7 minute read
Protein: Eggs
by Camille Alleyne
If you were asked, “What are the world’s most popular foods?” chances are your list would include eggs … specifically, chicken eggs! Did you know that 25.9 billion chickens were reared in 2019, worldwide, for meat and eggs, according to Statista Research & Analysis?
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If you want to experience collecting warm eggs from your backyard farm, and savour a fresh meal made with this home-grown ingredient, let us help you get your henhouse up and running. It would help if you have an experienced chicken farmer on hand to further guide you.
DO YOU WANT TO RAISE CHICKENS?
Before you begin, it is best to count the cost of raising chickens. Take the time to weigh the advantages and disadvantages to see if raising chickens is for you. ;
ADVANTAGES
• Chickens provide you with a nutritious food source. A hen can lay one to two eggs every two days.
• Fresh eggs contain more nutrients than stored eggs.
• Waste, such as egg shells and bird droppings, can be used as compost.
• Free-range or pasture-fed chickens will help rid your garden of pests like flies, grasshoppers, termites, centipedes, snails, slugs, worms, caterpillars, ants and moths. •
The chickens’ diet will be supplemented by grass, wild plants and insects found in your yard.
DISADVANTAGES
• Consider if you have enough time to care for your flock. Improper care can lead to illness, low egg yield, feather picking and deformed eggs.
• Extra care would be needed if your chickens get sick and injured. An epidemic can easily spread through the flock. Observe your birds, do research but have an expert on hand to offer advice and assistance when necessary.
• When you go on vacation you will need to find a reliable, competent caregiver for your chickens. This is sometimes quite difficult to do.
• Chicken excrement can attract flies and emit an offensive odour, so consistent cleaning is important. Covering their droppings with straw is not enough to maintain clean surroundings. Spot cleaning is best and you will need to find a good fly trap to reduce flies.
• The idea of free-range chickens is wonderful but not always possible. If you have close neighbours, it could be problematic. Your freely roaming fowls may be unwelcomed.
• Your dogs may be another issue. Many chickens have succumbed to the attacks of householders’ dogs.
• Feathered friends adore greens and flowers, so if you are not careful, there goes your treasured plants and backyard farm.
• Oh, by the way, they will also eat your garden-friendly earthworms!
• On a lighter note, you may inadvertently acquire a disturbing alarm clock. Yes, you may just get a rooster when you purchase your set of hens! It is difficult to tell the gender of chickens 100% of the time.
Although there may be quite a few challenges raising chickens, the mere fact that you will be able to provide your family with fresh eggs, will make it all worthwhile
Image by Alison Burrell from Pixabay
HOW TO RAISE CHICKENS FOR EGGS
Purchase the Chicks
Purchase your chicks from your local hatchery and keep them safe by placing them in a box or basin. Avoid using newspaper as it is not as absorbant as it seems and it can become slippery. Some recommend wood shavings while others say the baby chicks may try to eat the wood shavings. It is suggested that straw is best (not hay). Layers generally start to produce eggs between 17 and 26 weeks. They continue for approximately two years before the number of eggs decline. On average, you can expect two eggs every three days from each chicken. Twelve hours or more of sunlight can allow hens to lay up to two times in a day, since daylight stimulates laying.
Get your Supplies
You will need feed and water containers, straw, and a safe area for your chickens. Note that chickens need different supplies for the different stages of development. Ask a professional to guide you.
Acquire or Build a Coop
A coop provides shelter, safety and an area for the birds to sleep and lay eggs.
HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR BIRDS
It should take only about 20 minutes, twice a day, to care for your hens once you get used to it. The schedule can be somewhat like this:
WATER
Keep the chickens’ water clean.
Place water at the chickens’ shoulder level to reduce the possibility of debris landing in the container.
It is better to keep their water container centralised – between the coop and the run is perfect – so that chickens have constant and easy access.
Position other containers around the yard. This reduces the extent to which each container can get dirty.
FEED AND CLEAN
In the mornings, let the chickens out of the coup and into the run area while you feed, water and clean. Cleaning entails the removal of droppings and wet, soiled bedding, before laying down fresh bedding in those areas. Droppings should be disposed far away from the coop or placed into a compost.
Check for and remove eggs immediately to avoid them being damaged and to prevent droppings getting onto the eggs.
In the evening, do another quick spot clean before shutting the chickens back into the coop.
Once a week, remove all bedding, and give the coop a thorough clean. Use water from a hose to spray down the area. Allow it to air dry. At the end of the day, replace the straw.
MAKE IT FUN FOR THE FAMILY!
Raising chickens for eggs can be fun. If you have children, even young children, get them involved in your backyard chicken farm. It teaches responsibility, encourages food production, and is an activity the whole family can enjoy together.
EGGS: NUTRITIONAL CONTENT
Egg is a significant source of protein, as seen in the chart below.
Egg nutrition information Protein (g)
Per Small Egg (48 grams) .............................. 5.2
Per Medium Size Egg (58 grams) ............... 6.4
Per Large Egg (68 grams).............................. 7.5
Per Very Large Egg (78 grams).................... 8.7
Per 100 gram.................................................... 12.6
Taken from the article: Egg Nutrition Information, egginfo.co.uk by British Lion eggs.
DEFINITIONS
Certain terms are used in chicken farming to give consumers information about the kinds of eggs they buy. Here are some helpful definitions:
Cage-Free Hens (Free-Roaming):
Allowed to roam in a room or open area, which is usually a barn or poultry house, while having unlimited access to food and water.
Free-Range Hens (Pasture-Fed):
Allowed unlimited access to the outdoors, where they find food (wild plants and insects) while still having unlimited access to their own food and water.
Coop:
A cage where small animals and birds are kept. The coop is the indoor space where they go to sleep on their roost, and lay eggs in their nest boxes.
Henhouse:
A small house or hutch for hens.
Chicken Run (Run Area):
An enclosed outdoor area for chickens to get some sun and exercise. It is a place for them to sun or dust bathe, forage in grass, and scratch in dirt.
Roost:
A perch upon which the birds rest and sleep.
Nesting Box:
A cosy cubicle in which hens lay their eggs.
