The Odd Egg Out...

Eggs, they are a staple in most peoples diet. With a family of 7, we have come to learn the importance of raising egg laying chickens.

For one, the eggs our hens lay are better tasting and have darker yolks then commercial bought eggs from the store. (a deeper color is indicative of a higher quality, more nutrient dense diet) They also have thicker shells due to the quality of the feed we provide them.

Two, you know where they came from. Many commercial operations raise their chickens in close quarters under less then desirable conditions. We have learned that although the egg carton may be be labeled "Cage Free", it is more than a technical term rather than the picture we all have of hens running around in a large open fenced area.

                                                     (commercial "free range" chickens)

Three, it is fun! The kids love going out to check to see if we have any new eggs to collect. It's kinda' like having a year around Easter Egg Hunt. Every now and then we get an extra suprise when our White Jersey Giant lays an extremely large "doubler", which is what we call a double yolked egg. (see photo below)

Now, while we may be fortunate enough to live in a rural setting with several acres, many people in urban areas are turning to raising their own chickens as well. More and more cities are lifting restrictions on raising backyard chickens. All it takes is a short trip to the local hardware store. Chicken coops can be built with chicken wire, wood, or even lightweight PVC plumbing pipe. Youtube is a great place to get ideas for building your own chicken coop. You can also do some searching in Google, and find some other good tips to building one.

You don't have to be a carpenter or architect to make a decent shelter for chickens. They don't really pay much attention to the "aesthetic" aspects of their home, so if it is a little crooked or lopsided it won't matter. Here are some great links from around the web on how to build your own chicken coop.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/know-how_Chicken-Coops_build-a-chicken-coop

http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/easy-backyard-chicken-coops.aspx

http://cleancoops.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31&Itemid=37

http://www.pvcplans.com/pvc-pastured-poultry-pen.htm

http://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coops/page/

http://smallfarm.about.com/od/farminfrastructure/ss/sbscoopbuild.htm

http://thetanglednest.com/2010/02/our-urban-chicken-coop-plan/