Feeding our family of six takes a lot of eggs and our girls are usually up to the task. We currently keep our hens in what we call "the garden extension". It's future is supposed to be a vineyard/orchard combination but for now we're letting the girls manage it. We help keep our feed costs down by feeding them our kitchen scraps, offering weeds and discard from tending the garden, facilitating the development of soldier fly larva, and by fermenting what feed we do purchase. We have three African Geese that share their space with our hens to help deter predators.
Nothing can really explain the satisfaction of cooking a breakfast of fresh eggs. The variety of colors and sizes brings beauty to the countertop. It's always a joy to see the fresh eggs in the coop and know exactly how the layers have been cared for. No second guessing the quality and safety of the eggs.
Our Hens have plenty of space to roam and do what chickens do. We add diotomaceous earth to the places where they dust bathe to help manage pests and keep them healthy. With plenty of scraps from the kitchen and fresh greens, herbs, and bugs from the garden, these girls have quite a bit of enrichment to their daily lives.
We mix a variety of whole grains and fortified foods for our flock and then ferment it for 3-5 days before feeding it to the girls. Ingredients make a huge difference in the health of our hens and the quality of our eggs. Free choice oyster shells and a weekly blend of medicinal herbs go a long way to provide supportive care and ward off illness.
As we finish our pasture and begin to implement multi-species rotational grazing we'll be developing a system that allow us to send our girls out on the pasture, too. Their role in rotational grazing is crucial to its success by prividing parasite management and heping spread manure. We're also working toward a small flock of ducks because, 1. duck eggs are great, 2. they are really good at helping manage pests in the garden, and 3. they're a lot of fun to watch.
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