Egg Comparison – Photograph by Matthew Stallbaumer Sourced from: communitychickens.blogspot.com
Today we are going to be sharing something for all you urban gardeners interested in local eggs. The specifics in this post apply to those in Roanoke City. Check your local ordinances to find the regulations that affect you. In Roanoke City individuals are allowed to have up to 10 chickens on a property up to 20,000 square feet. If you have property over 20,000 square feet, then you are allowed to have up to 40 chickens. These chickens must be kept in a secure and suitable fenced area. To read the full ordinance go here.
These backyard chickens are becoming more popular in Roanoke and across the United States as more individuals strive for food security and independence. You will quickly find that with some effort and patience you can produce eggs of a much higher quality than what you might buy at a grocery store. By producing your own food it is easy to eat healthy, especially if you happen to be in the middle of a city or a food desert.
An interesting fact about an egg is that if the egg yolk is truly healthy and full of vitamins and minerals, then it should be orange. This is due in large part to the amount of beta carotene which properly fed and raised hens put into egg production. All eggs in a traditional grocery store are ‘factory-farmed.’ The chicks that lay them are most often fed highly questionable ingredients. For instance if you buy eggs from vegetarian fed hens you should know that hens are natural omnivores eating bugs and grubs, meaning these hens’ movements were highly restricted. It’s simple. You are what you eat, so make sure your food eats healthily.
Raising your own chickens allows you to avoid the pitfalls of an unsecure food system and ensure your own health. It is understandable that to those of us who lack food security can’t help this. If this is what the grocery stores sell, it is what we have to eat. The result of this system is a relatively nutrient poor egg where the taste is also greatly affected. Don’t believe me. Read about the egg shortage in Mexico that was caused by an outbreak of avian flu. The result was USA raised eggs were shipped to our southern neighbors who cried ‘fowl’. They didn’t much like the flavorless pale imports. You can also read up on the difference in nutrition between those factory farmed and free range eggs.
Thinking about raising your own? There are four big items to pay attention to: Temperature, food, water, and cleanliness. Baby chicks should be kept with hay, pine straw, or wood shavings. The pen for the chicks should provide about half a square foot for each chick. A heat lamp should be used to keep the chicks warm. But the lamp should [singlepic id=101 w=320 h=240 float=right]be positioned so the chicks can decide what temperature they want to be and move closer to or farther from the lamp at will. We put down a layer of pine straw topped by newspaper and a bit more pine straw, which helps with the daily bedding cleanings that need to take place when the chicks are young. Plenty of water and food should be available to them. After about a month, they are ready to move into a coop. By 4 months, they are ready to start producing delicious, free-range eggs. There are plenty of details you should at least be familiar with if you are interested in raising your own. Thankfully there are plenty of great sources from likeminded and conscientious people.
Raising chickens will provide many other benefits that should not be ignored. Chickens provide natural insect control, can produce a useful fertilizer, and chickens scratching for bugs actually improve soil quality. You’ll also find that chickens are fun and each has a unique personality!