Raising chickens for Free Range Eggs

Raising chickens is not difficult and they provide many garden benefits, such as control of pests and some weeds. Of course, the major benefit is the continuous supply of organic free range eggs.

There are a few pot-holes to avoid though and as a former inspector for the Victorian Free-range Farmers Association, I have seen just about every mistake it is possible to make when raising chickens - along with some interesting innovations that you probably won't get elsewhere.

It may surprise you to find that even in commercial free-range production (ie. 'genuine' free-range, not just the carton label) the underlying objective is not to feed the birds up so they produce the greatest number of eggs possible. Actually, the aim is to create the most stress-free environment you possibly can.

It is this "Animal Considerate" environment that produces the eggs.

Of course the feed is important, since only about 10% of the birds' diet comes from the pasture it ranges on, so there is no way of raising chickens without feeding them. However, you may also notice that I said "Pasture". Keeping chickens in pens that has nothing but bare dirt and manure under foot will never be a low-stress environment - in fact (to me) it constitutes border-line cruelty!

Of course, my experience with Free-Range chickens is one thing. There are many different perspectives on this subject, so why not share yours with other interested Food Gardeners? You can do this right here, you don't even need your own website, but if you do have your own site, then why not include a link to it?

Do you have a great story about keeping Chickens or other poultry in your food garden? Why not share it with others interested in food gardening!

Here you have the chance to both learn from the experience of others and "pay it forward" by sharing what you have learned with other food gardeners.