You eat the shells?
Posted on 03/17/2007 6:59:58 AM PDT by Ellesu
While they're scrounging around outside, they eat a gazillion bugs and help keep the lawn green in 'other ways'.
Well, I'm ahead of the curve as always, LOL! My hens are cage free and have a huge yard to scratch in. This year I'm going to try two things; Chicken Tractors, which are an-opened bottom cage that you put them in, then move the cage around to fresh grass, or garden rows you want picked clean of bugs and weeds, and free-ranging them during the day, then putting them back in at night for their own safety.
Hurry, Spring! While their eggs are magnificent now, this will greatly cut back on my need to feed them laying mash, and I'll bet the eggs taste even better, if that's at all possible.
They had homemade Oatmeal Muffins this morning, the poor abused babies, LOL! And I'm cleaning out the fridge today, so they'll get a few other treats as well.
As for these busy-bodies...you can have eggs that are cheaply and efficiently produced for the masses, or you can have eggs that garner $4 a dozen, as do mine in some circles...and I'm still not making much over 50-cents a dozen on them, to be perfectly honest.
I'm pretty sure the masses enjoy those eggs at 39-center per dozen. Heck, when regular eggs are cheap, I pick up a dozen because I have to wait three weeks for mine to work hard-boiled. When they're too fresh, you can't get the peels off of them, once boiled. Store-bought eggs are 2-3 weeks old already once they hit the store; just perfect for hard-boiling. :)
Hmmmm. The "cages" are pretty big. You can make them the width of garden rows if you want. It's almost like a small dog run, actually.
I'll let you know. My hens peck each other somewhat, but that's because there IS a "pecking order" in a flock. It's hard to integrate an established flock with new hens. You really have to wait until the younger ones are old enough to defend themselves, or at least smart enough to run away...and chickens aren't all that smart in the first place. Even the ones that play piano, LOL!
I keep my newer hens in a separate part of the coop until they're about 3 months old and have all of their adult feathers, and then I introduce them at night, because hens are lazy at night and just want to sleep and not fight.
Sure, if you want to make it easier to spread avian flu.
You eat the shells?
You eat the shells?
No I don't eat the shells, but the hen has to have a higher internal mineral availability in order to create thicker shells.
Who gives a cluck?
My family and I are grateful to a local farmer who brings fresh eggs to our door every week or two. Happy chickens do produce better eggs.
Free roaming eggs.
I did laugh at that.
What I think is funny is the product sold at Costco, and elsewhere: Free Roaming Chicken Broth.
I break out laughing everytime I look at that product or buy it. I mean, how do they catch chicken broth that is running around the yard? Too funny.
Laugh if you will, but that stuff is the best chicken broth I've used.
"Son...I say, son, that just ain't right."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.