolks. But you are right, old eggs get flat and runny, no matter where they came from.

 

[arizona98tj]

We get chicks every spring and keep them for about 8 weeks.....then it's butchering day and into the freezer they go. Living in northern MN, I've no desire to winter over chickens.

 

[Doughknob]

When WW3 starts i want my chickens……..

 

[rbstern]

When WW3 starts i want my chickens……..

Yep. Strap a helmet on them, arm them to the beak, and you're good to go.

 

[Jstpssng]

Yep. Strap a helmet on them, arm them to the beak, and you're good to go.

Hopefully Moss will come through with a picture of a commando chicken.