Can you imagine never being able to walk outside, never to feel the sun on your face or never being able to walk through a farmers market to see all the wonderful fruits and vegetables displayed?  I can’t…but that’s the life of a factory farm raised chicken not a happy healthy chicken that is raised here on our farm!

Factory farm chickens live their lives without ever touching the soil or being allowed to hunt and peck for bugs. They are fed unnatural diets designed to produce eggs quickly and cheaply leaving us with store bought eggs that are less nutritious than eggs produced by chickens allowed to exercise, peck for bugs and engage in their natural behavior.

Did you know that eggs from backyard chickens have 25 percent more vitamin E, a third more vitamin A and 75 percent more beta carotene? They also have significantly more omega-3 fatty acids than factory farmed eggs. If you’ve never tasted a farm fresh egg you’re in for a treat.  The next time you visit your local farmers market spend the $4.00 for a dozen of farm fresh eggs you won’t go back to a store bought egg again!

Not only do we rely on the eggs that our beloved laying hens give us for 2 to 3 years but our meat chickens provide us with fresh hormone free chicken to use all year long.

Yes we do butcher chickens for our own consumption, but while they are on our farm they are allowed to roam freely, eat bugs, scratch and dig in the grass and enjoy the sun on their backs every day of the their 12-week lives.  We make their stay on our farm a happy healthy one even if it is only 12 weeks long.

Both our laying hens and meat chickens earn their keep while staying with us.  All of them have job duties and are expected to preform them every day:

1. Promptly, as soon as the sun peaks over the horizon, “Henry” the resident rooster is to wake us up with his beautiful song.
2. Dig, scratch and turn over the compost pile every time a new canister of kitchen waste is added.
3. Control the grubs, earwigs and other bugs that try to invade the yard.
4. Provide 15 minutes of grandchildren entertainment every time one visits. To include but not limited to letting them chase you, eating crackers out of their hands and letting them pick you up to love on you.

As you can see not only do we raise our own chickens but we make them part of our family while they are with us free to roam all over the barnyard.

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Here is a list of our favorite backyard farming tools:
(Contains Affiliate Links)

Little Giant 11 Lbs Plastic Hanging Poultry Feeder	Galvanized Double Wall Founts	Rabbit Hutch
Chick-N-Hutch Chicken Hutch	Aluminum Feed Scoop, 24-Ounce	10-Frame Traditional Bee Hive Basic Starter Kit
True Temper 12 Grain Hog Scoop	Backyard Farming on an Acre (More or Less)	Poly Residential Yard Rover Green Wheelbarrow