Omega-3 Eggs

[Dennis1979]

I agree with your thinking. One of the best parts of having your homegrown eggs is the improved nutrition. I think the eggs are infinitely more nutritious just by raising them outside of the factory farm model. Backyard birds get lots fresh air and sunshine and are free of drugs and chemicals. Plus they do not live under the stress of the factory birds. All of this adds up to better eggs.

Like I said before, if you have a way for your layers to range a little in the yard, they will supplement their feeding with vegatation. This should give you the proper balance of omega 3 in the egg and keep your feed costs down a little too.

Dennis

 

[FFChick]

My friend told me to let them free range from 3:00 pm to dust they will go into their coop as they are doing in their pen. I may try that soon. Our place sits on almost six acres, but I see large hawks flying over head all the time. I've seen foxes in the yard & heard we have coyottes in the area, too. I haven't seen the bears yet, but I know they roam around here. This is my second week with chickens. This website is awsome! The members are so helpful with their advice.

Thanks to all!

 

[LauraSBale]

When you buy feed like flax seed, oats barley, from the mills (feeds stores), there not on the same grade and not under the FDA for human eating.

when you buy human grains, like flax seed, its a higher quality of grain,

I use all human grade grains, and i try just to use Organic. though it can be more expensive. but you know what your getting, and what your eating, when you eat the eggs and meat.

the reason i give my girls flax seed, is my husband and kids wont eat it, I will grind it up and put in cookies and baked goods, but i don't make that stuff every or every week.

and we eat alot of eggs, so i know that we getting more through the eggs,

it just depends on how you want to get more omegas in your diet. and form where.

and to me, i know after i started give the grain supplement, the eggs are more rich in color and flavor.
and if you dont have the yard or pen area that doesn't have a lot of vegetation, you need to supplement with bring in to the pen. I bring in every day fresh grass clipping, fresh fruit and vegs, so they have a variety to choose from.

If i was to let my girls run the yard, they would be gone from the owls, coyotes, and hawks.
raccoons, and what every else is out there. Before we put the chicken wire on top of the pen, we lost 2 chickens, one egg girl and 1 meat bird, and they were both in different pens. dont know how or where they just puffed in thin air.

 

[FFChick]

We have an open yard, if we let the girls out some hawk could just grab a chicken in blink of an eye. My backyard neighbor's yard is filled with thick pines I figure could hide the walking preditors. For now I'll feed them goodies and keep the girls in the covered pen.

 

[Dennis1979]

I understand the predator issue. Even in my suburban environment there are predators like house cats and dogs. I built a stationary coop because I'm trying to stay under the radar, so to speak, with the neighbors, but I'm wondering if a tractor wouldn't have been a better idea. We live on an acre but still I'm not sure how much I could devote to "pasturing" a tractor.

Dennis