Saturday, January 9, 2010

A Small Chicken Coop-Is It The Chicken Coop For You?

By Jacob Cooperman

Keeping chickens is getting very common, and it's not just done on farms any longer. There is a boom in keeping chickens in the suburbs and even in cities. Small chicken coops allow non-farmers to supply healthy, yummy eggs for their family while as well producing a feeling of self-sufficiency and a link with our rural roots.

Eggs produced by chickens brought up on pasture are nutritionally superior to eggs presently sold in supermarkets. They have less cholesterol, less saturated fat, more vitamin A and E, more omega-3 fatty acids, and more beta-carotene. Organic eggs produced in your backyard are much more tastier, too.

Hens are actually a lot like other pets - they bond with their owners, they get along well with children, and just like any pet, they are full of surprises. It is now possible to have your very own healthy, happy flock of chickens, not to mention a non-stop supply of fabulous eggs, in your own backyard. All that is required is a well-designed henhouse and some land where the hens can move about.

To have a flourishing and content flock of hens, they first require satisfactory floor space. 6 square feet of floor space per hen is perfect. In addition, the coop needs to be dry and well-ventilated, with plenty of oxygen. Good ventilation also allows unneeded moisture, ammonia, and carbon dioxide to escape. If the hens are kept dry, they will stay warm and safe, even in cold weather, and the happier and healthier the hens are, the more eggs they will produce.

Another added advantage of raising hens is that they produce high quality manure from their droppings that is rich in nitrogen. This manure is a natural fertiliser and can be recycled in to the hen owners garden or very often it is sold. The average hen produces 250 to 300 eggs per year, so unneeded eggs can as well be sold to bolster your family income.

There are numerous advantages to owning a small chicken coop. Besides the delicious eggs and valuable manure, a small chicken coop is portable. Plus, having hens is a fantastic opportunity for children to learn lessons about responsibility, hard work, and the value of money. With all these benefits, it is not surprising that keeping hens has become such a popular interest.

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